Our Lady saved the city of New Orleans and the Ursuline Convent from ruin long ago. We found an excerpt written on Terry Jones’s compendium, www.CatholicSaints.Info. The story linked here is written by William J. Walsh and it is fascinating.
Our favorite way of describing Our Lady of Prompt Succor is to draw an analogy about test taking or public speaking or important presentations. These events can cause a test taker or speaker to be riddled with anxiety. A short prayer when you lose your “train of thought” to Our Lady may help you recall what you are trying to say or remind you what the answer is to a certain quiz question you actually know the answer to and are simply forgetting. It happens all the time. Maybe the Quick Help Lady can save the day! If you read Walsh’s article about her, you’ll see he refers to her as “Heaven’s Bright Queen.” It’s always fun to visit Terry’s web site because there is always something new to learn, especially if you’re a hagiographer “nerd” like me.
This version of our Lady has always been very popular. Who doesn’t want or need constant help? The actual visual of OLOPS is a painting from the 13th Century. It has traveled to many different places and has quite a bit of history behind it. Painted on wood in Byzantine style (I don’t know what that means, tbh) and is located in Rome at Saint Alphonsus’s Church near the Church of Saint John Lateran ( a “Must See” if you go to Rome, no lines or waiting to get in and the statues are enormous).
The painting features Our Lady in that Byzantine style I need to learn about and above Our Lady are archangels Michael and Gabriel, with Michael protecting the painting while Gabriel spreads her “Good News” to all of us that constant help is always there if you choose to just believe it!
Palm Sunday is only a few days away! Our Lenten Series will be ending soon and for those of you who read every day, surely that’s another way to celebrate the Resurrection.