Who is the Order of Mercy, or Mercedarians?
The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy [Order of Mercy, or Mercedarians] was founded in 1218. Originally structured as a military order, the Mercedarians were later given mendicant privilege to support the work of ransoming captive Christians from the Saracens. The Mercedarians pledged to use themselves as ransom if there was no more money, yet a possibility of freeing a captive. This developed into the characteristic “Fourth Vow” of the Mercedarian Order: to give one’s life for someone in danger of losing their Christian faith.
