Our Lady of Champion: When Mary appeared in Wisconsin’s northwoods May 7, 2026By Robert Fastiggi OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Marian Devotion, News, Vatican, World News (OSV News) — The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, Wisconsin — formerly known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help — is the only Marian shrine in the United States located on the site of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The apparitions began near Green Bay on Oct. 9, 1859 — a year after the apparitions at Lourdes — and the recipient was Adele Brice (1831–1896), a young Belgian woman who had emigrated to Wisconsin in 1855. The Blessed Mother was seen by Adele several times before she revealed who she was and what she wanted. She identified herself as “the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.” She asked Adele to go to confession and offer her holy Communion for the conversion of sinners. She also asked Adele to teach the children in the area “what they should know for their salvation.” This included “the Sign of the Cross, the catechism, and how to approach the sacraments.” Adele obeyed this request of the Blessed Mother. At first, she began teaching the children by herself, but she eventually founded a third order community called the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi (also known as the Sisters of Good Health). A shrine was built to honor Our Lady called the Shrine of Good Help because of Adele’s devotion to Notre Dame de Bon Secours from her native Belgium. Many graces have flowed from this shrine, which was preserved (in a seemingly miraculous way) from the flames of the furious Peshtigo fire of 1871. In 2010, Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay declared that the apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in 1859 are worthy of belief as supernatural by the Christian faithful, and in 2023 he announced the shrine would be called Our Lady of Champion. A cause for Adele’s canonization formally opened in February. read more marian devotion Six times Mary appeared to encourage, admonish or inspire the faithful Mary’s interior freedom Pope Leo XIV expected in France this September for Lourdes, Paris visit From his shrine to hers: ‘Mini-Camino’ walks from St. Joseph to Our Lady of Champion ‘Polish Lourdes,’ where Mary appeared to 2 girls 160 times, could soon draw global attention Madre Peregrina statue on US tour brings message of hope, peace and joy, bishop says Copyright © 2026 OSV News Print
