At the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, Andrew Jackson led 3,000 militia, mostly hunters and farmers, against an army of over 10,000 well-armed veterans of the British army who planned to take over the city. People who couldn’t fight ran to join the local Sisters before a statue of our Lady of Prompt Succor, which means “fast help,” to pray.
As dawn was breaking on the morning of January 8th, there was Mass offered for victory, and during communion a messenger burst into the Church announcing that Andrew Jackson had liberated the city. It was the most lopsided defeat in British history. They suffered over 2,000 casualties and the U.S. hundreds.
Jackson came to thank the Sisters when the battle was done. He knew who had really won. It was the last time the British invaded United States soil. Every year since then, on January 8th, a Mass of Thanksgiving is celebrated in New Orleans before our Lady of Prompt Succor.
Need fast help against impossible odds? You know where to find it. Prayer!
