The Virgin Mary Returns to Spain in 1945

Join John Carpenter, Don Hartley, and the Deeper Truth research team as we examine the events in Spain in 1945.   St. Josemaria Escriva was deeply devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary throughout his entire life. His writings and his interior life are equally marked by this devotion; so too is Opus Dei, which, under God’s providence, he founded on October 2, 1928 as a path to holiness in ordinary life. He would also bring Mary into all the details of his life and turned to her in his every need. While each of her titles found a place in his heart, some took on special resonance for him. One of these titles is Our Lady of Mercy (or Our Lady of Ransom), who is venerated as the Patroness of Barcelona, Spain, among other places. Visits to the Shine of Our Lady of Mercy (La Mercè) Since St. Josemaria was born in Barbastro, near Barcelona, he may well have heard about Our Lady of Mercy from his childhood. A favorite aunt of his was named Mercedes after her. However, there is no evidence of his having visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy in Barcelona as a child or during his student years. His first visit to her shrine may have been in 1924, before his ordination to the diaconate, when he made a brief trip to Barcelona by train, arriving at Francia Station.