To the world of cyberspace,

This poor friar -- a humble worker "in the vineyard of the Lord"-- is attempting to reach out to the world using the internet super-highway. I hope that this blog will be read by at least one other person besides myself.

....

The Holy Father's recent visit to the US has sparked within the heart of the Church in America a renewed sense of mission and a rejuvenated understanding of the universality and catholicity of the Church of Christ. Now, responding to the enthusiasm garnered by the Shepherd's words on American soil, this weblog has begun to share the experiences and insights of the friars. we desire to make known more clearly and more widely the mission of our Order, its charism, noble history, and spirit. What more effective way can there be, aside from the authentic living of Mercedarian life, than to share with the world our identity.

The Order of Mercy was founded in 1218 by St. Peter Nolasco, through the intervention of Our Blessed Mother, with the divine mission to ransom Christian captives from the hands of the Moors. Down through the centuries, we, the Mercedarian Friars, out of love for Christ and His Church, inspired by the example of our holy patriarch St. Peter Nolasco, have striven to continue this mission. We see, daily, newer forms of captivity arising out of a world that has forgotten and abandoned God. We find ourselves needing to be evermore ready to face the tough challenges of defending, proclaiming, and living the Catholic Faith.

We hope that this blog will open your eyes to see that captivity still exists in our world, in the 21st century. It is a more pervasive, insidious form of captivity because it not easily recognizable, but just as degrading and offensive to God.

May God inspire our new endeavour, which we offer to Him as an act of love, praise, and adoration.

Nos cum prole pia, benedicat Virgo Maria!

Mercedarian Friar