“Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.” These words echo through the history of New Orleans. They resonate within the walls of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. This is the story of a promise and the miracles that followed.
French Ursuline nuns arrived in Louisiana in 1727. They established a convent and the oldest school for girls in the United States. By 1800 most sisters fled to Havana fearing anti-clerical sentiment. Mother Saint Andre Madier requested help from her cousin in France. Mother Saint Michel Gensoul ran a girls boarding school. The Pope was a prisoner. Getting permission for the transfer seemed impossible.
Mother St. Michel prayed before a statue of the Virgin Mary. She said “O most Holy Virgin Mary obtain for me a prompt answer. I promise to have you honored at New Orleans as Our Lady of Prompt Succor.” The Pope granted her request quickly. Mother St. Michel commissioned a statue of Mary holding Jesus. It was made to look as if she was moving quickly.
Mother St. Michel arrived in New Orleans on December 31 1810. She brought the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. The statue was placed in the Ursuline Convent chapel.
Many miracles are attributed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor. In 1812 a fire threatened to destroy the Ursuline convent. Sr. St. Anthony placed a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on a window seat. Mother St. Michel prayed. “Our Lady of Prompt Succor we are lost unless you hasten to our aid.” The wind shifted saving the convent.
In 1815 General Andrew Jackson faced the British in the Battle of New Orleans. New Orleans residents prayed at the convent. They implored Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s help. The Prioress vowed a Mass of Thanksgiving annually should the Americans win. A courier announced the British were defeated at communion. The Mass ended with the Te Deum. An annual Mass of Thanksgiving has been held every January 8 since.
Pope Pius IX authorized public devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor in 1851. He designated January 8 as the feast day. Pope Leo XIII granted a Pontifical decree of Canonical Coronation in 1894. Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Prompt Succor Patroness of Louisiana in 1928.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the patroness of Louisiana and New Orleans. People pray for her intercession during hurricanes. Prayers were said after Hurricane Katrina for the city’s recovery.
The statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was moved to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. It is located on the Ursuline Academy campus. The National Votive Shrine was consecrated on January 6 1928.
Today the shrine stands as a testament to faith. It honors the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Remember the words of Mother St. Michel. “O most Holy Virgin Mary obtain for me a prompt answer.” Our Lady of Prompt Succor continues to answer prayers in New Orleans.