Peter Nolasco was born of noble parents at Recaudun, near Carcassonne, in France, and is chiefly distinguished for his remarkable love towards his neighbour. It was considered a foreshadowing of this virtue, that when he was a little child in his cradle, a swarm of bees lighted upon him, and formed a honeycomb on his right hand. He lost his parents while still young, and in consequence of his horror of the Albigensian heresy, with which France was then plagued, he sold his estates there and withdrew into Spain. Here he first discharged a vow which he had taken long before, at the shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Montserrat, and afterwards went to Barcelona. Here he was so affected by the miserable state of the Christians who were in slavery to the Moors, that he expended his whole fortune in ransoming as many of them as possible, and used to say that he wished he could be sold himself to ransom more, or could himself change places with them.
It came to pass that God shewed how agreeable to him was the charitable zeal of Peter. One night when he was praying, and his mind was much exercised on the means of succouring the enslaved Christians, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in a vision, and gave him to understand that it would be most pleasing to her Son and herself, if he would found in her honour an order of religious men, whose chief duty it should be to effect the redemption of Christian bondsmen out of the hand of the infidels. In conformity to this revelation, which had likewise on the same night been made to St. Raymund Pennaforte, and King James I of Aragon, he founded the Religious Order of the Blessed Mary of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives. The members add a fourth vow to the three essential ones of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, namely, that they will be ready if need be to remain as hostages in the hand of the infidels for the liberation of others.
After he took the vow of virginity he remained with his purity quite unsullied all his life, and was at the same time a bright pattern of long-suffering, lowliness, temperance, and other virtues. God was pleased to adorn him with the gift of Prophecy, whereby he foretold things to come. Among others, he prophesied to King James that he would take the city of Valencia from the Moors, which he afterwards did. He was refreshed by frequent apparitions of his Guardian Angel, and of the Virgin Mother of God. He had lived to a great age when being quite worn out, and falling into a grievous sickness, he perceived that his end was at hand. He then received the holy Sacraments, and gathering his brethren around him, exhorted them for the last time to shew pity to slaves. After this he began to repeat with great emotion the 110th Psalm: I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; and when he had uttered the words: The Lord sent redemption unto his people; he resigned his soul to God. This happened at midnight between the 23rd and 24th of December, in the year 1256. Alexander VII extended his feast to the universal Church.
It came to pass that God shewed how agreeable to him was the charitable zeal of Peter. One night when he was praying, and his mind was much exercised on the means of succouring the enslaved Christians, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in a vision, and gave him to understand that it would be most pleasing to her Son and herself, if he would found in her honour an order of religious men, whose chief duty it should be to effect the redemption of Christian bondsmen out of the hand of the infidels. In conformity to this revelation, which had likewise on the same night been made to St. Raymund Pennaforte, and King James I of Aragon, he founded the Religious Order of the Blessed Mary of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives. The members add a fourth vow to the three essential ones of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, namely, that they will be ready if need be to remain as hostages in the hand of the infidels for the liberation of others.
After he took the vow of virginity he remained with his purity quite unsullied all his life, and was at the same time a bright pattern of long-suffering, lowliness, temperance, and other virtues. God was pleased to adorn him with the gift of Prophecy, whereby he foretold things to come. Among others, he prophesied to King James that he would take the city of Valencia from the Moors, which he afterwards did. He was refreshed by frequent apparitions of his Guardian Angel, and of the Virgin Mother of God. He had lived to a great age when being quite worn out, and falling into a grievous sickness, he perceived that his end was at hand. He then received the holy Sacraments, and gathering his brethren around him, exhorted them for the last time to shew pity to slaves. After this he began to repeat with great emotion the 110th Psalm: I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; and when he had uttered the words: The Lord sent redemption unto his people; he resigned his soul to God. This happened at midnight between the 23rd and 24th of December, in the year 1256. Alexander VII extended his feast to the universal Church.
