Pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Unborn

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
on St. Juan Diego's tilma

Today's feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is an especially important one for millions of Catholics in the Americas and around the world who pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the protection of human life, especially for developing human beings in the womb: the unborn children who are faced with the danger of abortion.

The pregnant aspect of Our Lady's image on Saint Juan Diego's tilma (cactus cloth) has made Our Lady of Guadalupe a symbol for the plight of the unborn. It is a constant reminder of God's mercy and Divine Intervention in the world, and Our Lady's continued work for the salvation of souls that includes exposing the deception of the Evil One and his demons.

It is for that very purpose that Our Lady has appeared in so many places throughout the centuries: to eradicate pagan worship, debauchery, New Age and occult practices, and all other types of evil, and in the process has been, and continues to be, our light to Christ, showing us the path to Jesus.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was revealed in 1531, when St. Juan Diego unfolded his tilma (full of flowers) in front the local bishop and as the flowers fell to the floor, the exquisitely detailed painting of Our Lady was seen by all present. 

Our Lady's image also draws our attention to its supernatural power and the fact that it caused the conversion of eight million Aztecs and other indigenous people in less than ten years, in the area that is known today as Mexico. 

Saint Juan Diego was himself converted to the Catholic faith some time between 1524-1525, and was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr. Peter da Gand, one of the first Franciscan missionaries.

Praying for conversions is an important aspect in the fight against abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, contraception, in vitro fertilization, the death penalty, and all other threats to the value and inviolability of human life. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the powerful intercessor that we have recourse to in the fight against the Culture of Death.

It is important to remember that the fight to protect the unborn is primarily a spiritual battle that must be fought with spiritual weapons, of which the Holy Mass and group recitation of the Rosary—the two most powerful forms of prayer—are essential weapons in the spiritual arsenal to fight the good fight.

In addition to the Mass, Rosary, and your own personal prayers, you may want to consider the following selected prayers taken from Michael Brown's Marian devotional book, Seven Days With Mary, in which he dedicates one of the seven days to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Prayer of John Paul II

Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Fair Love, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children. We beg you grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth. Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen. (47)

Morning Offering

Immaculate Heart of Mary, heart of my mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, I unite to thy purity, thy sanctity, thy zeal, and thy love, all my thoughts, words, acts, and suffering this day, that there may be nothing in me that does not become through thee a pleasure to Jesus, a gain for souls, and an act of reparation for the offenses against thy heart. (49)

Closing Prayer

Remember, O most gracious Virgin of Guadalupe, that in your apparitions on Mount Tepeyac you promised to show pity and compassion to all who, loving and trusting you, seek your help and protection.

Accordingly, listen now to our supplications and grant us consolation and relief. We are full of hope that, relying on your help, nothing can trouble or affect us. As you have remained with us through your admirable image, so now obtain for us the graces we need. Amen. (51)  

So important is Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Americas that in 1945, Pope Pius XII decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be “Patroness of all the Americas,” and today in Mexico, it is a Holy Day of Obligation.

In more recent times during his pastoral visit to Mexico, Saint John Paul II, in his homily at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City on Saturday, January 23, 1999, entrusted the future of the continent and the Church to the Blessed Virgin Mary, imploring the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe to, "Save the nations and peoples of this continent. Teach everyone, political leaders and citizens, to live in true freedom and to act according to the requirements of justice and respect for human rights, so that peace may thus be established once and for all." (9)

Saint John Paul II, who was well known as a staunch defender of human life, stated during that homily, “...[T]he Church must proclaim the Gospel of life and speak out with prophetic force against the culture of death.” (8)

It was in 1995, only four years prior to that homily, that St. John Paul II released his encyclical on the Gospel of Life, Evangelium Vitae; an essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Church's teaching on the value and inviolability of human life, and the many threats to it. For those who are somewhat new to the life of St. John Paul II, here is an excerpt from Evangelium Vitae that captures the richness of this encyclical and his commitment to the protection of the unborn:

"Your eyes beheld my unformed substance" (Ps 139:16): the unspeakable crime of abortion 

Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime".

But today, in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth. (58)

If we look to the human sacrifices of St. Juan Diego's time (1500s) and our modern times, we can easily draw a parallel between the demonic worship during the Aztec era with that of today's abortions: the mass murder of innocent human beings in the womb performed in hospitals, "health care centers," "women's care clinics," and so-called "family-planning facilities" such as Planned Parenthood.

The Aztecs offered human sacrifices as part of their worship to two chief Aztec gods (demons), Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipocawhich, of which the most popular was the brutal ritual performed on top of Aztec pyramids. The Our Lady of Guadalupe web site at sancta.org details this:

Perhaps the most popular of the public rituals was taking the victims to the tops of the Aztec pyramids where they were laid on top of a flat stone. There, the priests cut open their chests and their hearts were ripped out. The bodies were then thrown down the steps of the pyramid.

After the bodies tumbled down the stairs, the priests removed the limbs, cooked and ate them. Specially hands and thighs were considered the best delicacies. The heads were placed in skull racks for public exhibition.

The atrocities committed in our modern times against human life, as during the Aztec era, are inspired and influenced by the demonic. Just as the Aztecs intentionally offered their human sacrifices to their gods (demons), so too are people today intentionally performing abortions as part of a blood sacrifice and offering to Satan.

Here in Canada, where abortion is available on demand, we are in great need of God's Divine Intervention and Our Lady of Guadalupe's intercession to eradicate abortion and all other threats to human life (euthanasia and assisted suicide, contraception, in vitro fertilization) from the landscape.

Sadly, Canada is a country whose political leaders have failed the nation by consistently rejecting God’s plan for humanity, and in the process ignored Canada’s Christian heritage, history, and identity. This failure dates back to Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau and the infamous 1969 Omnibus Bill that ushered in "therapeutic abortions" performed in hospitals, which eventually paved the way for Dr. Henry Morgantaler's 1988 constitutional challenge that resulted in abortion being made available on demand across the nation.

Our current Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau (supposedly a Catholic like his father Pierre Elliot Trudeau) has stated on more than one occasion that anyone seeking to join the Liberal Party of Canada must support abortion. This fact alone is a telling sign of the ongoing moral crisis in Canada that seems to be increasing with each new generation.

God's Holy Law clearly states in the Fifth Commandment, "You Shall Not Kill." The Catechism of the Catholic Church elaborates on this Commandment, "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being." (2258)

None of this has meant anything to Canada's prime ministers since Pierre Elliot Trudeau; the result of which has seen a growing moral disorder in Canada and with it the establishment of a Culture of Death.

I respectfully urge my fellow Canadians to pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the protection of the unborn, and for God's Divine Intervention, that the moral disorder that has taken root over the past five decades may be eradicated from the land and that Canada be restored to a Culture of Life.


Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Our Lady of Good Counsel

Original image of Our Lady of Good Counsel
from Genazzano, Italy

Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Good Counsel, a Marian devotion that I discovered several years ago from the reading of Michael H. Brown's book, Seven Days With Mary. It is an especially important devotion for those who are struggling with sexual sins, and the temptations that accompany them. What ever our struggles may be with confusion, debauchery, and uncleanliness, the Blessed Virgin Mary is available to us to dispel our darkness, and bring us back to Jesus, protecting and guiding us at every step of the way.

Our Lady of Good Counsel is a much needed devotion for Canada, because like many other countries in the world, Canada has fallen prey to the global sexual revolution. We have experienced the negative ramifications for several decades, most notably in the deterioration of the primary cell of society, the family, including the discarding of traditional family values; not to mention the increased spiritual battle for those individuals seeking to lead a chaste and virtuous life. 

As to the many other negative ramifications, we need not expend any great amount of time or energy to identify them: pornovision on cable tv; pornography readily available on the internet; the sexualization of culture within all advertising mediums; immodest attire; an increased level of promiscuity; marital infidelity; the indoctrination of children in the education system with sexual immorality; "same sex marriage" since 2005, a younger generation that fails to recognize and acknowledge the importance and truth that sexual intercourse is a conjugal act performed only within the sanctity of marriage; the lack of understanding of the meaning of the human person, and the challenge of human sexuality, as revealed in the work of St. Pope John Paul II's, Love and Responsibility, and his other great body of work on the human person, Theology of the Body; and the list goes on and is growing.

Although there are many evils in society there is a remedy and that remedy is to be found in Mary. We need to continually seek the comfort of Our Lady's mantle, through prayer, in a world that is becoming increasingly evil.

A brief introduction to Seven Days With Mary

Seven Days With Mary is a seven day personal retreat with Mary. The graces that flow from these devotions can barely be described with words; it truly is a time of Divine Intimacy, something that can only be fully understood when experienced. There are a total of seven Marian devotions: Our Lady of Saragossa, Our Lady of Montserrat, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor, all of which are officially recognized and sanctioned by the Church. Each devotion comes complete with a concise historical account, followed by meditations, prayers, and concludes with the recitation of the Rosary.

Brown recommends that you pray these devotions for seven consecutive days to receive the maximum benefit. As to which particular devotion you begin and end with, it does not matter, so long as you practice one devotion per day. Think for a moment of what it must be like to be immersed in deep prayer with Our Lady for a few hours each day for seven consecutive days. I can assure you from my own personal experience, it is a grace-filled week that will end with your heartfelt gratitude and praise to God and Our Lady for the gift of these devotions.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the reason why Seven Days With Mary is available to us: the result of Brown sharing his gift of faith with the world. Brown went on a pilgrimage to each of the seven Marian locations and subsequently wrote about his experiences. Having read about Brown's conversion story from his book, Prayer of the Warrior, approximately twenty years ago, it is quite easy to recognize his love for God and Our Lady, which Seven Days With Mary spotlights in a beautiful way.

Mary's mission in the Church and in the world

Mary was chosen as God's vessel to give birth to, raise and protect Jesus Christ, Our Saviour and Redeemer, whose life, death and resurrection defeated of the "kingdom of darkness." 

Mary continues to be His chosen vessel, the great antidote to paganism, by taking back territory from the Evil One and his demons, and restoring it for Jesus. This is a fundamental aspect of Mary's role in our lives, to bring us back to God, to help us on our earthly pilgrimage, to remind us of what Jesus taught us, to reveal to the world that God is real and He does exist. Mary is "the" messenger from God.

Part of how Mary accomplished her mission is through her many apparitions in the history of the Catholic Church, something that continues to this day—Medjugorje in particular—fulfilling her role in the strengthening of the Mystical Body of Christ. So numerous are Mary's apparitions that not even the Church knows exactly how many times she has appeared, and the associated miracles connected with each apparition.

Our Lady has founded hundreds of churches, and has deeply affected major historical figures, men who, as Brown states in the Preface, "...[S]haped the very boundaries of our world—like Charlemagne." (iv)  

Given to Mary is a reservoir of graces granted by Jesus, that she dispenses with exquisite generosity. They are available for the asking, especially through the sincere and devout recitation of the Rosary, the most powerful prayer next to the Holy Mass. A standard include in our Rosary intentions should be our imploring of Mary to shower upon us, with great abundance, the many graces we need in all that we pray for.

Seeking Our Lady in time trouble and need, is exactly what Seven Days of Mary is all about; that is, invoking her intercession, seeking her aid, and meditating on her role in our lives, as we try to find our way through the current darkness.

The historical account and miracles at Genazzano, Italy

Genazzano is thirty miles southeast of Rome, and is the location where the devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel began. During the reign of Sixtus III in the fifth century, a church was built and named Madre nostra del Buon Consiglio or Our Lady of Good Counsel; a name derived from the writings of St. Augustine.

The location of Genazzano is of great significance. Like so many other places where Our Lady had acted to recover territory, that had been lost to demons and restored it back for Jesus, so too did Our Lady move to deliver Genazanno from what had become a place of orgies and ceremonies dedicated to a pagan goddess. Mary, the most pure and beautiful Mother of God, pushed aside Venus, the goddess of lust and sin.

The church at Genazzano served Christians for a thousand years, but eventually it fell into ruins. In close proximity were splendid edifices dedicated to St. John and St. Nicholas, the deteriorated state of the church greatly concerned a very pious woman named Petruccia de Geneo, whose husband had been caretaker of the Augustinians in the town. He died in 1436, and with the money he left Petruccia, she set about to provide basic necessities of the church, and vowed to rebuild it to its former glory.

Petruccia's ambitions were for the most part, mocked by the townspeople, and the task of rebuilding proved to be much more difficult than she had originally anticipated. WIth only a few rough and unfinished walls constructed, the money ran out. This did not deter Petruccia because as she insisted, the Blessed Virgin Mary assured her that against all logic, the church would be rebuilt. Her response to the continued mockery from the townsfolk, "My children, don't take such notice of this apparent misfortune, for I assure you that before I die the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and the holy father St. Augustine will complete the church." (25)

On April 25, 1467, the feast day then of Our Lady of Good Counsel, was well attended by the townsfolk and even more so during that year, with the feast falling on a Saturday. The exceptionally large crowd typically gathered at the public square, the Piazza of Saint Mary, having clean fun where once there had been baths and decadence of pagan idols.

At approximately 4:00pm, the crowd was astonished to hear what sounded like a celestial harmony. Borrowing from the Church historian, Monsignor Dillon, Brown describes it as, "...[H]igh in the clouds, the music of angels, as if a portal or opening to paradise had been flung open." (26) The vision of what the townsfolk saw was described as a beautiful white cloud that sent forth vivid rays of light. It lowered, and to the amazement of everyone present, it rested upon the unfinished walls of the church's chapel, dedicated to Saint Biagio.

Suddenly the bells of the high campanile (Italian bell tower) began to peal. This further astonished the crowd because the campanile was in their sights, and there was no human effort involved. What then followed was the pealing of every church bell in town, in unison, creating a festive sound throughout. Captivated by the events, the townsfolk were filled with such a holy feeling, that they filled the enclosure and pressed around where the cloud remained.

Eventually the rays of light vanished and the cloud gently cleared away, exposing a most beautiful object, an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her arms—the exact image is published with this post. It was another miraculous image that materialized from nowhere. Mary exuded a spiritual beauty, one of tremendous caring. Brown states that, "If at Saragossa she was the consolation of evangelists, and if at Montserrat she emphasized her influence on Church leaders like Ignatius, at Genazzano she showed herself as mother to every single person and she did so on a level that was tremendously individual." (27) 

Brown further describes the image, dedicating an entire page to it. Here is just part of that description: 

The image of Good Counsel as well as subsequent reproductions demonstrate a warmth that touches the most profound depths of our spirits. They indicate that in our greatest difficulties we can flee with great confidence into the warmth of Mary... (28) 

Mary's eyes are Heaven's eyes. They are maternal eyes. And her beauty is her warmth. As she looks down toward the Infant she holds, so too does she look down to all the people of earth, caring for them, concerned for them, knowing the many struggles...The sensitivity and yet the strength in the Genazzano image mesmerized all who set eyes upon it. Jesus has his right arm around his mother's neck and the left hand on her neckline hem. He is clinging to her in the most touching way... (29)

To this day, the colours and details on the painting remain inexplicably fresh.

What is most miraculous about the painting is that it has no means of support. It is a fresco done on a thin layer of plaster or porcelain; there is no way such an image could be transported without breaking into pieces. A miraculous image it is, with nothing to support it in the front, back or on top; it remains perfectly balanced, and does so to this day.

That small run down church was soon transformed both physically and spiritually, to become one of the most holy places in Italy and the world. Many who were depressed and distressed, flocked to the chapel of Saint Biagio. At first it was neighbouring towns, but then others from distant communities came as well.

Mary's intercession at Genazzano was one of many in the Middle Ages. She had been invoked to ward off plagues, and often a miracle was attached to a painting, fresco or statue. It was Heaven's anointing of such holy images and figures to sweep away the reoccurring threat of paganism.

After the miracle at Genazzano, the run down church was promptly rebuilt, just as Petruccia had prophesied. In the four months after the arrival of the miraculous painting, one hundred seventy-one miraculous healings were recorded, which eventually led to the official Church recognition of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

There were many other miracles attributed to Our Lady of Good Counsel's intercession: many blind received their sight; others cured of hearing loss, epileptic affliction, and delivered from demonic possession; and the ceasing of a pestilence that afflicted Italy during the seventeenth century, in which Pope Urban VIII made a personal pilgrimage to Genazzano to seek Our Lady's intercession.

Of all the miracles attributed to Our Lady of Good Counsel, the most interesting for me was Brown's own conversion. In the early 1980s when he was living in the fast-lane in New York City, he experienced a conversion through a local church on East 90 Street named after Good Counsel. Brown later learned that all those years he was away from the faith, his grandmother had been invoking Our Lady of Good Counsel for his conversion. 

A prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel

Our Lady of Good Counsel is a much needed devotion today. So many people are lost, living in a dark world of fleeting and false sexual pleasures. No matter what our struggles may be, no matter how long we have struggled, available to us is Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Invoke the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel in times of temptation, when near the occasions of sin, and as part of a devotion to lead a life that not only abstains from sexual sins, but one that is lived chastely; that is, of purity in mind and heart.

Here is a prayer to Our Lady of Good Counsel included in Seven Days With Mary:

O Mary of Good Counsel, inflame our hearts of all who are devoted to you, so that all of them have shelter in you, O great Mother of God. O most worthy Lady, let everyone choose you as teacher and wise counselor of their souls, since you are, as St. Augustine says, the counsel of the Apostles and counsel of all peoples. Amen. (34)

Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray for us.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor

National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, New Orleans, Louisiana

With the recent celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God on January 1, and with the annual Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated today in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, I thought it fitting to publish my first post of 2016 on the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The annual Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving is celebrated in appreciation for Our Lady's prompt succor (help), saving the lives of the people of New Orleans in an extraordinary way on two separate occasions; the extinguishing of a raging fire that threatened to destroy the Ursuline Convent in 1812, and the surprising military victory of General Andrew Jackson in 1815 against a larger, better equipped invading British force. This in addition to the countless times Our Lady has come to the aid of individuals in Louisiana, which as the National Shrine notes on its History of the Devotion page, is so numerous that "We will never know them all."

I came to know of this Marian devotion from a book, Seven Days With Mary, written by SpiritDaily.com's Michael H. Brown. In addition to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the book also includes six other Marian devotions that are accompanied by full page colour photographs of statues or images representing each devotion: Our Lady of Saragossa, Our Lady of Montserrat, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and Our Lady of Lourdes. All these devotions are officially recognized and sanctioned by the Church.

This book can be purchased at SpiritDaily.com's
book store (Michael H. Brown books)

Seven Days With Mary, is not a history lesson, but a time of meditation and prayer. As Brown explains in the Preface, reading and praying with this book is about "...[S]eeking the aid of Mary. Meditating on her role. Walking with her as we try to find our way through the current darkness." (vi) Brown's recommendation is that you pray this devotion for seven consecutive days to receive the maximum benefit. It doesn't matter which particular devotion you begin with, just choose one for each day. 

So what might you experience from Seven Days With Mary. In addition to the anticipation of a closer relationship with Mary, you will come to know of seven Marian devotions that will bring with it an abundance of graces. During "your seven days," you will develop a greater trust and confidence in Our Lady's intercession in your life; your recitation of the Rosary and other prayers will be reinvigorated or you will be introduced to the Rosary and other devout prayers; you will be placed under Our Lady's mantle, and under her protection and guidance, your life will be better known and understood; you will grow in your love for Mary and deepen your relationship with her; your desire to love Jesus and have a closer relationship with Him will increase as a direct result of that improved and closer relationship with Mary; you will experience a new or renewed hope for the future and learn that Our Lady's prompt succor is always available to you, that as Our Mother, she always hears the pleas of her children, and will come to our aid in time of need and danger.

The Preface to this book, alone, will easily draw any Marian devotee to these devotions. Brown instills in the reader a clear and complete understanding of Mary's role and purpose in our lives. To capture just some of the content that Brown has written, I have provided an excerpt below:

...For Mary's role has not been a political one. Her role is not on the world stage. Her role is spiritual preparation of her children and getting us to Heaven. Her goal is your soul. You are crucial to Heaven. You are important to the Virgin Mary. And she has come not to make big headlines but rather to help you with the intricate and difficult aspects of living upon this earth. She wants to have a personal relationship with you. She wants you to have a more personal relationship with Jesus. And that's why she comes. That's why she appears with such frequency. She has something to give everyone personally. She has something for you. (vii)

Each day's devotion begins with: a concise history of the devotion; a Meditation and Ejaculation devised by Brown; the Angelus; and may include prayers from saints, prayers of Consecration and Morning Offerings, and other formal prayers; a Litany to Our Lady, all of which have received imprimaturs and come from many different and ancient sources. Each devotion is concluded with a Contemplation and the Rosary, which as Brown suggests, would be best recited if it were the Scriptural Rosary.

On a personal note, I have taken Brown's advice (praying the devotions for seven consecutive days) several times over the years. Reading about and meditating on these devotions, immersed in prayer for seven consecutive days, was a time of Divine Intimacy with Our Lady, and absolute peace; better than any retreat I have ever been on, and closely resembled the peace I felt, and the grace I received during my pilgrimages in Medjugorje.

If you have never heard of this devotion or know very little about Our Lady of Prompt Succor, I hope you will consider reading the concise history that follows. Not only as a matter of curiousity, but for your own benefit as you will soon discover, this is "the" devotion that brings quick and speedy help from Our Lady in time of great need.

History of the Devotion

The Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, Louisiana, was founded in 1727 where the good Ursuline sisters educated children of European colonists as well as slaves and Indians. They were the first nuns to arrive in what became the United States, and founded the oldest school for girls in America.

In 1800, the sisters became somewhat worried because Louisiana was ceded back to France. This was during the time of the French Revolution, one not very beneficial for the Catholic Church to say the least. Many priests and religious fled France or were killed. Pope Pius VII himself was eventually placed under arrest in Rome, held captive by Napoleon. Fearing that the horrors of the French Revolution might spread to French territories across the ocean, a large group of the nuns fled to Havana, Cuba, in 1803. Those that remained were seven in total. 

During that same year Louisiana became part of the United States (Louisiana Purchase), which was of great concern to the Ursuline sisters, who did not know what would happen to them and their land. They sent an anxious letter to President Jefferson, inquiring if the property rights of the Ursuline Order would be honoured by the new government. Here is what Brown included regarding Jefferson's response:

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. (78)

Although Jefferson's assurance alleviated their concerns, it was a temporary reprieve. The sisters had to confront other problems. The sisters were short staffed and the work was overwhelming. All this was made worse when one of the nuns, a mainstay of the community, Mother St. Xavier Farjon, died in 1810. This prompted another nun, Sister St. Andre Madier to appeal to her cousin Sister Michel Gensoul in France, to join their community in Louisiana.

Mother St. Michel had not been killed, nor did she flee France during the revolution. There was much work to be done in France, but taking into consideration how desperate the situation was for the nuns in Louisiana and inspired by the Holy Spirit, she appealed to Bishop Fournier of Montpelier. The response was not positive. The bishop informed her that he had lost too many nuns already, the last thing he needed was to lose another nun. It was only the Pope who could authorize her to go.

At this time Pope Pius VII was cut off by Napoleon's men, under arrest and held in Rome; he was in essence incommunicado with the Church and the world. This fact did not deter Mother St. Michel. Knowing that if it was God's will and trusting in Our Lady's intercession, she wrote a letter to the pontiff on December 15, 1808, requesting a transfer to Louisiana. 

When it was clear that there was no opportunity for the letter to be sent, Mother St. Michel prayed in front of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "O Most Holy Virgin Mary, if you obtain a prompt and favorable answer to my letter, I promise to have you honoured in New Orleans under the title of 'Our Lady of Prompt Succor.' " (79)

After Mother St. Michel's prayers were completed, the letter left Montpelier for Rome on March 9, 1809. Pope Pius VII miraculously received the letter and granted her request. The answer to her prayers was astonishingly prompt. Mother St. Michel ordered a statue carved and it was blessed by Bishop Fornier. The statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, arrived in Louisiana with Mother St. Michel in 1810.

It was soon after the statue's arrival that two momentous miracles occurred in Louisiana: the extinguishing of a raging fire that threatened the Ursuline Convent, and General Andrew Jackson's victory over a much larger invading British force.

In 1812, a terrible fire erupted in New Orleans and burned much of what is now the French Quarter, where the convent used to be located at that time. Propelled by wind, the fire was heading right for the convent. One of the nuns placed a small statue of Our Lady at a window facing the fire; Mother St. Michel then began to implore Our Lady's intercession. It is known that the wind instantly shifted its direction away from the nuns; the Ursuline convent was one of the buildings spared from destruction. I would like to share with you a very important point that Brown noted regarding this event, one that we should never forget, "Such events show us that nothing is beyond the reach of prayer, no problem, no disaster." (81)

Only a few years later in 1815, more trouble appeared in New Orleans during the war between the Americans and the British. Louisiana was at this time apart of the United States, but England had planned to reacquire its former territory back. The British arrived with 15,000 troops near New Orleans on the plains of Chalmette to square off against General Andrew Jackson and his smaller force of only 6,000 men.

It appeared that there was no way the Americans could win; they were outnumbered, and the British were better equipped and prepared. The night before the battle, January 7, the Ursuline sisters prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and did so all night long. Others joined the nuns in prayer and by morning, a Mass was celebrated and offered up by the vicar general. Above the altar at this Mass was the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Prayers were recited in earnest as the thunder of the cannons could be heard.

At Communion time, a courier had rushed into the chapel to announce the miraculous victory over the British. During the battle, a fog appeared, confusing the British who wandered into a swamp, in full view of the Americans who were waiting to ambush them. From the battle, 2,600 British died with very few American casualties. General Jackson visited the nuns at the convent to personally thanked them for their prayers.

Rome officially approved devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor in 1912, and the statue was solemnly crowned through a decree issued by Pope Leo XIII.

The lessons to be drawn from this devotion's history are crystal clear, that we can obtain prompt help from Our Lady, what ever may be the problem, need or danger in our lives; Our Mother hears our prayers and will hasten to come to our aid. 

When we seek a quick answer or are in need of immediate help, even if it seems like an impossible situation, this devotion as Brown notes, "...[W]ill accomplish such requests if they are the will of the Father." (83) If it is the will of the Father, we can be assured that this devotion will obtain for us what we ask, and we must never forget this or doubt it in any way.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us.