While some may claim to be of French, Italian, German, Irish, English, or African ancestry, the truth is many, if not most of us are descendents of some combination of these and other ethnicities.

The merging and blending of our people can be seen in our architecture, music, food it is what gives this region such a unique and culturally rich flavor.

We all have a personal story of how we find ourselves in Louisiana at this time in history.

My American Dream started two generations ago with my grandfather, a man I would never meet; he came here from Italy at the age of 16. He chose New Orleans because he believed it to be a thriving land of great opportunity.

My grandfather owned a small fruit, meat and fish market on the edge of the French Quarter. He spoke very little English but through thrift and hard work he did his best for his family.

I will for the first time this summer visit Contessa Entellina, the small village in Sicily where his journey began; his name is Severio Ferrara.

“The American Dream is Alive in Louisiana”
Thank you Severio (Grandpa) Ferrara

Anne Ferrara Dale

What is your Louisiana American Dream story?

You can find “New Orleans” on a map bordered by the 17th street canal, Lake Pontchartrain, the mighty Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.You will also find New Orleans in the hearts of the Louisiana people and those around the world who have experienced it … Jazz, Mardi Gras, The French Quarter, Creole and Cajun Cuisine.

But My New Orleans is more. It is bigger.

The Big Easy goes beyond the borderlines of this great city. It is always a part of me wherever I go.

My New Orleans goes north up the Mississippi River to Natchez, strung together by mighty Oak Trees, Spanish Moss and a path of majestic plantation homes from an era gone by.

My New Orleans goes east where my family vacationed on the sandy white beaches of Waveland, Gulfport and Biloxi.

My New Orleans goes south through the bayous and swamps, where as a young girl my father would take me fishing, down the Mississippi Delta and to the Gulf of Mexico.

My New Orleans gets its spice from the west through Baton Rouge and to the heart of Acadia (Cajuns)……….Lafayette.

My New Orleans is like a good gumbo with necessary ingredients to a recipe rich in culture.

A gumbo that is stirred by the people where our southern hospitality welcomes each ingredient to melt into the other, to give it the flavor of something you will always take with you wherever you go.Once you taste it… You will know what it means to love New Orleans.

That’s my home… that’s My New Orleans.

That’s why I have created this design to remind everyone in our surrounding cities including the coastal region and beyond, much like the Mississippi River, our bloodline flows beyond the borders of this great city.

It is Our New Orleans.

It belongs to everyone.

by Anne Dale

The “lucky bean,” the symbol of “abbondanza,” the abundance of sharing in the blessings of faith, hope and love.

The tradition came to New Orleans with the Sicilians in the 1800s and flourished among the prolific celebrations of Louisiana.

During a famine in Sicily, this humble fava bean was the life-saving crop.The New Orleans “Lucky Bean” has found its way into the purses and pockets of many and is kept as a treasured memento of the St. Joseph’s Feast Celebration.

May it fulfill for you its promise of bountiful blessings.

The St. Joseph’s Altar was a way of giving thanks for, and sharing of, the blessings of a bountiful harvest.

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Words by Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, USMC

 I believe beauty comes from within.

I believe in God, his creation and that I am truly unique and special.

I believe in making the best use of the gifts and talents I was born with.

I believe in integrity, self discipline, and respecting myself and others.

I believe true sucess will come to me when I work hard and persevere at my goals.

I believe a positive and loving attitude is true beauty, and it comes from within.

by Anne Dale

Every great city has great food, music, festivals and culture. It’s the same in New Orleans, only better, richer and sweeter.

Return to New Orleans, if you carry her – the Jewel of the South; the Queen of Dixie – in your heart.

Return to New Orleans, if you love to celebrate the world’s biggest party by raising your hands high in the air shouting “throw me something mister; it’s Mardi Gras!”

Return to New Orleans, if you love to listen to blues, jazz or zydeco, and allow yourself to be transported into a magical moment where time is no more.

Return to New Orleans, and gaze upon the city’s beauty – her French, Spanish and Creole architecture; her southern strength and nobility – where her graceful wrought iron designs whisper her culture.

Return to New Orleans, and tantalize your taste buds with mouth watering seafood, richly spiced dishes, and beignets.

Return to New Orleans, and you will refer to everyone as “cher,” where everything is “precious,” where young people acknowledge their elders by first name, preceded with a polite “Mr.” or “Ms,” where no one gossips but “catches up,” and where everyone says “bless your heart,” and means it, in every conversation.

Return to New Orleans. Visit when you can and stay awhile. New Orleans… a city that truly knows how to embrace life in a lagniappe (a little something extra) way. It’s what the city is all about, a city that wants to share its joy with others.

by Anne Dale

Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
And miss it each night and day
I know Im not wrong… this feelings gettin stronger
The longer, I stay away
Miss them moss covered vines…the tall sugar pines
Where mockin birds used to sing
And Id like to see that lazy mississippi…hurryin into spring

The moonlight on the bayou…….a creole tune…. that fills the air
I dream… about magnolias in bloom……and Im wishin I was there

Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When thats where you left your heart
And theres one thing more…i miss the one I care for
More than I miss new orleans

(instrumental break)

The moonlight on the bayou…….a creole tune…. that fills the air
I dream… about magnolias in bloom……and Im wishin I was there

Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
When thats where you left your heart
And theres one thing more…i miss the one I care for
More…..more than I miss…….new orleans

Two historical events are especially associated with the Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

* The first occurred during The Great Fire of New Orleans in 1812 devastating the Vieux Carré.

* The second major miracle occurred before the Battle of New Orleans, where General Andrew Jackson faced overwhelming odds against the British.

It is customary for the citizens of New Orleans to pray before the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, asking for her intercession whenever a hurricane threatens the city, reciting the prayer:

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to Help Us!

During hurricane season, prayers are said at every Mass in the city during the Prayers of the Faithful requesting Our Lady of Prompt Succor’s intercession and protection.

Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
2701 State Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70018

Ursuline Academy