On an October morning in 1859, a young Belgian immigrant named Adele Brise was walking through the dense Wisconsin forest carrying a sack of wheat to a gristmill when she saw a woman clothed in dazzling white light standing between two trees. The vision terrified her. Two days later, on October 9th, as Adele walked the same path to Sunday Mass, the lady appeared again—this time speaking words that would echo through generations: "I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners... Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation."
Adele, an uneducated farmhand who could barely read, obeyed. For the next thirty-seven years until her death in 1896, she walked hundreds of miles through Wisconsin's forests and prairies, teaching catechism to pioneer children, caring for the sick, and establishing a school at the apparition site. The small wooden chapel built over the spot where Mary appeared grew into a shrine that now draws over 250,000 pilgrims annually—the only Marian apparition site in the United States to receive official Church approval.
That approval came on December 8, 2010, when Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay declared the apparitions "worthy of belief" after a two-year theological investigation. Champion thus joined the rare company of Lourdes, Fatima, and Guadalupe as a Church-approved site of Marian apparition. The message Mary gave to Adele—an urgent call to teach the faith to children—remains strikingly relevant in an age when religious education has never been more challenged.
📜 History & Spiritual Significance
Adele Brise was born in Belgium in 1831 and immigrated to the United States in 1855, settling with her family in the heavily forested region northeast of Green Bay. The Belgian immigrants carved farms from the wilderness, maintaining their deep Catholic faith despite the scarcity of priests and churches in frontier Wisconsin.
The apparitions occurred over three days in October 1859. During the first two appearances, Adele saw a beautiful woman dressed in white with a yellow sash and a crown of stars, but heard no words. On October 9th, following her parish priest's advice to ask "In the name of God, who are you and what do you wish of me?", Adele received Mary's response and mission. The Blessed Virgin identified herself as the Queen of Heaven and commanded Adele to teach catechism to the children of the region.
Adele immediately began her mission, walking barefoot through the forests regardless of weather, gathering children wherever she found them—in log cabins, in clearings, along dirt roads. Her father built the first small chapel at the apparition site in 1861. Adele established a school nearby and gathered a small community of women dedicated to teaching, though they never formally constituted a religious order.
On October 8, 1871, the Great Peshtigo Fire—the deadliest wildfire in American history, killing an estimated 1,500 to 2,500 people—swept through northeastern Wisconsin. As flames consumed everything in their path, hundreds of people fled to the shrine grounds, joining Adele in praying the rosary through the night. When dawn broke on October 9th, the twelfth anniversary of Mary's final apparition, the chapel and surrounding grounds stood untouched amid miles of devastation. The fence around the property marked the precise boundary where the fire had stopped. This miraculous preservation cemented the shrine's reputation and drew pilgrims from across America.
Adele died on July 5, 1896, and is buried on the shrine grounds. She had spent thirty-seven years fulfilling Mary's command, walking an estimated 50 miles per week in her early years of ministry. The cause for her canonization was formally opened by the Diocese of Green Bay in 2022.
☩ Pilgrimage Sites in Champion
National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help
The only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the United States
The shrine complex includes the Apparition Chapel built over the exact spot where Mary appeared, the larger Shrine Church for Sunday and feast day Masses, and Adele's grave. The original wooden chapel has been enclosed within a brick structure, with the spot of the apparition marked by a small crypt chapel accessible by descending several steps. Pilgrims kneel at the iron grate marking where Adele stood when she received Mary's message.
The Shrine Church, completed in 1942, seats 400 and features stained glass windows depicting the apparitions. The grounds include outdoor Stations of the Cross, a rosary walk, and the original school building where Adele taught. The Oratory of the Immaculate Conception serves as a perpetual adoration chapel.
Adele Brise's Grave
Adele is buried in the small cemetery adjacent to the Apparition Chapel. Her simple grave, marked by a white cross and surrounded by flowers brought by pilgrims, lies near those of her parents and the early settlers who first gathered at the shrine. Many pilgrims visit her grave to pray for her intercession and for the advancement of her cause for canonization.
The Crypt Chapel
Beneath the Apparition Chapel, pilgrims descend stone steps to the crypt where the exact spot of Mary's apparition is marked. This intimate space, with walls of rough stone and a simple altar, preserves the atmosphere of the forest clearing where a young immigrant received heaven's mandate. The experience of kneeling where Adele knelt creates a profound connection to the 1859 events.
🕯️ Annual Feast Days & Celebrations
Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage — August 15
The largest annual gathering at the shrine, drawing thousands of pilgrims for outdoor Mass, processions, and all-night vigils. The tradition of night-long prayer recalls the October 1871 vigil when pilgrims prayed through the Peshtigo Fire. Bishop's Mass celebrated at noon.
Anniversary of the Apparitions — October 9
The anniversary of Mary's final apparition to Adele is commemorated with special Masses, rosary processions, and the blessing of religious articles. Pilgrims gather at the crypt chapel for prayers at the exact time of the 1859 apparition.
May Crowning — First Sunday of May
Traditional crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Good Help, preceded by a procession through the shrine grounds with children in white carrying flowers.
First Saturdays Devotion
Monthly observance with Confession, Rosary, and Mass in reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, following the devotion requested at Fatima.
🛏️ Where to Stay
Comfort Suites Green Bay ⭐⭐⭐ — Modern hotel 20 minutes from the shrine with indoor pool and hot breakfast. Website ∙ Reserve this hotel
AmericInn by Wyndham Green Bay East ⭐⭐⭐ — Family-friendly option with easy access to Highway 57 toward Champion. Reserve this hotel
Tundra Lodge Resort ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Full-service resort with waterpark, 25 minutes from shrine. Popular with families combining pilgrimage with vacation. Website ∙ Reserve this hotel
Bay Motel (budget) — Simple, clean accommodations in Algoma, 15 minutes from the shrine. Family-owned. Reserve this hotel
🚗 Getting There
By Air: Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport (GRB) is 25 miles southwest of the shrine, approximately 35 minutes by car. Chicago O'Hare (ORD) is 220 miles south, about 3.5 hours driving.
By Car: From Green Bay, take Highway 57 north to Champion. The shrine is located on Chapel Drive, well-signed from the highway. From Milwaukee, take I-43 north to Green Bay, then Highway 57 (approximately 2.5 hours). Ample free parking available at the shrine.
By Bus: No direct public transit. Greyhound serves Green Bay; rental car or taxi required for the final 25 miles.
📚 Further Reading
Books:
Michael O'Neill, Exploring the Miraculous — Comprehensive survey of Marian apparitions worldwide, with extensive coverage of Champion.
Roy Abraham Varghese, God-Sent: A History of the Accredited Apparitions of Mary — Scholarly examination including the Champion apparitions.
Diocese of Green Bay, The Apparitions of Mary at Champion, Wisconsin — Official diocesan publication available at the shrine gift shop.
Online Resources:
Diocese of Green Bay — Official site of the diocese that issued the 2010 declaration approving the Champion apparitions as worthy of belief.
EWTN: Our Lady of Good Help — Detailed history and theological significance.
🎥 Recommended Videos
Our Lady of Good Help Documentary — EWTN documentary on the apparitions and their approval.
Bishop Ricken Announces Approval — Historic press conference declaring the apparitions worthy of belief.
Pilgrimage to Champion — Catholic News Agency visit to America's only approved Marian apparition site.
🔗 Useful Links
National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help — Official shrine website with Mass schedule, events, and pilgrimage planning.
Diocese of Green Bay — Diocesan information and resources.
Door County Visitor Bureau — Tourism information for the scenic peninsula north of Champion.
🧭 Nearby Pilgrimage Destinations
Holy Hill (150 km south) — Wisconsin's other major Catholic shrine, a Discalced Carmelite monastery dedicated to Our Lady, Help of Christians. Scenic Shrine Church atop a glacial hill.
Chicago (340 km south) — Major Catholic center with historic churches, shrines, and the tomb of Cardinal Bernardin.
🪶 Closing Reflection
"Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation... Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments." — Our Lady of Good Help to Adele Brise, October 9, 1859
