a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

Many of the Marian interventions, apparitions, and miracles recorded throughout history, and approved by the Holy See, have occurred in Europe. Few have been attested to here in the United States. Two such miracles are those attributed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor, occurring in New Orleans, Louisiana. As such, Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Notre-Dame de Bon Secours) is the patroness of the city and Archdiocese of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

In 1727, Ursuline nuns founded a monastery in New Orleans, Louisiana, creating an active religious community, schools, and churches. When Louisiana became a Spanish territory in 1763, many sisters arrived from Spain to continue building the growing community of faith. However, these sisters fled in 1800 when New Orleans again became a French territory, and persecution of Catholics (under the reign of Napoleon) again began. Despite this anti-Catholic sentiment, the monastery survived, although the number of sisters quickly dwindled. Mother Saint Andre Madier wrote to a cousin in France, Mother Saint Michel, requesting assistance from her French sisters.

French religious were suffering similar anti-Catholic sentiment, and had found themselves to be short-handed in attending to their communities. Bishop Fournier, who Mother Saint Michel brought her cousin’s request to, denied it, stating that only the Pope could authorize such a request. It should be noted, at that time, Pope Pius VII was imprisoned by Napoleon, and unable to be communicated with. Bishop Fournier’s statement was, therefore, tantamount to absolute refusal. Nonetheless, Mother Saint Michel wrote the Pope, submitting her request to travel to New Orleans with a group of sisters, and aid in the re-invigoration of the new world faith community.

Before sending the letter, Mother Saint Michel prayed: 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. Her letter was sent on March 19, 1809. Despite the odds, she promptly received a response on April 29, 1809, granting her request. Mother Saint Michel, commissioned a golden statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor holding the Infant Jesus. Both the Blessed Mother and the infant Christ were sculpted with golden crowns, Jesus holding a globe with a cross affixed to it, and the two Holy Family members looking in different directions as if they each had important tasks to focus on. The statue was blessed by Bishop Fournier, now convinced of the importance of the mission by the miraculous response, and Mother Saint Michel and several postulates departed for New Orleans.

The group arrived in New Orleans on December 31, 1810, and placed the golden statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in the monastery chapel. Devotion to the Blessed Mother grew, and within five years, two miracles were attributed to prayers offered before the statue.

In 1812, a terrible fire ravaged the city of New Orleans, destroying large tracts of homes and businesses. Driven by a raging wind, the flames of the great fire moved quickly toward the convent. With all certainly lost, the sisters of the convent were ordered to evacuate. One sister, however, Sister Anthony, placed a small statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on a window sill facing the advancing wall of flames, and Mother St. Michel prayed aloud: "Our Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost, unless you hasten to our help." In an instant, the wind changed and the fire stopped its steady advance. The convent was saved and the flames extinguished. Witnesses claimed: "Our Lady of Prompt Succor has saved us!"

Again, in 1815, the convent, and indeed all of the city, was threatened, this time by British soldiers. On January 8, General Andrew Jackson and less than 1,000 soldiers (by some reports) were engaged in battle by an overwhelming force of British soldiers (more than 15,000). The citizens of New Orleans prayed to Our Lady for safety and success in battle. Along with the Ursuline sisters, the town gathered in the chapel of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, weeping and praying. Mass was offered at the altar on which the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor had been placed, and the Ursuline sisters made a vow to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung annually should the American forces win. At the very moment of Holy Eucharist, word reached the chapel that the American forces had prevailed with miraculously few casualties. The entire battle took less than 25 minutes. Jackson acknowledged the intercession of the Blessed Mother in the victory and visited the chapel to thank the sisters. To this day, on January 8, a Mass of Thanksgiving continues to be offered.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor continues to watch over us, with numerous personal miracles and intercessions reported since the arrival of the statue in New Orleans. Moved from the old monastery in the city’s French Quarter, it now is displayed at the convent’s new chapel where citizens of the city continue to pray for intercession. The statue itself is regarded as the oldest image of the Blessed Mother and the Infant Christ in the United States.






Prayer for Intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, ever Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God, you are most powerful against the enemy of our salvation. The divine promise of a Redeemer was announced right after the sin of our first parents; and you, through your Divine Son, crushed the serpent's head. Hasten, then, to our help and deliver us from the deceits of Satan. Intercede for us with Jesus that we may always accept God's graces and be found faithful to Him in our particular states of life. As you once saved the City of New Orleans from ravaging flames and our Country from an invading army, have pity on us and obtain for us protection from hurricanes and all other disasters. (Silent pause for individual petitions.) Assist us in the many trials which beset our path through life. Watch over the Church and the Pope as they uphold with total fidelity the purity of faith and morals against unremitting opposition. Be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor now and especially at the hour of our death, that we may gain everlasting life through the merits of Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.


Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us.



N

From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.

Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world your infinite power of merciful Love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to help us!

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to help us!

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to help us!

O ruler of the universe, Lord God,

great deeds are they that you have done,
surpassing human understanding.
Your ways are ways of righteousness and truth,


O King of all the ages.
Who can fail to do you homage, Lord
and sing the praises of your Name?
for you only are the Holy One.


All nations will draw near and fall down before you
because your just and holy works have been revealed.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

January 25 marks the feast day of the Conversion of Saint Paul, while traveling on the road to Damascus. During this remarkable moment, Paul comes face to face with Jesus, who states, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” Paul’s heart is changed, as is his life. His encounter with Jesus transforms his beliefs, and his prolific theology springs forth, which he shares with all who will listen. For Paul, an everyday trip becomes the start of an extraordinary journey toward the Lord. And for him, the path to God is love.

Born in Tarsus to a noble family, Saint Paul was at first named Saul. His family, given the laws at the time, were bestowed the rights and privileges of citizens of the Roman Empire. Saul grew up instructed in Mosaic Law, which he strictly observed. Sent to Jerusalem to study, Saul mentored with the strictest and most prideful sect of Pharisees. As was the Jewish rule of the time, he also learned the craft of tent-making. During this time (36 A.D.), Christianity was spreading throughout the region, but was not to be tolerated.

Saint Stephen the Deacon was an early martyr of the church at that time. He was persecuted and put on trial by the Sanhedrin for preaching the message of Christ. Throughout his trial, he remained steadfast in his faith, with “the countenance of an angel.” Eventually, the observers, acting “as a single man,” rushed at him, dragged him from the city, and stoned him to death. While they were doing so, they laid their cloaks at the feet of Saul, who kept them—a sign at the times for responsibility of the execution. While he was dying, Saint Stephen pleaded for the forgiveness of his tormentors, including Saul. 60 He fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord do not hold this sin against them.” And with that he died. (Acts of the Apostles, 7:60) Saints and theologians credit Saint Stephen’s intercession as one of the precursors to the Lord’s conversion of Saul.
1 Saul, for his part, concurred in the act of killing. That day saw the beginning of a great persecution of the church in Jerusalem. (Acts of the Apostles, 8:1) By virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, Saul dragged Christians out of their homes, loaded them with chains, and thrust them into prison where they were tortured and oftentimes executed. He was ruthless and unmoved by their pleas for mercy. In the fury of his zeal he asked for permission to persecute all the Jews in Damascus who confessed to Jesus Christ, and to bring them in bonds to Jerusalem, that they might serve as examples for the others. It was with this permission that Saul, and his assistants, set off on the road to Damascus, where he would encounter the saving grace, and unquestionable patience and mercy of the Lord.

1 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus which would empower him to arrest and bring to Jerusalem anyone he might find, man or woman, living according to the new way. 3 As he traveled along and was approaching Damascus, a light form the sky suddenly flashed about him. 4 He fell to the ground and at the same time heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, sir?” he asked. The voice answered, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 6 Get up and go into the city, where you will be told what to do.” (Acts of the Apostles, 9:1-6)

In his epistles, Paul details that while he was struck down and blinded, he experienced a vision of Jesus. But he further explains that vision does not fully capture the experience. Rather, an “illumination” of his life, and above all, a “revelation” of the vocation that will become his calling. He preaches throughout the world the mysteries of Christ, and the simple truth that conversion was not the result of a development of thought or reflection, but the fruit of divine intervention-- an unforeseeable, divine grace. Paul’s message is clear: Jesus Christ must remain the center of our lives, so that our identity is tied to his, just as Paul’s identity was reborn through his encounter with Christ. Our lives are made whole through the Eucharist, by communion with Christ, and in his Word which restores purity and virtue.

Saint Paul went on to preach throughout the Mediterranean. He authored thirteen epistles of the New Testament, spreading the word of God, and greatly contributing to the growth of the Church. The blasphemer and persecutor had become the greatest writer of that time.



Upon returning to Jerusalem (approximately 60 AD), Saint Paul was beheaded, a Christian martyr. His remains are buried at the Basilica of Saint Paul, outside the walls of Rome. Recent scientific inquiry into the remains, at the behest of Pope Benedict XVI, has confirmed their authenticity.

Pope Benedict XVI, in a general audience, spoke of Saint Paul, saying, “Clement of Rome, my Predecessor to this Apostolic See, wrote of [Paul of Tarsus] in the last years of the first century: ‘Because of jealousy and discord, Paul was obliged to show us how one obtains the prize of patience.... After preaching justice to all in the world, and after having arrived at the limits of the West, he endured martyrdom before the political rulers; in this way he left this world and reached the holy place, thus becoming the greatest model of perseverance.’”

Saint Paul was a tireless preacher of the truth of Christ’s love, his letter beautiful and elegant instruction in the salvation of the Lord. But he is the same man, Saul, who ceaselessly persecuted Christians, prior to his meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. In considering that meeting, we are struck by his amazing conversion, his rebirth into life through the love and saving grace of Christ. No longer was redemption bound by the law, or acquired through works, but instead, assured through commitment to Christ and his loving forgiveness. We are left with the certainty that if the Lord can enable Saul to start anew as Saint Paul, He will change us for the better if we believe whole-heartedly and with conviction. Called to conversion on a daily basis, today we pause to examine what we could do better, and ask our Lord to change our hearts.



38 For I am certain that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor powers, 39 neither height nor depth nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)


O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

“O Lord, give me the fire that you sent forth when coming on earth. Enable me to be aflame with the ardor of charity, to glow with the splendor of obedience, and to grow ardent with love. Help me to be saved from destruction amid dangers, to escape all perils, and to hasten toward Your goodness. Grant me to come peacefully into Your presence, to be satiated forever by its manifestation, and to praise You unceasingly for all eternity.”


Today, January 23, we celebrate the feast of Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo (607-667), Doctor of the Virginity of Mary, Archbishop of Toledo, and recipient of a blessed priestly vestment from Our Blessed Mother, in reward for his zeal and love for her. Saint Ildephonsus is highly venerated in Spain, and considered a precursor in establishing the later official Vatican doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Our Blessed Mother. He was the first to establish the feast of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Ildephonsus was born to a noble and distinguished family in Toledo, Spain. He was the nephew of Saint Eugenius, who proceeded him as Bishop of Toledo, and a pupil of Saint Isidore of Seville. While very young, he entered the Benedictine monastery at Agalia, much against the wishes of his father. He embraced the monastic life, being ordained a deacon at the age of 23, and later becoming Abbot of the monastery. Eventually, following his attendance at the Councils of Toledo in 653 and 655, King Reccesyinth selected him to succeed Saint Eugenius as Archbishop of Toledo. It was in this capacity that he served the city and it’s inhabitants for nine years, performing his duties with diligence and sanctity until his death.

Saint Ildephonsus is a favorite saint of medieval artists, hymnographers, and poets, largely due to two famed events which occurred during his life. In one occasion, Saint Ildephonsus was praying before the relics of Saint Leocadia. It is said that during his prayers, the martyred saint rose from her grave, thanking him for the devotion he showed towards the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On a separate occasion, Our Blessed Mother herself appeared to Saint Ildephonsus, presenting him with a priestly vestment in thanks for his devotion to her. On the feast of the Mother of God, Ildephonsus and the clergy found the church engulfed in a radiant light upon arriving to celebrate Matins. All but Ildephonsus and two deacons fled, deeply afraid. When the three entered the church, there, seated on the Archbishop’s throne, was Our Blessed Mother surrounded by choirs of angels and holy virgins. Our Blessed Mother spoke to Ildephonsus, saying: "Thou art my chaplain and faithful notary. Receive from me this chasuble, which my Son sends you from His treasury." Having said this, the Immaculate Virgin clothed Ildephonsus in the chasuble, and instructed him to wear it for the Holy Sacrifice on her festivals.

Saint Ildephonsus was also a prolific writer, and his literary works are better known than the details of his life. While only four of his works have survived, they include his treatise on the perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin, and an important document of the history of the Spanish Church during the first two-thirds of the seventh century, entitled Concerning Famous Men.

Through the Holy Spirit your flesh conceived Jesus;
to possess Jesus,
and to bring him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit,
Mary, you could say:
"I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word";
in the Holy Spirit,
lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son;
in the same spirit,
Mary, let me love your Jesus




Below, a Prayer of Saint Ildephonsus to Our Blessed Mother. Taken from his work, “On the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Mother,” it is one of the Church’s earliest expressions of total consecration to Mary.


The Abundance of the Sweetness of Thy Son

I come to thee, only Virgin Mother of God,
and fall prostrate before thee,
who alone didst cooperate in the Incarnation of God.
I humble myself before thee,
who alone wert found to be the Mother of my Lord.
I pray thee, who alone wert found to be the handmaid of thy Son:
obtain that my sins be wiped away;
command that I be cleansed of the wickedness of my deeds,
and, that I may love the glory of thy virtue,
reveal to me the abundance of the sweetness of thy Son.

Thou Art His Co-Worker in My Redemption

Bestow upon me the gift of proclaiming the true faith of thy Son,and of defending it.
Grant that I may cleave to God and to thee,
that I may serve thy Son and thee,
that I may be His bondsman and thine;
His, because He is my Creator,
and thine, because thou art the Mother of my Creator;
His, because He is Lord of the angelic powers,
and thine, because thou art the handmaid of the Lord of All;
His, because He is God,
and thine because thou art the Mother of God;
His, because He is my Redeemer,
and thine because thou art His co-worker in my redemption.

The Body by Which He Healed My Wounds

That which He wrought for my redemption,
verily He formed in thine own person.
That He might be my Redeemer,
He became thy Son.
That He might be the price of my ransom,
He became incarnate of thy flesh.
The Body by which He healed my wounds,
He took from thee so that He, in it, might be wounded.
The mortal Body by which He took away my death,
He took from thy mortality.
The Body by which He brought my sins to nought,
He received sinless from thee.
This nature of mine that ahead of time, in Himself,
He placed above the angels in the glory of His Father's right hand,
He assumed -- humbling Himself -- out of thine own true body.

I Am Thy Slave

Therefore, I am thy slave,
because Thy Son is my Master.
Therefore thou art my Lady,
because thou art the handmaid of my Lord.
Therefore I am the slave of the handmaid of my Lord,
because thou, my Lady, didst become the Mother of my Lord.
Therefore I have become thy slave,
because thou didst become the Mother of my Maker.

By the Holy Spirit

I pray thee, I pray thee, holy Virgin,
may I, by the Spirit through Whom thou didst give birth to Jesus,have Jesus and hold Him.
By that Spirit through Whom
thou didst conceive this same Jesus in thy flesh,
may my soul receive Jesus.

Let the Spirit gift me with the knowledge of Jesus,
this Spirit by Whom it was given Thee to bear Jesus and to give Him birth.
Let the Spirit in Whom thou didst declare thyself the handmaid of the Lord,
choosing that it should be done unto thee according to the Angel's word,
grant me to proclaim the heights of Jesus with lowliness.

To Love Jesus and to Fear Him

In the Spirit thou didst adore Jesus as thy Lord
and gaze upon Him as thy Son;
in that same Spirit may I love Him.
And may I fear this same Jesus,
with that reverence by which He, truly being God,
became subject to His parents

"In this world you will suffer persecution," Saint Vincent once said to his disciples, adding to allay their fears, "but rest assured, I have conquered the world."


Today, January 22, we celebrate the feast of Saint Vincent the Deacon (also known as Vincent of Saragossa and Saint Vincent Martyr, died 304), willing martyr of the Church. Saint Vincent, when confronted with the most horrific tortures, held true to his faith, reminding us of the words of Saint Paul, “To you, it has been granted for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.”

The life of Saint Vincent the Deacon has somewhat been lost to history. What we know comes from the hymnographer, Prudentius, who wrote a hymn detailing the Passion of Saint Vincent. In the writings of Saint Augustine, we learn that the Acts of the Saint Vincent’s Martyrdom were read throughout Africa as early as the fourth century, which would have occurred shortly following his death. Based upon his heroic courage and defense of the faith, devotion to Saint Vincent the Deacon quickly spread throughout the Church following his death.

As recorded by Prudentius, Saint Vincent was born at Saragossa, Spain to a respectable family. He studied under the tutelage of Valerius, Bishop of Saragossa, and was found to be an exceptionally pious and bright young student. Bishop Valerius, due to a speech impediment, was unable to preach effectively, and thus appointed Vincent as Deacon, allowing him to both preach and speak for the bishop.

At that time, the wicked Emperor Dacian had undertaken his vigorous persecution of Christians, and the bishop was summoned before him. Now willing to leave his friend and bishop, Saint Vincent accompanied him. There, the two brave men were urged to recant their faith and sacrifice to the Roman pagan gods. Vincent, speaking for the pair, refused. As recorded by Prudentius:

In answer Vincent then cries out,
A levite of the sacred tribe,
Who at God's altar stands and serves,
One of the seven pillars white:

'Let these dark fiends rule over you,
Bow down before your wood and stone;
Be you the lifeless pontifex
Of gods as dead as you, yourself.

'But we, O Dacian, will confess
The Father, Author of all light,
And Jesus Christ, His only Son,
As one true God, and Him adore.'

Both Vincent and Valerius were imprisoned in Valencia. They were subjected to hunger and torture, which failed to break them. Over time, Vincent succeeded in converting his jailor, as did many saints and martyrs under similar circumstances. Eventually, Bishop Valerius was sent into exile, but Emperor Dacian insisted that Vincent—who had spoken so eloquently against him—remain to suffer the full force of his torture.

Saint Vincent was mercilessly tortured, first upon a hot grate, then over a burning fire. When none of these tortures elicited the result Dacian wished, he had the torturers beaten for failure and to encourage them to utilize more aggressive methods. Saint Vincent was given more time on the gridiron, and his sides were raked with metal hooks. Still, he held firm in his faith, and was thrown back into his filthy jail cell—a cell that had been lined with straw and shards of broken pottery.

The emperor then, weeping with bitterness at his failure, did something strange. He ordered that Saint Vincent be moved from his cell to the most luxurious accommodations in the city, with a comfortable bed and decent food. His hope was to shake the saintly man’s constancy. After a day in comfort, Dacian threatened to send Vincent back to the prison, unless he recanted the faith and burned the Scriptures in a fire. Of course, Vincent refused, and was subsequently executed.

According to Holy Legend, his badly beaten body was thrown to be devoured by vultures, by the Lord sent a raven to defend the body from desecration. Instead, the emperor had the body cast into the sea, where it washed upon the shore and was buried by a pious widow at a place now referred to as Saint Vincent’s Cape. The grave was subsequently guarded by a flock of ravens until a chapel was built over his remains. In the twelfth century, the relics of Saint Vincent were translated to Lisbon, Portugal where they are venerated at the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.



Saint Vincent the Deacon is the most renowned martyr of Spain. He is represented in art wearing the dalmatic (wide sleeved over-garment slit up the sides) of a bishop, accompanied by a raven (who valiantly defended his body after death), a cross (his comfort), a grate, or a fire-pile (instruments of his torture). Saint Vincent is the patron saint of many Spanish and Portuguese cities, as well as the patron saint of winemakers, bricklayers, and deacons.

The life of Saint Vincent- like that of all Church martyrs—inspires us to live a more perfect and holy life, one in which we equally value the love we are given by the Lord and the call to suffer for Christ. We pray for the intercession of Saint Vincent Martyr that we may find the courage and the endurance to withstand the evils and judgments of the world, holding firm to our faith as was his model for us.



Saint Vincent's Prayer for Deacons

Holy God, Saint Vincent served You as a permanent deacon and gave his whole life and soul to You, even to the point of becoming a martyr. I lift up to You the deacons of the Church and all those who are being called by God to become deacons. Guide them as they discern how to serve the Body of Christ. Prevent the attractions of the world and the busyness of secular jobs from interfering with their vocations. Teach them to grow in humility. Help their families learn from their examples and support their deaconates with trust and joy. Saint Vincent, pray for us. Amen.



Eternal Father,
You gave Saint Vincent
the courage to endure torture and death for the Gospel:
fill us with Your Spirit
and strengthen us in Your love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.