The Order of Mercy: Context for Berengar's Life

To understand Blessed Berengar of Assisi and his extraordinary mission, we must first understand the remarkable religious order to which he belonged: the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, commonly known as the Mercedarians (from the Latin merces, meaning "ransom" or "redemption").

Foundation by Saint Peter Nolasco (1218)

The Mercedarian Order was founded in 1218 in Barcelona, Spain, by Saint Peter Nolasco, a layman who had been moved by the Virgin Mary in a vision to establish an order specifically dedicated to ransoming Christian captives held by Muslim forces.

During the 13th century, the Iberian Peninsula was divided between Christian kingdoms in the north and the Muslim kingdom of Al-Andalus (Moorish Spain) in the south. Along this contested frontier, warfare was constant, and one of its most tragic consequences was the capture and enslavement of Christians by Saracen (Muslim) raiders.

These Christian captives faced terrible fates:

They were forced into brutal slavery—working in fields, galleys, mines, or as domestic servants
Many were tortured to force them to renounce their Christian faith and convert to Islam
Those who refused to apostatize often faced execution
Christian women and children were particularly vulnerable
Families were torn apart, with no hope of reunion

Some captives were from wealthy families who could negotiate their own ransom, but the vast majority were poor Christians—peasants, laborers, simple folk who had no means to buy their freedom. These were "the poor of Christ," as Nolasco called them, and they would rot in Muslim dungeons or die as slaves unless someone came to their aid.

The Fourth Vow: A Blood Oath

The Mercedarians took the three traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but they also made a fourth vow unique to their order—sometimes called the "blood vow" or the "vow of redemption."

This extraordinary vow pledged that if necessary, a Mercedarian friar would offer himself as a hostage in exchange for a Christian captive who was in danger of losing their faith. If the ransom money ran out but there were still Christians who could be freed, a Mercedarian would literally exchange places with the captive, remaining in Muslim hands as a slave or prisoner so that the Christian could go free.

This was not a symbolic or theoretical commitment. Many Mercedarians actually carried out this vow—including Saint Raymond Nonnatus (whose surname means "not born," because he was delivered by cesarean section after his mother died in childbirth), who spent years in chains in North Africa after offering himself in exchange for Christian captives.

The White Habit and the Mission

The Mercedarians wore a white habit—a white tunic, scapular, and cape—which symbolized innocence and purity. This white clothing also had a practical purpose: it facilitated their entrance into Muslim territory, where the color white was respected.

They also wore a distinctive element: a wide leather belt with a chain, suggesting the sword that members of the originally military order once carried, but also symbolizing the chains of captivity from which they freed prisoners.

The Mercedarian mission had three dimensions:

1. Collecting Alms: Friars traveled throughout Christian lands soliciting donations for the ransom fund. Every coin collected could mean freedom for a captive.

2. Negotiating Ransoms: Mercedarians called "Ransomers" or "Redeemers" traveled into Muslim territories to negotiate the release of captives, paying agreed-upon sums for their freedom.

3. Providing Care: They visited Christian prisoners in Muslim dungeons, bringing them spiritual comfort, the sacraments when possible, food, medicine, and hope.

According to records, during the founder Saint Peter Nolasco's lifetime alone, the Order freed 2,700 prisoners. Over the centuries, the Mercedarians claimed to have ransomed approximately 70,000 Christians from Muslim captivity.

Blessed Berengar of Assisi: Early Life and Call (13th-14th century)

Into this heroic tradition stepped Berengar of Assisi (also known as Berengario de Asís). While the exact dates of his birth and early life are not preserved in the surviving sources, we know that he was from Assisi, the beautiful hilltop city in Umbria, central Italy—the same city that had produced Saint Francis of Assisi a generation or two earlier.

A Son of Assisi

Assisi in the 13th-14th centuries was a thriving city-state, known for its commerce, its strategic hilltop location, and increasingly for its association with Saint Francis, the beloved poor man of Assisi who had founded the Franciscan Order and who had been canonized in 1228.

Growing up in this environment—where the memory of Saint Francis's radical poverty, his love for the poor, and his missionary zeal to convert Muslims were still fresh—young Berengar would have been formed by a culture that valued both evangelical poverty and courageous evangelization.

Joining the Mercedarians

At some point in his youth or young adulthood, Berengar felt called to religious life and specifically to join the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. What drew him to the Mercedarians rather than to the Franciscans or another order?

Several factors may have influenced him:

The Heroic Mission: The Mercedarian calling to ransom captives and potentially offer oneself as a hostage was extraordinarily compelling to generous souls.
Devotion to Mary: The Order was specifically dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy, and Marian devotion was strong in Assisi.
The Call to Spain: Perhaps Berengar felt drawn to serve in Spain, where the Reconquista (the Christian reconquest of Muslim territories) was still ongoing and where the frontier between Christianity and Islam created constant need for ransoming work.
A Desire to Serve the Suffering: Berengar's later work visiting prisoners suggests he had a particular charism for ministry to the incarcerated and enslaved.

Berengar entered the Mercedarian Order, received the white habit, made his profession of the four vows (including the blood vow of redemption), and began his formation in Mercedarian spirituality and mission.

Ministry in Spain: Preacher and Prison Apostle

Assignment to the Spanish Mission

The Mercedarian Order was strongest in Spain and Portugal, where the proximity to Muslim territories made the work of ransoming captives most urgent and practical. Berengar was assigned to minister in Spain, specifically in three important cities of the eastern and southern regions:

Granada: Located in southern Spain, Granada was at this time the capital of the Nasrid Kingdom—the last Muslim kingdom in Iberia. It would not be conquered by Christian forces until 1492. Granada was a center of Islamic culture and power, and Christians who fell into Muslim hands in this region faced particularly harsh conditions.

Valencia: A major port city on the Mediterranean coast of eastern Spain, Valencia had been reconquered from Muslim rule in 1238 by King James I of Aragon, but it remained a contested region with ongoing conflict and frequent raids that resulted in Christian captives.

Murcia: Located in southeastern Spain, Murcia was another region where Christian and Muslim forces clashed, and where the work of ransoming captives was desperately needed.

Berengar as Preacher

Blessed Berengar distinguished himself as a preacher—a friar who proclaimed the Gospel with power and effectiveness. The sources tell us he preached in Granada, Valencia, and Murcia, which means:

Public Preaching: He likely preached in churches, in public squares, and wherever people gathered, proclaiming the Christian faith, calling sinners to repentance, strengthening the faithful, and explaining the Catholic teaching.

Fundraising for Ransoms: Part of a Mercedarian preacher's work was to move hearts to contribute financially to the ransom fund. Berengar would have told stories of Christian captives suffering in Muslim dungeons, explained the urgency of the mission, and solicited donations.

Spiritual Direction and Catechesis: Beyond formal sermons, Berengar taught catechism, gave spiritual counsel, and guided souls in their relationship with God.

The fact that he preached in three major cities suggests he was an effective and sought-after preacher, whose ministry bore fruit in conversions, stronger faith, and generous giving to the redemption fund.

Visiting the Ergastolano: Ministry to Prisoners

The most distinctive and moving aspect of Blessed Berengar's ministry was his work with the ergastolano—a term referring to prisoners, especially those condemned to hard labor.

The word comes from the Latin ergastulum, meaning a workhouse or prison where slaves and prisoners were kept under harsh conditions, often working in chains.

Berengar "often visited the ergastolano, bringing them comfort and the word of the Lord." This means:

Regular Visitation: Berengar made frequent, consistent visits to prisons and labor camps where Christian captives were held. He didn't visit once and forget them—this was an ongoing ministry of presence and solidarity.

Material Comfort: He brought what physical help he could—food, water, medicine, blankets, news from families. These small acts of charity meant everything to prisoners living in brutal conditions.

Spiritual Comfort: Most importantly, Berengar brought "the word of the Lord"—Scripture, prayer, the sacraments when possible, spiritual counsel. He reminded these suffering Christians that:

God had not forgotten them
Their sufferings could be united with Christ's Passion
Perseverance in faith would lead to eternal reward
They were not alone—the Church was praying for them and working for their release

Strengthening Against Apostasy: One of the greatest dangers facing Christian captives was pressure to apostatize—to publicly renounce Christ and convert to Islam to end their suffering. Berengar's visits strengthened them to resist this temptation, to hold fast to their faith even unto death.

This ministry to prisoners was dangerous work. Entering Muslim territory, visiting Christian captives, preaching Christ in hostile environments—all of this exposed Berengar to the risk of imprisonment, torture, or death. But he persevered, driven by charity and the Mercedarian charism.

In the Spirit of Christ's Words

Berengar's prison ministry was a living fulfillment of Jesus' words in Matthew 25:36: "I was in prison and you came to visit me."

When the righteous ask when they saw Christ in prison, Jesus responds: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

Berengar understood that in visiting the imprisoned and enslaved Christians, he was visiting Christ Himself. Each prisoner he comforted was Christ suffering. Each word of Scripture he shared was food for Christ hungering for consolation. Each prayer he offered with captives was prayer with Christ in His agony.

Ransoming 358 Slaves: The Mercedarian Mission Fulfilled

A Specific and Remarkable Number

The sources preserve a specific and remarkable detail: Blessed Berengar "freed from the hands of the Saracens finally 358 slaves."

This was no small achievement. Three hundred fifty-eight human beings—men, women, perhaps children—who had been enslaved by Muslim captors were ransomed and returned to freedom through Berengar's work.

To put this in perspective: Saint Peter Nolasco, the founder of the Order, ransomed 2,700 during his entire lifetime. Berengar's 358 represents a significant portion of the Order's mission—each one a soul saved from slavery, potential apostasy, and despair.

The Process of Ransoming

How did Berengar accomplish these ransoms? The process typically involved:

1. Identifying Captives: Learning who was held prisoner, where they were being held, and their conditions. This required networks of informants and often dangerous intelligence-gathering.

2. Assessing Needs: Determining which captives were in greatest danger—those being pressured to apostatize, those in life-threatening conditions, women and children in particular peril.

3. Negotiating with Captors: Meeting with Muslim slave-holders to negotiate release terms. This required diplomatic skill, language ability, and courage.

4. Raising Funds: Collecting enough money to pay the agreed-upon ransom. Berengar's preaching ministry in Granada, Valencia, and Murcia helped generate these funds.

5. Making the Exchange: Traveling to the place of captivity with the ransom money (or goods—sometimes cloth, weapons, or other valuables were accepted), paying the sum, and receiving the freed captives.

6. Safe Passage Home: Escorting the freed Christians back to Christian territory, providing them with food, clothing, and medical care, and helping them reunite with families or find new homes if their families had been destroyed.

7. Potential Self-Offering: If the ransom money ran out before all captives could be freed, a Mercedarian might invoke the fourth vow and offer himself as a hostage so more captives could go free.

Three Hundred Fifty-Eight Families Rejoicing

Behind the number "358 slaves" are 358 human stories:

Fathers returned to children who thought them dead
Mothers reunited with sons and daughters
Young men and women saved from forced conversion and a lifetime of slavery
Elderly captives spending their final days in freedom rather than in chains
Christians who had maintained their faith despite torture and pressure, now vindicated and saved

Each ransomed captive represented not just one life saved but entire families and communities restored. The joy when these freed captives returned home—the tears, the embraces, the thanksgiving Masses, the celebrations—can scarcely be imagined.

The Cost Beyond Money

While ransom required money, Berengar's work also cost him in other ways:

Physical Hardship: Traveling throughout Spain and into Muslim territories, often in dangerous conditions, exposed to heat, cold, disease, and the risks of travel.
Emotional Toll: Witnessing the suffering of prisoners, hearing their stories of torture and abuse, seeing those he could not yet ransom—all of this must have weighed heavily on his heart.
Spiritual Warfare: Confronting the forces of evil that kept Christians enslaved and tried to make them deny Christ required constant prayer and spiritual strength.
Personal Danger: Each venture into Muslim territory risked his own capture, enslavement, or death.

Yet Berengar persevered, ransoming 358 souls—a legacy of mercy that continues to inspire the Mercedarian Order today.

Final Years and Holy Death at Santa Maria Guardia Pratorum

"Many Works and Full of Merit"

The sources tell us that Blessed Berengar, "with many works and full of merit," came at last to his final days. This beautiful phrase captures both his active ministry and its spiritual fruit:

Many Works: Berengar's life had been filled with activity—preaching, visiting prisoners, negotiating ransoms, traveling, administering the sacraments, counseling souls. His hands and feet had been busy in service.

Full of Merit: But these works were not merely external actions. They were acts of supernatural charity, performed in union with Christ, that earned eternal merit. Berengar's account before God was rich with the coin of love.

Santa Maria Guardia Pratorum

Berengar spent his final days and died at the Convent of Santa Maria Guardia Pratorum. While the exact location of this convent is not specified in the brief sources available, the name suggests:

Santa Maria: It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, appropriate for a Mercedarian house since the Order was consecrated to Our Lady of Mercy.

Guardia Pratorum: This Latin phrase might mean "Guardian of the Meadows" or could refer to a specific place name. It was likely a Mercedarian convent in Spain or Italy where Berengar resided in his later years.

The Crown of Glory

The sources beautifully express Berengar's death: "he reached the crown of glory."

This is not merely a poetic way of saying he died, but a theological affirmation. The "crown of glory" refers to:

Revelation 2:10: "Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

1 Peter 5:4: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

2 Timothy 4:8: "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day."

Berengar had been faithful unto death. He had run the race, fought the good fight, kept the faith. Now he received his reward—the crown of eternal glory, entrance into heaven, the beatific vision, and the joy of hearing Jesus say: "Well done, good and faithful servant. You visited me in prison. Enter into the joy of your Master."

The Liturgical Feast: February 13

The Order celebrates him February 13.

The Mercedarian Order, and by extension the universal Church, commemorates Blessed Berengar on February 13 each year. While we don't know the exact year of his death, this date—February 13—is observed as his feast day, the liturgical memorial of his life and sanctity.

It's worth noting that February 13 is shared with several other blessed and saints in the Catholic calendar, creating what might be called a "cloud of witnesses" for that day:

Blessed Jordan of Saxony (d. 1237): The second Master General of the Dominicans
Blessed Christina of Spoleto (d. 1458): The Augustinian penitent
Blessed Eustochium of Padua (d. 1469): The Benedictine mystic

On this day, Mercedarians throughout the world—in their churches, convents, and houses of ministry—offer Mass in honor of Blessed Berengar, read his story, and ask for his intercession, particularly for those working in prison ministry and for the liberation of all who are enslaved or captive in any form.

Legacy and Continuing Mission

The Mercedarian Order Today

Though the specific historical context of ransoming Christians from Muslim captors has changed (the Reconquista ended in 1492, and the Ottoman threat eventually receded), the Mercedarian charism continues in adapted forms:

Prison Ministry: Modern Mercedarians serve as prison chaplains, visiting inmates, celebrating Mass in correctional facilities, providing spiritual counsel, and working for rehabilitation and justice reform. They continue Blessed Berengar's legacy of bringing "comfort and the word of the Lord" to the incarcerated.

Liberation from Modern Slavery: The Order works against contemporary forms of human trafficking, forced labor, sexual slavery, and other forms of bondage that afflict millions worldwide.

Ministry to the Oppressed: Mercedarians serve refugees, migrants, the homeless, victims of violence and oppression—all who are "captive" in various ways and need liberation.

The Fourth Vow: While Mercedarians today are unlikely to literally exchange themselves for hostages, the spirit of the fourth vow remains—a willingness to give one's life for others, to make heroic sacrifices for those in danger of losing their faith or freedom.

Blessed Berengar as Model and Intercessor

Blessed Berengar remains a powerful model and intercessor for:

Prison Chaplains and Ministers: Those who serve in jails and prisons, bringing the sacraments and consolation to inmates.

Those Working Against Human Trafficking: Modern abolitionists fighting slavery in its contemporary forms.

Preachers: Those called to proclaim the Gospel with clarity and power.

The Mercedarian Order: Berengar is a patron and model for all Mercedarian friars and sisters, exemplifying their charism in heroic fashion.

All Christians: Berengar challenges all believers to ask: What am I doing to liberate those in bondage? Am I visiting the imprisoned (literally or figuratively)? Am I working for the freedom of the oppressed?

Spirituality and Theological Significance

The Spirituality of Blessed Berengar

Several themes characterize Berengar's spiritual life and witness:

1. Radical Charity: Berengar's willingness to risk his life repeatedly to free enslaved Christians demonstrates heroic charity—loving neighbor even unto death.

2. Works of Mercy: He embodied the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, especially "visiting the imprisoned" and "ransoming the captive."

3. Marian Devotion: As a Mercedarian, Berengar's entire mission was undertaken under the patronage of Our Lady of Mercy, whom he invoked constantly.

4. Solidarity with the Suffering: Rather than ministering from a distance, Berengar entered into the very prisons and places of suffering where captives were held.

5. Evangelization and Catechesis: His preaching ministry showed that liberation must be both physical and spiritual—freeing bodies from slavery while feeding souls with God's Word.

6. Perseverance: Ransoming 358 slaves required years of patient, dangerous, difficult work. Berengar's perseverance is itself heroic.

Relevance for Today

What can Blessed Berengar teach us in the 21st century?

For Those in Prison Ministry: Berengar is a patron and model, showing that visiting prisoners is not optional charity but central to Christian discipleship.

For Those Fighting Modern Slavery: An estimated 40+ million people worldwide are trapped in some form of slavery today. Berengar's work of ransoming captives continues to be urgently needed.

For Preachers: Berengar shows that preaching must lead to action—words about God's mercy must be followed by works of mercy.

For All Christians: Matthew 25 makes clear that we will be judged on whether we visited the imprisoned, fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger. Berengar challenges us: What are we doing for the captive and oppressed?

For Those Who Feel Overwhelmed: Three hundred fifty-eight might seem like a small number compared to the tens of thousands enslaved. But each one mattered infinitely. We may not be able to help everyone, but we can help someone.

Prayer for the Intercession of Blessed Berengar of Assisi

O God, who inspired Blessed Berengar of Assisi to preach Your Gospel with zeal and to ransom captive Christians from slavery, grant us, through his intercession, the grace to work for the liberation of all who are enslaved in body, mind, or spirit. May we, like Blessed Berengar, faithfully visit those in prison, bringing them comfort and Your holy Word, and may we dedicate our lives to works of mercy after the example of Our Lady of Mercy. Through his prayers, grant us the grace we seek [mention your request], especially for all prisoners and captives, for those working in prison ministry, and for the abolition of modern slavery. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Feast Day: February 13

Patronage: Prison chaplains; those working against human trafficking; the Mercedarian Order; preachers; those who work for the liberation of captives; the cities of Granada, Valencia, and Murcia; ransomers

Attributes: Mercedarian white habit with chain; broken shackles or chains (symbolizing freed captives); purse or money bag (ransom funds); group of freed prisoners; prison bars; preaching book

Also Known As: Berengario de Asís; Berengar the Ransomer

Religious Order: Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy (Mercedarians) - O. de M.

Titles: Preacher; Ransomer; Liberator of Captives; Visitor of Prisoners; Apostle to the Enslaved

May Blessed Berengar of Assisi intercede for all who are imprisoned or enslaved, and inspire us to work for their liberation!

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Feb 13, 2015

⛪ Blessed Berengar of Assisi: The Mercedarian Ransomer and Prison Apostle