When you need a miracle—STAT
Far less visited than St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (also known as the Mortuary Chapel), located across the street. The church was built in 1826 out of necessity to hold the bodies of the many yellow fever victims. Back then, the corpses were (incorrectly) thought to be highly contagious and were therefore stored and separated away from the living.
Although the famous St. Louis Cathedral (1720), a few blocks away on Jackson Square, has burned down and been rebuilt once and altered several times, the Mortuary Chapel is actually the oldest intact church in the city. The church has semi-frequent but always fabulous jazz masses. And to the side of the chapel is a small grotto lined with plaster thank-you plaques. But the number-one reason to visit is the statue of St. Expedite inside the church.
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Address 411 N Rampart Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, +1 504.525.1551, www.judesshrine.com | Hours Mass: Sun 7:30am, 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm (Spanish), and 6pm; weekdays 7am, noon; Sat 7am; Sat Vigil 4pm| Tip A few blocks away is the setting for an event far less holy. Back in 2006, Zach Bowen took his life by jumping off the roof of a hotel. In his pocket was a note indicating where to find his girlfriend, Addie Hall. She was back in their apartment at 828 N Rampart St, above the Voodoo Temple. Her torso was found in the fridge. Her head, hands, and feet were in pots on the stove. And her legs were in the oven—they had been seasoned.
Churches used to order their statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints from Italy or Spain. The statues would arrive in crates marked with the name of the enclosed holy figure. One crate received by Our Lady of Guadalupe had the word “Expedite” written on the outside. The intended message was “Open Immediately,” but the recipients incorrectly interpreted the label as being the name of the saint packed inside. And so the statue of “St. Expedite,” in his Roman soldier garb, stands at the back of the church, on the far right as you enter.
St. Expedite is recognized as the patron saint of quick results. For reasons that are not clear, you’re supposed to leave him pound cake after he’s interceded on your behalf. While not officially sanctioned by the Catholic Church, St. Expedite’s fame and influence are enjoying a recent surge as computer software and tech workers have been invoking him for faster connections. In the gift shop, attached to the church, you may purchase St. Expedite prayer cards or medals. The medals can be attached to your keychain for fast getaways.
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