About National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor · New Orleans, Louisiana
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a Roman Catholic votive shrine located on the campus of Ursuline Academy at 2701 State Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was built and is still served by the Ursuline Sisters, who have maintained an uninterrupted presence in New Orleans since 1727, when they arrived to establish the oldest continuously operating school for girls in the United States. The shrine is the spiritual home of devotion to Mary under the title 'Our Lady of Prompt Succor' ('quick help') — devotion formally approved by Rome in 1851, crowned in 1895, and declared by Pope Pius XI in 1928 to be the Principal Patroness of the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. Pilgrims come to venerate a life-size gilded wooden statue of Our Lady with the Christ Child, as well as the small 12-inch 'Sweetheart' plaster statue brought from France in 1810 that is credited with miraculous interventions during the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 and on the eve of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815.
- Established
- 1924
- Patron
- Our Lady of Prompt Succor (Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of 'Quick Help') — declared Principal Patroness of the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana by Pope Pius XI on June 13, 1928.
- Rector
- Cindy Self (current director of the National Votive Shrine). The shrine is served by the Ursuline Sisters; the Archdiocese of New Orleans sends the principal celebrant for the annual Solemnity Mass on January 8.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of New Orleans
Why belong here
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor is one of the most historically significant Catholic sites in the American South — a place where, for more than two centuries, the Ursuline Sisters have kept a daily Mass, an open chapel, and a Perpetual Novena for anyone who walks in off State Street. Pilgrims come to ask Our Lady's 'prompt help' in moments of real need: soldiers leaving for war (and returning to lay their medals at her feet), families weathering hurricanes, anyone wrestling with illness, grief, or simply the desire to grow closer to Christ through Mary. Visitors are welcomed into a Eucharistic Adoration hour on the first Thursday of each month, a weekly Monday Rosary, daily Mass (Sundays at 9:30 AM, Saturdays at 11:30 AM with the Perpetual Novena, weekdays at 5:00 PM), and the famous January 8 Solemnity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor celebrated by the Archbishop of New Orleans — a living, breathing, 300-year-old devotion that is also the official patroness of the city and the state.
Mass times at National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By request any day before or following the liturgy.
Adoration times
- First Thursday of the month, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (September through May).
About the Shrine
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the spiritual home of one of the oldest and most distinctive Marian devotions in the United States. It is located on the campus of Ursuline Academy in uptown New Orleans, and it is served by the Ursuline Sisters, whose presence in the city dates back to 1727. The shrine exists to keep and share the devotion promised by Mother St. Michel Gensoul in revolutionary France and brought to fulfillment in New Orleans in 1810. Today it welcomes daily Mass-goers, school groups, individual pilgrims, and visitors drawn by its stained glass, its Gothic reredos, and the small 'Sweetheart' statue credited with two famous miracles.
- Patroness of the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana
- Served by the Ursuline Sisters (Order of St. Ursula)
- Located on the 11½-acre Ursuline Academy campus
- Director: Cindy Self
History of the Devotion
The devotion was born in 1809–1810 when Mother St. Michel Gensoul, an Ursuline Superior exiled from her Pont-Saint-Esprit convent during the French Revolution, prayed before a statue of the Blessed Mother and vowed to honor Mary in New Orleans under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor if her letter to Rome was answered promptly. The prayer was granted, and on December 10, 1810, Mother St. Michel, her companions, and the small 'Sweetheart' statue arrived in New Orleans. The devotion was officially approved by Pope Pius IX on September 21, 1851, who also designated January 8 as the annual feast of thanksgiving. Pope Leo XIII decreed the canonical coronation on June 21, 1894, and the crowning was carried out by Archbishop Francis Janssens on November 10, 1895 — making Our Lady of Prompt Succor the first Marian statue to be solemnly crowned in the United States. On June 13, 1928, Pope Pius XI formally declared her Principal Patroness of the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana.
- 1810: Statue arrives in New Orleans with Mother St. Michel Gensoul
- September 21, 1851: Pope Pius IX authorizes the devotion and the January 8 feast
- November 10, 1895: First Marian coronation in the United States, by Archbishop Janssens
- April 28, 1897: Pope Leo XIII erects the Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
- June 13, 1928: Declared Principal Patroness of New Orleans and Louisiana by Pius XI
The Sweetheart Statue and the Miracles
The small plaster statue known affectionately as 'Sweetheart' is only about twelve inches tall, but it is the devotional heart of the shrine. It is credited with two spectacular interventions. The first was during the Great New Orleans Fire of Good Friday 1788, when elderly Sister St. Anthony placed it on a windowsill facing the flames and prayed, 'O Lady of Prompt Succor, save us or we are lost' — and the wind immediately shifted, sparing the convent while 856 of the city's 1,100 buildings burned. The second was on the night of January 7, 1815, when Ursulines and citizens kept vigil before the Sweetheart statue praying for American victory at the Battle of New Orleans. As Bishop DuBourg began the Mass at dawn, a courier rushed in announcing Jackson's victory, and the Te Deum rang out. The name 'Sweetheart' came from the sisters' habit of replying, when told of yet another answered prayer, 'Oh, she's a Sweetheart.' Servicemen of both World Wars laid their medals at her feet on returning home.
- Statue arrived in New Orleans from Pont-Saint-Esprit, France, in 1810
- Good Friday 1788: Fire miracle at the old Chartres Street convent
- January 7–8, 1815: Battle of New Orleans vigil and victory
- Soldiers of WWI and WWII left medals at the statue in thanksgiving
Architecture, Stained Glass, and Art
The shrine is a stone European Gothic Revival church built in the 1920s and dedicated on January 6, 1924, by Archbishop John W. Shaw. Its plan reflects the cloister rule then in force: an inner convent chapel for the sisters and an outer public chapel at right angles, forming an 'L'. The marble reredos behind the main altar is centered on the life-size gilded wooden statue of Our Lady with the Christ Child, flanked by carved Gothic angels holding a tower ('Tower of Strength') and a scroll ('Seat of Wisdom'), with symbols of the Four Evangelists below and high-relief angels and cherubs along the side panels. The Mass altar is built from the original wooden partition between the sanctuary and the sisters' chapel. The shrine's Emil Frei stained-glass windows — among the largest and finest examples of the studio's work in New Orleans — chronicle the life of Mary in the inner chapel and the life of Christ in the outer chapel, with the soaring entrance window honoring Our Lady of Prompt Succor and bearing the coats of arms of popes and bishops who spread the devotion.
- European Gothic Revival stone church, dedicated January 6, 1924
- Life-size gilded wooden statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in the central reredos niche
- Carved Gothic reredos with angels, evangelists, and Marian symbols
- Extensive Emil Frei Sr. stained glass (Munich-trained, St. Louis studio)
- Side altar dedicated to St. Joseph, Sacred Heart altar visible through three Gothic arches
Mass, Sacraments, and Devotions
The shrine keeps a steady rhythm of prayer throughout the week. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 5:00 PM, Saturday at 11:30 AM (with the Perpetual Novena), and Sunday at 9:30 AM. Reconciliation is available by request any day before or following the liturgy. Eucharistic Adoration is offered on the first Thursday of each month from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, September through May. A weekly Rosary is prayed on Mondays at 4:30 PM. The annual Solemnity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor is celebrated on January 8 with the Archbishop of New Orleans as principal celebrant — the continuation of the 1815 vow by Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin. Baptisms, weddings, and funerals are hosted at the shrine by request through the services coordinator.
- Daily Mass Monday–Friday 5:00 PM
- Saturday 11:30 AM with Perpetual Novena
- Sunday 9:30 AM
- Reconciliation by request
- First Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM (Sept–May)
- Monday Rosary 4:30 PM
The Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
The Archconfraternity of Our Lady of Prompt Succor was erected by Pope Leo XIII on April 28, 1897, giving formal canonical status to a lay association of the faithful devoted to the shrine and its intercessions. Membership in the Archconfraternity remains open today: a downloadable enrollment form is available on the shrine's Services page. Members share in the prayers and Masses offered at the shrine and in the spiritual benefits of the devotion.
- Erected by Pope Leo XIII, April 28, 1897
- Open membership by enrollment form on the shrine's Services page
- Shares in the prayers and Masses of the shrine community
Pilgrimages, Tours, and Visiting
The shrine welcomes individual visitors, school groups, and organized pilgrimages year-round. Weekday hours are 10:00 AM until shortly after the 5:00 PM Mass; on weekends the shrine opens approximately 45 minutes before and after Mass. Admission is free. Pilgrimages and tours can be scheduled by submitting the downloadable request form from the Services page, and Mass intentions for the deceased or other loved ones can likewise be requested through the shrine office. The shrine is wheelchair-accessible, with a ramp and accessible restroom. Its proximity to Audubon Park and the St. Charles Avenue streetcar makes it a natural stop for visitors exploring uptown New Orleans.
- Free admission
- Wheelchair-accessible (ramp and restroom)
- Pilgrimage / tour request form available on the Services page
- Mass intention request form available on the Services page
- Walking distance from Audubon Park and the St. Charles streetcar
The Ursuline Sisters and Ursuline Academy
The shrine is inseparable from the Ursuline Sisters who have kept it since 1810. Eight Ursuline nuns arrived in New Orleans in 1727 and founded what is now Ursuline Academy, the oldest continuously operating school for girls in the United States. The current uptown campus, on whose grounds the shrine stands, was built in the early twentieth century and continues to serve K–12 students today. The Ursulines' history includes the only time they left New Orleans — by boat during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — after which they returned and rebuilt, drawing on the same resilience that carried them through the fires, battles, and yellow-fever epidemics of earlier centuries.
- Ursuline Sisters in New Orleans since 1727
- Ursuline Academy: oldest continuously operating Catholic school for girls in the U.S.
- 11½-acre uptown campus shared with the shrine
- Hurricane Katrina evacuation by boat in 2005 — the only absence in nearly 300 years