Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin is sacred where a Marion apparition is approved
Green Bay Wisconsin- Bishop David L. Ricken announced that the national shrine will begin celebrating an annual Mass with the liturgical rank of solemnity every October 9.
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A Marian shrine in rural northeast Wisconsin, the only shrine in the United States to be designated by the Catholic Church as an approved Marian apparition site, is changing its name.
During a press conference April 20, Green Bay Bishop David L. Ricken announced the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help will now be known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
Bishop Ricken also announced that the national shrine will begin celebrating an annual Mass with the liturgical rank of solemnity every October 9, the highest ranking type of feast day.
The Seer: Adele Brise (Brice) was born in Belgium to Lambert and Catherine Brise, on January 30, 1831.
While walking along a trail in the woods, Adele saw a lady dressed in white, standing between two trees believed to be a maple and hemlock. Although the mysterious woman stayed silent, it left Adele wondering what sort of encounter it may have been. When Adele told her family, they believed her but thought perhaps it was a soul in purgatory visiting this earthly life asking for prayers.
A few days later, on what is believed to be Sunday, October 9, 1859, Adele walked to Mass with her sister and a friend. The church was 10 miles away from home, but Adele made the journey every Sunday, no matter the weather. Along the same path, Adele saw the mysterious lady standing in the same spot between the two trees. However, Adele being the only one to see her, she and her companions continued their journey to Mass.
After Mass, Adele spoke to her parish priest, and he instructed her that if the lady appeared to her again to ask the question, “In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?”
On her journey home, Adele saw the lady for the third time. As she and her companions approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long golden wavy hair fell loosely over her shoulders. The lady had such a heavenly light around her that Adele could hardly look at her face.
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| National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, Wisconsin |
A Marian shrine in rural northeast Wisconsin, the only shrine in the United States to be designated by the Catholic Church as an approved Marian apparition site, is changing its name.
During a press conference April 20, Green Bay Bishop David L. Ricken announced the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help will now be known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
Read more about the history of this shrine in an article at this site here.
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| Bishop David Ricken: "After I was appointed here- Green Bay Wisconsin, before my installation, I took a little trip with some of the staff members, just to see the major highlights of the diocese, and they were telling me about the story behind the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion. I was deeply impressed by what I heard and by the sense of peace that I felt at the modest shrine. It was the first time I ever heard of the story" |
The solemnity commemorates an event in the life of Jesus or Mary, or celebrates a Saint important to the whole Church or the local community.
“Therefore, at the shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Champion, the anniversary of her apparition will be celebrated as a high holy day of solemnity each year on October 9, thus nurturing the devotion to the Virgin Mary,” he said.
“On October 9, we will celebrate a special, beautiful Mass right here on the grounds, where we really thank the Blessed Mother for all she has done and all she is doing. From now on, that will be our central feast day celebration in honor of Our Lady of Champion,” Bishop Ricken said.
“There are so many beautiful things that have happened here over the years, and this new stage of calling her by the title of Our Lady of Champion will make it more concrete,” he added.
Bishop Ricken then unveiled a logo with the shrine’s new name.
Prior to Bishop Ricken’s declaration, Father John Girotti, vicar general of the Diocese of Green Bay, told reporters that the numbers of pilgrims to the shrine “have grown exponentially.”
“This year alone, we have experienced 150,000 people who have come here,” he said. “Already, this place is one of the most frequented locations in the state of Wisconsin, with people outside of our area coming to worship, to pray.”
“I realize the longer I’m here, the more blessed I am to be a part of this and to serve in the role of bishop and to help others to get to know about this place,” he said. “People just say it’s a huge place of consolation and peace for them, so to be able to do this with little things from my perch really is humbling.”
Sam Lucero writes for Our Sunday Visitor News from Wisconsin.
Bishop Ricken will celebrate the inaugural Mass of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Champion on that day at 11 a.m.
October 9, is the anniversary of Mary’s second and third apparitions to Adele Brise* in 1859. Brise was a young Belgian immigrant living in Kewaunee County, and the apparitions occurred some 18 miles northeast of Green Bay.
Bishop Ricken said the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approved the October 9, solemnity last December.
October 9, is the anniversary of Mary’s second and third apparitions to Adele Brise* in 1859. Brise was a young Belgian immigrant living in Kewaunee County, and the apparitions occurred some 18 miles northeast of Green Bay.
Bishop Ricken said the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approved the October 9, solemnity last December.
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| Bishop David L. Ricken speaks of Green Bay, Wisconsin, at a press conference April 20, 2023, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion. He announced the shrine has changed its name from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. In addition, a solemnity Mass will now be celebrated each year on Oct. 9, the anniversary of the 1859 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Adele Brise. (Our Sunday Visitor News photo/Sam Lucero) |
“Therefore, at the shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Champion, the anniversary of her apparition will be celebrated as a high holy day of solemnity each year on October 9, thus nurturing the devotion to the Virgin Mary,” he said.
“On October 9, we will celebrate a special, beautiful Mass right here on the grounds, where we really thank the Blessed Mother for all she has done and all she is doing. From now on, that will be our central feast day celebration in honor of Our Lady of Champion,” Bishop Ricken said.
“There are so many beautiful things that have happened here over the years, and this new stage of calling her by the title of Our Lady of Champion will make it more concrete,” he added.
Bishop Ricken then unveiled a logo with the shrine’s new name.
Prior to Bishop Ricken’s declaration, Father John Girotti, vicar general of the Diocese of Green Bay, told reporters that the numbers of pilgrims to the shrine “have grown exponentially.”
“This year alone, we have experienced 150,000 people who have come here,” he said. “Already, this place is one of the most frequented locations in the state of Wisconsin, with people outside of our area coming to worship, to pray.”
“Today the shrine remains the first and only officially declared site of a Marian apparition in the United States,” added Father Girotti.
“It remains what it always has been: a place of healing, a place of peace, a place of holiness, a place where we can take the challenges of life to God and ask God to bless us and help us.”
Bishop Ricken said the shrine’s name change and solemnity celebration are significant to Catholics around the country because it “might attract more pilgrims.”
“Why would we be interested in more pilgrims? Because this is a great message, and when people come here, they feel the sense of the Blessed Mother’s presence and she always leads us to Jesus,” he added. “Her whole mission in life was to lead people to Jesus and she constantly does that right here. We want to share that good news with people from throughout the country, so they know this is a refuge, it’s a wonderful place to come to find peace and to be able to pray with a lot of other Christians and people of even no faith.”
Bishop Ricken, who declared on December 8, 2010, that the Marian apparitions to Brise were worthy of belief, told OSV News he was humbled to be part of the shrine’s history.
Bishop Ricken said the shrine’s name change and solemnity celebration are significant to Catholics around the country because it “might attract more pilgrims.”
“Why would we be interested in more pilgrims? Because this is a great message, and when people come here, they feel the sense of the Blessed Mother’s presence and she always leads us to Jesus,” he added. “Her whole mission in life was to lead people to Jesus and she constantly does that right here. We want to share that good news with people from throughout the country, so they know this is a refuge, it’s a wonderful place to come to find peace and to be able to pray with a lot of other Christians and people of even no faith.”
Bishop Ricken, who declared on December 8, 2010, that the Marian apparitions to Brise were worthy of belief, told OSV News he was humbled to be part of the shrine’s history.
Sam Lucero writes for Our Sunday Visitor News from Wisconsin.
The Seer: Adele Brise (Brice) was born in Belgium to Lambert and Catherine Brise, on January 30, 1831.
Although she suffered an accident at a young age that left her blind in her right eye, those who knew her best describe her cheerfulness, fervent piety, and simple religious ways.
Upon receiving her first Holy Communion, Adele and a few close friends promised the Blessed Virgin Mary that they would devote their lives to becoming religious teaching sisters in Belgium. However, this promise grew difficult to keep when her parents decided to move to America alongside other Belgium settlers. After seeking advice from her confessor, she was told to be obedient to her parents. He assured her that if the Lord willed her to become a teacher and a sister, she would serve in that vocation in America.
After the six-week voyage to America, the Brise family joined the largest Belgian settlement – near present-day Champion, Wisconsin. Belgian pioneers’ and settlers’ lives were difficult, and many died in the harsh Wisconsin winters. Adele served her family’s needs by often taking grain to the grist mill.
Upon receiving her first Holy Communion, Adele and a few close friends promised the Blessed Virgin Mary that they would devote their lives to becoming religious teaching sisters in Belgium. However, this promise grew difficult to keep when her parents decided to move to America alongside other Belgium settlers. After seeking advice from her confessor, she was told to be obedient to her parents. He assured her that if the Lord willed her to become a teacher and a sister, she would serve in that vocation in America.
After the six-week voyage to America, the Brise family joined the largest Belgian settlement – near present-day Champion, Wisconsin. Belgian pioneers’ and settlers’ lives were difficult, and many died in the harsh Wisconsin winters. Adele served her family’s needs by often taking grain to the grist mill.
While walking along a trail in the woods, Adele saw a lady dressed in white, standing between two trees believed to be a maple and hemlock. Although the mysterious woman stayed silent, it left Adele wondering what sort of encounter it may have been. When Adele told her family, they believed her but thought perhaps it was a soul in purgatory visiting this earthly life asking for prayers.
A few days later, on what is believed to be Sunday, October 9, 1859, Adele walked to Mass with her sister and a friend. The church was 10 miles away from home, but Adele made the journey every Sunday, no matter the weather. Along the same path, Adele saw the mysterious lady standing in the same spot between the two trees. However, Adele being the only one to see her, she and her companions continued their journey to Mass.
After Mass, Adele spoke to her parish priest, and he instructed her that if the lady appeared to her again to ask the question, “In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?”
On her journey home, Adele saw the lady for the third time. As she and her companions approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long golden wavy hair fell loosely over her shoulders. The lady had such a heavenly light around her that Adele could hardly look at her face.
Overcome by the light, Adele fell to her knees and said, “In God’s name, who are you, and what do you want of me?”
The lady replied, “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.”
Adele’s companions, unable to see Our Lady asked, “Adele, who is it? Why can’t we see her as you do?”
“Kneel,” said Adele, “the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.”
The Blessed Lady gazed kindly upon them, saying, “Blessed are they that believe without seeing.” Then, looking toward Adele, the Queen of Heaven asked, “What are you doing here in idleness while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?”
“What more can I do, dear Lady?” asked Adele, weeping.
“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation.”
“But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?” Adele said.
“Teach them,” replied her radiant visitor, “their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you.”
Then, wrapped as it were in a luminous atmosphere, Our Lady lifted her hands as though she were beseeching a blessing for those at her feet. Slowly, she vanished from sight, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrated on the ground.
This was the simple beginning of Adele’s mission to become a teacher for the Lord and the Blessed Lady.
Join Us in Prayer: Recalling the nine days when the Apostles and the Virgin Mary prayed between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday, novenas consist of a series of prayers recited over nine days.
The Shrine prays six novenas throughout the year and invites all the faithful to join in as well. Select the ones you’d like to participate in, and we will send you email reminders and the prayers each day during the novena.
The lady replied, “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.”
Adele’s companions, unable to see Our Lady asked, “Adele, who is it? Why can’t we see her as you do?”
“Kneel,” said Adele, “the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.”
The Blessed Lady gazed kindly upon them, saying, “Blessed are they that believe without seeing.” Then, looking toward Adele, the Queen of Heaven asked, “What are you doing here in idleness while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?”
“What more can I do, dear Lady?” asked Adele, weeping.
“Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation.”
“But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?” Adele said.
“Teach them,” replied her radiant visitor, “their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you.”
Then, wrapped as it were in a luminous atmosphere, Our Lady lifted her hands as though she were beseeching a blessing for those at her feet. Slowly, she vanished from sight, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrated on the ground.
This was the simple beginning of Adele’s mission to become a teacher for the Lord and the Blessed Lady.
Join Us in Prayer: Recalling the nine days when the Apostles and the Virgin Mary prayed between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday, novenas consist of a series of prayers recited over nine days.
The Shrine prays six novenas throughout the year and invites all the faithful to join in as well. Select the ones you’d like to participate in, and we will send you email reminders and the prayers each day during the novena.
Bishop David L. Ricken- Perhaps coincidentally, or maybe by divine design, "Ricken studied philosophy at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington, Ohio, and Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, graduating there in 1974. As a seminarian for the Diocese of Pueblo, he attended St. Meinrad School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana, and the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Leuven, Belgium. Ricken obtained a Master of Theology degree in 1980 from the Catholic University of Leuven.
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