National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion |
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| 44°35′26.3″N 87°46′24.8″W / 44.590639°N 87.773556°W | |
| Location | Champion, Wisconsin |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | National shrine |
| Founded | 1861 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Green Bay |
| Our Lady of Champion | |
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| Location | Champion, Wisconsin, United States |
| Date | October 1859 |
| Witness | Adele Brise |
| Type | Marian apparition |
| Approval | December 8, 2010 Bishop David L. Ricken Diocese of Green Bay |
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion is a special Catholic place of worship. It is dedicated to Mary, who Catholics believe is the mother of God. The shrine is located in Champion, Wisconsin, in the United States. It stands where a woman named Adele Brise reported seeing Mary in 1859.
This event, called a Marian apparition, was officially approved by the Catholic Church on December 8, 2010. This made it the first Marian apparition approved in the United States. The chapel also became a special place for pilgrimage and prayer. On August 15, 2016, it was named a national shrine. Its name was changed to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. Then, on April 20, 2023, the name was changed again to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
Contents
The Apparitions of 1859
Adele Brise was born in Belgium in 1831. She moved to Wisconsin with her family in 1855. In October 1859, Adele said she saw a woman dressed in bright white. The woman had a yellow sash and a crown of stars. She was surrounded by a bright light and stood between two trees. Adele was scared and prayed until the vision disappeared. Her parents thought it might be a "poor soul" needing prayers.
The next Sunday, October 8, 1859, Adele saw the woman again. This happened while she was walking to church service. Her sister and another woman were with her, but they did not see anything. Adele asked her priest for advice. He told her to ask the vision, "In the Name of God, who are you and what do you wish of me?"
When Adele saw the vision a third time, she asked the question. The woman replied, "I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same." The woman also gave Adele a special job. She told Adele to "gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation."
Adele was 28 years old when these events happened. She spent the rest of her life teaching children. At first, she walked from house to house. Later, she opened a small school. Other women joined her work. They formed a group of sisters, following the rules of the Third Order Franciscans. Adele Brise passed away on July 5, 1896.
The Chapel's History
Building the Chapel
The first chapel was a small wooden building, about 10 by 12 feet. Adele's father, Lambert Brise, built it where the apparition happened. A woman named Isabella Doyen gave the land, which was about 5 acres. In 1861, a larger wooden church was built. It had the words "Notre Dame de bon Secours, priez pour nous" on it. This means "Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us," which gave the shrine its first name.
Many people started visiting the site. The chapel soon became too small. So, a bigger brick chapel was built in 1880. A school and a convent (a place where religious sisters live) were also built there in the 1880s.
The Great Peshtigo Fire
On October 8, 1871, a huge firestorm started near Peshtigo, Wisconsin. This fire spread quickly through forests and towns. It was one of the deadliest wildfires ever recorded, killing almost 2,000 people. The fire was so strong that some believe it jumped across Green Bay and threatened the chapel.
Adele Brise refused to leave the chapel. Instead, she led a procession to ask the Virgin Mary for protection. The land all around the chapel was destroyed by the fire. But the chapel, its grounds, and everyone who had taken shelter there were completely unharmed. This event is seen as a miracle by many.
The Shrine Today
The current shrine building was finished in July 1942. It is built in a Tudor Gothic style. The main part, called the Apparition Chapel, can hold about 300 people. There is also a smaller Apparition Oratory downstairs for quiet prayer. In this lower area, you can see many crutches left behind. These were left by people who came to pray and felt they were helped.
Outside the shrine, there are paths for prayer walks. These include a rosary walk and Stations of the Cross. The biggest yearly gathering at the shrine is on August 15. This is the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A special outdoor Mass is held, and a procession takes place around the shrine.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Champion became nationally known when its apparitions were approved. This happened after a two-year study by Bishop David Ricken on December 8, 2010. It is the first and only Marian apparition approved by the Catholic Church in the United States. On August 15, 2016, it was officially named a national shrine. Its name was changed to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. On April 20, 2023, the shrine was renamed The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
More to Explore
- Shrines to the Virgin Mary
- List of shrines
