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Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church
2320
Paris Road, Chalmette, Louisiana 70043-5098
Phone: 504-271-3441 :: 504-271-3442 :: Fax:
504-271-2927
Email: info@olps-chalmette.org :: ourladysuccor@bellsouth.net
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In 1727,
French Ursulin nuns founded a monastery in New Orleans, Louisiana,
and organized their area schools from it. In 1763 Louisiana became
a Spanish possession, and Spanish sisters came to assist. In
1800 the territory reverted back to France, and the Spanish sisters
fled in the face of France anti-Catholicism. In 1803, short on
teachers, Mother Saint Andre Madier requested reinforcements
in the form of more sisters from France. The relative to whom
she write, Mother Saint Michel, was running a Ca tholic
boarding
school for girls. Bishop Fournier, short-handed due to the repressions
of the French Revolution, declined to send any sisters. Mother
Saint Michel was given permission to appeal to the pope. The
pope was a prisoner of Napoleon, and it seemed unlikely he would
even receive her letter of petition. Mother Saint Michel prayed,
and sent her letter on 19 March 1809. Against all odds, she received
a response on 29 April 1809.
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.
The pope
granted her request, and Mother Saint Michel, commissioned a
statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor holding the Infant Jesus.
Bishop Fournier blessed the statue and Mother's work. Mother
Saint Michel and several postulants came to New Orleans on 31
December 1810. They brought the statue with them, and placed
it in the monastery chapel. Since then, Our Lady of Prompt Succor
has interceded for those who have sought her help.
A great
fire threatened the Ursuline monastery in 1812. A lay sister
brought the statue to the window and Mother Saint Michel prayed. Our
Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost if you do not come to our
aid.
The
wind changed direction, turned the fire away, and saved the monastery.
Our Lady
interceded again at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. Many faithful,
including wives and daughters of American soldiers, gathered
in the Ursuline chapel before the statue of Our Lady of Prompt
Succor, and spent the night before the battle in prayer. They
asked Our Lady for victory by Andrew Jackson's forces over the
British, which would save the city from being sacked. Jackson
and 200 men from around the South won a remarkable victory over
a superior British force in a battle that lasted twenty-five
minutes, and saw few American casualties. It is still customary for the devout of
New Orleans to pray before the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
whenever a hurricane threatens New Orleans.
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- Our Father
in Heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor,
spare us during this Hurricane season from all harm. Protect
us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt
Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
- O God,
Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of our children.
The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former
quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in
the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf,
like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy,
over step its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread
chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to
You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories
are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with
the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our beloved Mother,
we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared
from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true
spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine
Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity
awaits us. Amen
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All
Rights Reserved © 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 .. Our Lady
of Prompt Succor, Chalmette, LA
Website Design Email: gndesign@rochester.rr.com
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