24 September 2026
Mare de Déu de la Mercè and Saint Gerard
Today, September 24th, we celebrate the feast day of la Mare de Déu de la Mercè and Saint Gerard, bishop and martyr.
La Mare de Déu de la Mercè
La Mare de Déu de la Mercè is a Marian devotion originating in Barcelona, closely linked to the founding of the Order of Mercy. According to Mercedarian tradition, on the night of August 2nd, 1218, the Virgin Mary appeared simultaneously to sant Pere Nolasc, sant Ramon de Penyafort, and King Jaume I, commissioning them to establish an order dedicated to the redemption of captive Christians. The order was founded that same year at Barcelona Cathedral, with the support of the king and Bishop Berenguer de Palou, and was confirmed in 1235. They received as their coat of arms the white cross on a red field—titular to Barcelona Cathedral—and the four bars of the Crown of Aragon.
Her devotion is documented as early as 1230, and a church was soon dedicated to her. The image venerated today is a 14th-century gothic wooden carving, likely attributed to Pere Moragues. She was proclaimed patron saint of Barcelona after several instances where the city invoked her protection, and her devotion was extended to the entire Church in 1696. She was canonically crowned in 1888, during the Barcelona Universal Exposition.
Saint Gerard, Bishop and Martyr
Born around the year 977 in Lombardy, he entered the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice as a young man, where he eventually became abbot. Following a journey to the Holy Land, he traveled to Hungary and entered the service of King sant Esteve, who entrusted him with the education of his son, Prince Emeric. In 1030, he was appointed Bishop of Csanád, where he worked to organize and consolidate the young Hungarian Church.
He died a martyr during a pagan uprising on September 24th, 1046. According to tradition, he was captured, stoned, and thrown into the Danube. He was canonized in 1083, alongside sant Esteve and prince Emeric.
La Mare de Déu de la Mercè
La Mare de Déu de la Mercè is a Marian devotion originating in Barcelona, closely linked to the founding of the Order of Mercy. According to Mercedarian tradition, on the night of August 2nd, 1218, the Virgin Mary appeared simultaneously to sant Pere Nolasc, sant Ramon de Penyafort, and King Jaume I, commissioning them to establish an order dedicated to the redemption of captive Christians. The order was founded that same year at Barcelona Cathedral, with the support of the king and Bishop Berenguer de Palou, and was confirmed in 1235. They received as their coat of arms the white cross on a red field—titular to Barcelona Cathedral—and the four bars of the Crown of Aragon.
Her devotion is documented as early as 1230, and a church was soon dedicated to her. The image venerated today is a 14th-century gothic wooden carving, likely attributed to Pere Moragues. She was proclaimed patron saint of Barcelona after several instances where the city invoked her protection, and her devotion was extended to the entire Church in 1696. She was canonically crowned in 1888, during the Barcelona Universal Exposition.
Saint Gerard, Bishop and Martyr
Born around the year 977 in Lombardy, he entered the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice as a young man, where he eventually became abbot. Following a journey to the Holy Land, he traveled to Hungary and entered the service of King sant Esteve, who entrusted him with the education of his son, Prince Emeric. In 1030, he was appointed Bishop of Csanád, where he worked to organize and consolidate the young Hungarian Church.
He died a martyr during a pagan uprising on September 24th, 1046. According to tradition, he was captured, stoned, and thrown into the Danube. He was canonized in 1083, alongside sant Esteve and prince Emeric.
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[cos] => Today, September 24th, we celebrate the feast day of la Mare de Déu de la Mercè and Saint Gerard, bishop and martyr.
La Mare de Déu de la Mercè
La Mare de Déu de la Mercè is a Marian devotion originating in Barcelona, closely linked to the founding of the Order of Mercy. According to Mercedarian tradition, on the night of August 2nd, 1218, the Virgin Mary appeared simultaneously to sant Pere Nolasc, sant Ramon de Penyafort, and King Jaume I, commissioning them to establish an order dedicated to the redemption of captive Christians. The order was founded that same year at Barcelona Cathedral, with the support of the king and Bishop Berenguer de Palou, and was confirmed in 1235. They received as their coat of arms the white cross on a red field—titular to Barcelona Cathedral—and the four bars of the Crown of Aragon.
Her devotion is documented as early as 1230, and a church was soon dedicated to her. The image venerated today is a 14th-century gothic wooden carving, likely attributed to Pere Moragues. She was proclaimed patron saint of Barcelona after several instances where the city invoked her protection, and her devotion was extended to the entire Church in 1696. She was canonically crowned in 1888, during the Barcelona Universal Exposition.
Saint Gerard, Bishop and Martyr
Born around the year 977 in Lombardy, he entered the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice as a young man, where he eventually became abbot. Following a journey to the Holy Land, he traveled to Hungary and entered the service of King sant Esteve, who entrusted him with the education of his son, Prince Emeric. In 1030, he was appointed Bishop of Csanád, where he worked to organize and consolidate the young Hungarian Church.
He died a martyr during a pagan uprising on September 24th, 1046. According to tradition, he was captured, stoned, and thrown into the Danube. He was canonized in 1083, alongside sant Esteve and prince Emeric.
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