Shrines in Surprising Places

When Karen Beth Keissling-Koss and her husband traveled to New Orleans, they discovered an unexpected treasury of places to pray.

Have you ever been to New Orleans? There’s so much to see and do in the Big Easy: great food, soul moving music. Being from Cincinnati, we had no idea that New Orleans is home to seven shrines!

Last November, my husband and I traveled for the first time to New Orleans to attend a wedding. We like to mix in stops at Catholic sites when we travel, bringing a bit of pilgrimage into our journeys. I’d read about the Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in 101 Places to Pray Before You Die. We planned to stop there first, and then hit the French Quarter and Bourbon Street to take in music and food.

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the current home of the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor brought to New Orleans from France by Mother St. Michel Gensoul, an Ursuline nun who arrived at the Old Ursuline Convent on December 30, 1810. When the Battle of New Orleans raged, the sisters and women of New Orleans prayed to Mary before this statue. After winning the battle, against overwhelming odds, Andrew Jackson publicly acknowledged the victory was won by heavenly intervention. Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the patroness of the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana.

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At the shrine, we found a pamphlet. To our surprise it identified six other noteworthy sites; most are in the French Quarter or close by. We changed our plans and visited them all.

First up, the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. A German immigrant and Redemptorist priest, he was known for his joy and deep appreciation for the Sacraments—especially Confession and the Eucharist. Pastor of St. Mary of the Assumption Church in New Orleans (Louisiana’s oldest German Catholic Church), while ministering to the sick and dying during an epidemic in 1867, he contracted yellow fever. His beautiful tomb is in that church. On the day of his beatification, there was a huge parade, New Orleans style!

We were very familiar with St. Jude the Apostle and his aid in impossible causes, but had no idea that there was an International Shrine of St Jude in New Orleans! There we found a beautiful church which started out as a mortuary chapel in 1827. A 17-foot statue of the saint, the largest in the world, graces the site.

The Prayer Room dedicated to Venerable Henriette Delille is located in the old baptistery of Saint Louis Cathedral! Henriette is the first US native born African American whose cause for canonization is officially open. Born a free woman of color in New Orleans in 1812, she founded the Sisters of the Holy Family and the first Catholic home for the elderly in America, which continues today. She gave herself in service to the slaves, the sick, the elderly, and the orphaned. By her prayers, may we live in peace and harmony!

The Catholic Cultural Heritage Center includes Saint Mary Church and the attached Old Ursuline Convent. These beautiful buildings dating back to 1752, have served many purposes through the decades. Here, the women of New Orleans gathered to pray to Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Here, Henriette Delille professed her vows. Take a YouTube virtual tour:

Saint Francis Cabrini Shrine, located in Cabrini High School, stands on the property of the second of two orphanages she founded (1905) in New Orleans. An active school, you must make an appointment to visit. Her bedroom, a museum and the Sacred Heart Chapel are available to view and spend time in prayer. There is something very intimate about kneeling in prayer on the prie-dieux of a saint. It stands next to her bed in her room which is set as it was during her lifetime.

Saint Ann Parish was established in New Orleans in 1852. The shrine was established in 1927 and in 1973 moved to its current location in Metairie (3601 Transcontinental Drive). Behind the sanctuary is an area for prayer and reflection on Our Lord’s Passion with steps that lead up to the site of the Crucifixion. Much to our delight, this was the location of the wedding we had traveled to attend.

We saw a side of New Orleans we never knew existed. We came away renewed and emboldened by the faith of our fathers. Next time you find yourself headed to NOLA, try checking out a shrine or two, or seven. Our brothers and sisters in the faith have much to teach us and are cheering us on. Stop by and say “Hello!”

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About the author: Karen Beth Kiessling-Koss Blessed to be a cradle Catholic, Karen Beth Kiessling-Koss resides in the Greater Cincinnati area. Her Catholic faith is the bedrock of her being. She homeschooled her 3 children from 3rd grade through high school. She is a grandmother to 9 precious children and a registered nurse for 45 years. In her spare time she enjoys writing.