Overview

• On September 24, 2025, the principal santoral observance honors the Virgin of Mercy, a widely venerated title of the Virgin Mary.
• According to tradition, the Virgin appeared in 1218 to Saint Peter Nolasco, alongside Saint Raymond of Peñafort and King James I of Aragon, prompting the founding of the Order of Mercy to aid Christian captives.
• Mercedarians emphasize works of mercy toward the vulnerable, and the Virgin of Mercy is recognized as patron of prisoners.
• Coverage notes that Pope Innocent XII extended the feast to the universal Church in 1696, and Pope Pius IX proclaimed her patron of Barcelona in 1868.
• In Argentina, the devotion is closely linked to Tucumán and national memory: General Manuel Belgrano named her “Generala del Ejército” after the 1812 battle, a title later formalized in 1943, with strong veneration also reported in Buenos Aires.