St. Peter Nolasco, C - January 28th

The Vision of St. Peter Nolasco (Wikipedia)

"O God, Who after the example of thine own love didst from heaven teach blessed Peter to enrich Thy Church with a new family founded to ransom the faithful: grant by his intercession that we may be set free from the bondage of sin, and may rejoice in lasting freedom in our heavenly home: Who livest and reignest." - Roman Catholic Daily Missal, 1962

“St. Peter Nolasco, born of a noble family at Recaudun near Carcassonne in France, was bereaved of his parents in his youth. Loathing the heresy of the Albigenses, he divided his patrimony and went to Spain. There, as he was praying one night, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him and suggested that it would be most pleasing to her Son and to herself to have a religious order founded for the purpose of freeing those taken captive in the power of unbelievers.

And so, together with St. Raymond of Pennafort and James I, king of Aragon, who had been told the same thing by the Mother of God on the very same night, he established the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the redemption of captives, the members taking a fourth vow to remain as hostages in the power of pagans if this were needed to free Christians.

He was often cheered by apparitions of his guardian Angel and of the Virgin Mother of God; and when he had attained a good old age, he died a holy death in the middle of the night of the Vigil of Christmas, in the year 1256.” - 1960 Roman Breviary

In Christ Crucified and the Most Victorious Heart of Jesus.