Saint Raymond Nonnatus

Based on the tradition of the Macedonians, the saint was born at portell which is part of Santa Ramón; the area was under the diocese of Urgell. He then proceeded to become one of the most active members in Mercedarian Order whish was established to ransom Christian captives that were from the Moor community which is found in North Africa.

Saint Raymond was ordained to priesthood in the year 1222; his active role is what saw him promoted to the rank of master general, of which he served excellent. The saint then traveled to North Africa where he was forced to become a hostage after running put of money.

Requesting petitions for the following:            

• Help with: Stopping gossip.
• Feast: 31-Aug
• Day: Tuesday
• Candle/Emblem: Red. Monstrance and a palm with two crowns.
• Matters concerning: To stop gossip and the protection of unborn children

While in captivity, he really suffered as a formality. There is a story which goes that the Moors dug a hole through the lips of Saint Raymond using a hot iron and then put padlock that could prevent him from speaking and consequently not preaching.

It is claimed that he was then ransomed by his order, a fact that saw him return back to his homeland in Spain in the year 1239.  The date of his death is not know exactly but is said to be either 26th or 31st August 1240 in Cardona which is near Barcelona. There were various miracles that happened by the saint before and after his death.

There are records from the 16th century which indicate the saint was appointed cardinal deacon by Pope Gregory I upon his return to Spain in 1239 and that his death occurred while travelling to Rome, however, it has been established that this was another Raymond.

Honors for Saint Raymond

There are several places in the world that have been named in honor of saint Raymond and they include saint Raymond in Quebec Canada, San Ramon de la Nueva Qran in Argentina, Raimundo Nonato and Roman catholic Diocese of Sao Raimondo Nonato.

Veneration

This saint’s feast has been fixed on 31st august. After careful analysis on the essence of the saint, it was found so small that it led to the removal of his celebration from the list of essential commemorations in the liturgical calendar. This implies that, he is not commemorated on during the Roman lite but can during his day, mass and liturgy of the hours may be recited as he is in the 31st August Roman Martylorogy..

There is a specific ritual that has been that relates to the padlock when it comes to the marking of the ritual. The locks will be placed on the altar with the belief that they will effectively capture gossip, bad talk and false testimonies.

The locks are also believed to keep the confessions as secret as possible, to prevent the making of lies and to keep guard of the priest who may be committed to keeping the confessions as secret as possible. Then on placing the lock, a person who wants to make a confession will take a seat on the main bench and all the people will see him take the confession.