Our Lady of Good Help (Champion)

The Story

Our Lady of Champion, formerly known as Our Lady of Good Help, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in connection with apparitions reported by Adele Brise, a Belgian immigrant living near present-day Champion, Wisconsin, in 1859. The apparitions are recognized as the first and only Marian apparitions in the United States formally approved by the Catholic Church. While walking through the woods in early October, Adele saw a beautiful woman dressed in dazzling white, wearing a yellow sash and a crown of stars. The woman appeared silently on two occasions. After Adele sought advice from her priest, he instructed her to ask the figure who she was and what she wanted. During the third apparition, traditionally dated October 9, 1859, the woman identified herself as the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners. Mary asked Adele to pray for sinners, make a general confession and offer Holy Communion for their conversion. She then gave Adele a practical mission: gather the children of the surrounding wilderness and teach them the Catholic faith, including the catechism, the Sign of the Cross and how to receive the sacraments. When Adele expressed concern that she lacked the knowledge and ability to accomplish the task, Mary reassured her with the words: “Go and fear nothing, I will help you.” Adele devoted the remainder of her life to this mission. She traveled from home to home teaching children, sometimes offering to perform household work in exchange for permission to instruct them. With the help of other women, she eventually established a school, convent and chapel near the place of the apparitions. The title Our Lady of Good Help came from the French inscription placed above the chapel entrance: Notre Dame de Bon Secours, Priez Pour Nous—“Our Lady of Good Help, pray for us.” The shrine also became associated with the Great Peshtigo Fire of October 1871. As the fire destroyed much of the surrounding region, Adele and local families gathered within the chapel grounds, carrying a statue of Mary in procession and praying the Rosary. According to the shrine’s historical account, the fire reached the property’s boundary but did not enter the grounds, leaving the chapel, school and those who had taken refuge there unharmed. Following a formal investigation, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay declared the apparitions worthy of belief on December 8, 2010. In 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the property as a national shrine. In 2023, the shrine’s title was officially changed from Our Lady of Good Help to Our Lady of Champion, and October 9 was established as its annual solemnity. The message of Our Lady of Champion centers on conversion, prayer, confession, the Eucharist, religious education and trust in Mary’s maternal help. It reminds Catholics that faith must be actively taught and lived, especially through the formation of children and participation in the sacraments. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion continues Adele’s mission by welcoming pilgrims for Mass, confession, Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, healing prayer and instruction in the Catholic faith.

Church Recognition

In 2010 it became the first Marian apparition approved as worthy of belief in the United States.

Catholic Teaching

Highlights catechesis, prayer, and the duty to hand on the faith to the next generation.

Plan Your Visit

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Practical

1 Additional Information ▾

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help (Champion) welcomes pilgrims to the chapel on the apparition site.

Go Deeper

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion's official website, championshrine.org, provides the history of the apparitions and Bishop David Ricken's 2010 decree of approval; on private revelation and Marian devotion, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 67, 971).