The Biography of St. Raymond Nonnatus
St. Raymond Nonnatus, also known as Raymund Nonnatus, Raimundo Nonato, and San Romano, is the patron saint unborn children because he was delivered by cesarean after his mother died at Portella, Spain in 1204. Non natus is Latin for “not born.”

Of meager yet noble birth, Raymond was well educated in preparation for a career in the royal court of Aragon. When Raymond felt drawn to religious life, his father ordered him to manage one of the family farms. However, Raymond spent his time with the shepherds and workers, studying and praying until his father gave up the idea of making his son a worldly success.

Raymond became a priest and received the habit from St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the Ransom of Captives, or the Mercedarians. The Mercedarians were founded in Barcelona in 1218 and devoted themselves to ransoming Christians captured by Moors.

The Mercedarians played an important role in the conversion the New World as Christopher Columbus brought some members of the Order of Mercy with him to America. They founded houses in Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador, and took an active part in the conversion of the Indians.

Towards the end of the 18th century, the Mercedarians erected houses for the training of missionaries, and undertook elementary teaching at the beginning of the 19th century.

As a Mercedarian priest, Raymond made such progress in religious life that he was soon considered worthy to succeed his master, St. Peter Nolasco, in the office of ransomer. He was sent to Algiers and spent his entire estate ransoming Christians, even surrendering as a hostage himself in order to free another.

Raymond was zealous in teaching the Christian religion and made many converts, which embittered the Mohammedan authorities. Raymond was subjected to all kinds of indignities and cruelty, was made to run the gauntlet, and was sentenced to death by impalement.

The hope of a greater sum of money as ransom caused the governor to commute the sentence into imprisonment. While imprisoned, he still managed to convert some of his guards. To keep him from preaching the faith, his captors bored a hole through his lips with a hot iron, and attached a padlock. Eventually ransomed, Raymond returning to Barcelona in 1239, where he was made a cardinal by Gregory IX.

The following year, the pope called Raymond to Rome. He made it only as far as Cardona, about six miles from Barcelona, where he died of a fever on August 31st. He was 37 years old.

Raymond is buried at the chapel of Saint Nicholas in Cardona near the family farm his father wanted him to manage. St. Peter Nolasco founded a convent there in 1255, and St. Raymond’s relics still rest in that church.

Pope Urban VIII took the first public step towards canonization on November 5, 1625 by formally acknowledged the holiness of Raymond through cultus confirmation, or confirming the public cultus of a saint. This is a slightly different process than the modern formal beatification, although the person is referred to as “Blessed.”

Pope Alexander VII canonized St. Raymond in 1657. Because of his life as a priest, St. Raymond also is the patron of falsely accused people.

The Church celebrates his Memorial on August 31st.

Click here for Prayers to St. Raymond Nonnatus.