| Our Lady of Prompt Succor The Madonna of New Orleans Patroness of Louisiana | |
|---|---|
 The Canonically crowned image enshrined in the high altar | |
| Location | Louisiana, United States of America |
| Date | 1810 |
| Witness | Mother Saint Michel President Andrew Jackson |
| Type | Golden wood image |
| Approval | Pope Pius IX Pope Leo XIII (Coronation) Pope Pius XI |
| Shrine | The National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor |
| Patronage | Louisiana (1928) Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans Protection against hurricanes Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Italy Kerċem |
Our Lady of Prompt Succor (French: Notre-Dame du Prompt Secours) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a wooden devotional image of the Madonna and Child enshrined in a National Votive Shrine at 2701 State St, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America. The image was brought to the United States from France by Ursuline Nun Mother Saint Michel Gensoul.
Pope Pius IX authorized the public devotion to the Marian title on 21 September 1851 and the offering of an Annual Mass on the 8th of January, in comemoration of the miracle at the Battle of New Orleans. Pope Leo XIII granted a Pontifical decree of Canonical Coronation to the image on 21 June 1894. The rite of coronation was executed by Archbishop Francis Janssens on August on 10 November 1895.
The image is also known by its connection to President Andrew Jackson who was present before the image during and after the Battle of New Orleans against the British invasion. Under this Marian title, the Virgin Mary is designated as the Principal Patroness of Louisiana and the Archdiocese of New Orleans dating from a 13 June 1928 Papal bull from the Sacred Congregation of Rites. The image is presently enshrined at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor while her feast day is celebrated on 8 January and her traditional patronal feast on January 15.
History
French Ursuline nuns first arrived in Louisiana in 1727. The nuns established a convent and founded what is the oldest school for girls in the territory of the modern-day U.S., Ursuline Academy, which educated the children of European colonists, Native Americans, and those of the local Creole people, slave or free. Spanish sisters came to assist the growing school in 1763 after Louisiana fell under Spanish control.
In 1800 the territory came back under French possession, and in 1803, most of the sisters, fearing the anti-clerical sentiment of the French Revolution, fled to Havana, Cuba. When Louisiana passed into the control of the United States, the sisters sent the President a letter asking if their property rights would be honored by the new government. The response from President Thomas Jefferson is still kept at the convent to this day:
...I have received, holy sisters, the letter you have written me wherein you express anxiety for the property vested in your institutions by the former governments of Louisiana. The principles of the Constitution and government of the United States are a sure guarantee to you that it will be preserved to you sacred and inviolate, and that your institution will be permitted to govern itself according to its own voluntary rules, without interference from the civil authority.... Be assured it will meet all the protection which my office can give it.
Short of teachers, Mother Saint Andre Madier requested sisters from France to come to America to aid the struggling convent. She wrote to her cousin, Mother Saint Michel Gensoul, who was exiled from the Ursuline Convent in Pont-Saint-Esprit, due to the Reign of Terror and was running a Catholic girls boarding school in Montpellier France at the time. The Catholic Church was continuing to suffer the wrath of the revolution under Napoleon. Mother Saint Michel, knowing that the Church was in distress in both her homeland and abroad, approached Bishop Nicolas-Marie Fournier de la Contamine of Montpelier to request a transfer. Bishop Fournier felt unable to afford the loss of another nun, as many had been killed or fled during the revolution, and advised Mother St. Michel that only the Pope could give this authorization.
Pope Pius VII was a prisoner of Napoleon at the time, and Mother St. Michel knew the unlikelihood of the Pope even receiving her letter. She prayed before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and said: "O most Holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain for me a prompt and favorable answer to this letter, I promise to have you honored at New Orleans under the title of OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOR."
Sending her petition on March 19, 1809, the Feast of St. Joseph, Mother St. Michel received a letter from the Pope Pius VII granting her request on 29 April 1809. Mother St. Michel commissioned a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus, be made from a tree from the forests in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The workman carved her flowing robes so that she would appear to be moving quickly. Bishop Fournier officially blessed the statue and Mother St. Michel's work.
Mother St. Michel, traveling with the statue and eight postulants boarded the ship 'Francis' at La Rochelle on Holy Saturday, April 21, 1810. They arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 8th, the home of its Declaration of Independence and Constitution, where they were lodged near Holy Trinity German Catholic Church. Fifteen days later then traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, site of what would become the first Catholic Cathedral, named for the Assumption, where they were received by Bishop John Carroll. Carroll ordered them to remain in Baltimore until November, due to yellow fever in Louisiana. On December 31, 1810, the arrived in New Orleans with the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, where it was placed in the Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation of the Old Ursuline Convent on Chartres Street in the French Quarter.
Miracles
Many miracles have been attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Two historical events are especially associated with the Virgin. The first occurred in 1812 during the eruption of a great fire in New Orleans devastating the Vieux Carré. The Ursuline convent was facing imminent destruction as the winds blew the terrible fire toward the Plaza de Armas. An order was given to evacuate the convent, however at that moment, a nun named Sr. St. Anthony (Marthe Delatre, daughter of Antoine Delatre) placed a small statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on a window seat and Mother St. Michel began to pray aloud, "Our Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost unless you hasten to our aid!" Immediately, the wind shifted direction, blowing the flames away from the convent allowing for the fire to be extinguished. The Ursuline convent was one of the few buildings spared from destruction.
The second major miracle occurred in 1815, three years after the disastrous fire. General Andrew Jackson's 6,000 American troops faced 15,000 British soldiers on the plains of Chalmette. On the eve of the Battle of New Orleans, New Orleans residents of all colors and classes, joined the Ursuline sisters in a Vigil of Prayer throughout the night, in the Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation, at their convent in the French Quarter, imploring the help of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. On the morning of January 8, the Very Reverend William Louis Valentine Dubourg, Vicar General, offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the altar on which the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor had been placed atop the Tabernacle. Cannon fire could be heard from the chapel. The Prioress of the Ursuline convent, Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin, made a vow to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung annually should the American forces win. At the very moment of the distribution of Holy Communion, a courier ran into the chapel to inform all those present that the British had been defeated. They had become confused by a fog and wandered into a swamp. A Solemn High Mass with the singing of the Te Deum was offered by Monsignor Abbe Dubourg at St. Louis Cathedral on January 23, 1815 with General Jackson and members of his troops attending. On January 8, 1840, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson returned to New Orleans and attended a service at St. Louis Cathedral. An annual Mass of Thanksgiving before the miraculous statue, in response to Mother de Vezin's vow, has been held by the Ursuline Nuns on January 8 ever since with the Archbishop of New Orleans presiding. The 200th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans occurred in 2015, and commemorative events were held.
Pontifical approbations
- On 21 September 1851, Pope Pius IX authorized the devotion and celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the singing of the yearly Mass of Thanksgiving on January 8.
- On 21 June 1894, Pope Leo XIII approved the Canonical Coronation of the wooden image with an accompanying Papal bull from the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith and was carried out by Archbishop Francis Janssens on 10 November 1895. The crowns were created by W. J. Feely Co., Providence, R. I. and the gold and precious stones were donated by the people of New Orleans. On January 8, 1895, same Pontiff issued a papal document erecting the Confraternity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in the Ursuline Chapel and on April 28, 1807, elevating their status to the rank of Archconfraternity.
- On 13 June 1928, Pope Pius XI declared the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor as the Patroness of New Orleans and of all Louisiana and established January 15th as the Patronal Feast with the Rite of Double of the 1st Class with Octave, with proper Mass and Divine Office and with permission to offer a Mass on January 8th. The request was granted from a petition by the Archbishop of New Orleans, John William Shaw; Bishop of Alexandria, Cornelius Van de Ven; and, Bishop of Lafayette, Jules B. Jeanmard. The papal decree was executed and signed by Cardinal Camillo Laurenti of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.
Interpretation
According to Michael Pasquier, promotion of devotion to the Marian title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was an attempt by the Catholic hierarchy to ease tensions in a Catholic population divided over a French Creole Catholicism and an Anglo-Catholic hierarchy in Baltimore. He maintains that the devotion originally never garnered a widespread following due to its "lack of multi-ethnic appeal" to minority groups at the time. The cultus of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was a devotion particular to the French Ursulines.
Veneration
Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the patroness of the state of Louisiana, and of the city of New Orleans.
Pious believers of New Orleans pray before the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, asking for her intercession whenever a hurricane threatens the city. During hurricane season, prayers are said at every Mass in the city during the Prayers of the Faithful requesting Our Lady of Prompt Succor's intercession and protection. After Hurricane Katrina, prayers were made to Our Lady of Prompt Succor asking for the quick recovery of the damaged city and surrounding area.
National Shrine
The statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was moved from the Old Ursuline convent in the French Quarter to Ursuline Convent on Dauphine Street and finally to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, located on the State Street campus of Ursuline Academy and Convent. The National Votive Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was constructed during the 1920s and consecrated on January 6, 1928 by Archbishop John Shaw. The Shrine is the responsibility of the Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union, Central Province.
The Old Ursuline Convent is located at 1100 Chartres Street in the French Quarter. The attached chapel is now known as St. Mary's. The church and the convent are open for tours daily. The Chapel of Our Lady of Consolation, where those gathered in prayer during the Battle of New Orleans was demolished. A mural adorns the historical spot and can be visited.
Servants of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
The Servants of Our Lady of Prompt Succor are members of the New York Chapter of the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor; established in 2000. The Archconfraternity of New Orleans is headquartered at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, New Orleans, Louisiana.
In response to Jesus’ words on the cross to Saint John the Apostle, '(Gospel of John 19:27)':“Behold, Your Mother” as His Blood ran down the cross, the mission of the Servants is to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother and protectress of the country, by working to promote and extend devotion to the Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, throughout the United States and the world, following the statutes of same Archconfraternity.
The Servants sponsor the Traditional Latin Mass in honor of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, as well as the Byzantine Divine Liturgy, beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede before Her Son for the conversion and sanctification of the United States and its protection of human life in all its stages.
On the first visit to this Votive Shrine, those who would become confraternity members encountered the miraculous statue. They were given a tour by Ursuline nun Sister Angela Murphy, who mentioned she was praying to Our Lady of Prompt Succor for a confraternity in New York. Within 12 months, the Confraternity was established there, under the direction of a Dominican friar, the Reverend John Alphonsus Madigan with approbation from the Shrine Rector and Archconfraternity Director, the Reverend Douglas Brougher. Fr. Madigan, through monthly online video broadcasts from the Sacred Heart Chapel at Molloy College, Rockville Centre, led the confraternity in spreading the devotion throughout the world. Years later the Ursuline Shrine Director, would raise it to an Archconfraternity. The Servants also pray for the custodians of the National Shrine and for holy departed souls, including those in the Ursuline mausoleum on their grounds, some of whom were part of the miracle in 1815.
In addition the Servants also promote devotion to Her Eastern counterpart, 'Theotokos, Quick to Hear' and offer the Canonical Hours daily, the Rosary, the Jesus Prayer, and pray for personal intentions requested, sent to ourladyofpromptsuccor.net. They are always seeking new Archconfraternity members to assist in the mission of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, to Her Son.
References
- ^ "History of the Devotion", National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- ^ "Shrine in New Orleans has what may be Nation's oldest image of Blessed Virgin", The Marian Library, Univ. of Dayton
- Clark, Emily. Masterless Mistresses, p. 71
- "Our Lady of Prompt Succor".
- ^ "Nuns challenged with shrine upkeep". theadvocate.com. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Cormack, Margaret Jean (January 1, 2007). Saints and Their Cults in the Atlantic World. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781570036309.
- "OLPS Shrine | Ursuline Academy". www.uanola.org. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
Bibliography
- Cruz OCDS, Joan Carroll. Miraculous Images of Our Lady, TAN Books and Publishers, 1993, ISBN 0-89555-484-4
- Cormack, Margaret Jean - Saints and Their Cults in the Atlantic World - University of South Carolina, 2007. PP- 128-146
External links
- National Votive Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- Ursuline Academy and Convent
- Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- Our Lady of Prompt Succor Novena
- Servants of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
| Mary, mother of Jesus | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | .jpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Life |
| ||||||||||||||
| Mariology |
| ||||||||||||||
| Veneration |
| ||||||||||||||
