My husband, Stephen, and I visited the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help – now called Our Lady of Champion – in July of 2021. Although we always hoped for the opportunity to visit the Shrines at Fatima and Lourdes, we realized it may never happen. Because of tuition payments for Catholic high schools and colleges for our four children, a European pilgrimage was impossible. We then read about the Marian apparition in Champion. A visit to this Shrine would be financially feasible.
When we told people about the Shrine, absolutely no one had heard of it, including our local priests. We indeed found this to be strange. How could news of the only approved Marian apparition site in the United States be so hidden? After we visited the Shrine and returned home to Long Island, New York, we decided to request brochures from the Shrine for distribution to the parishes in our diocese. We delivered them to churches until I became ill.
On December 17, 2021, I was diagnosed with severe COVID-19. My condition deteriorated rapidly and I was hospitalized on December 23. My prognosis was dire. My husband received a phone call late in the evening of December 23 to prepare for my final arrangements. Although I was near death, I was cognizant and immediately petitioned Our Lady of Good Help through the intercessory prayers of her seer, Adele Brice, to heal me. I needed this healing.
At the time, I was a 64-year-old Teacher’s Aide, a mother of four, and grandmother of three, and just beginning to enjoy this phase of life. The ability to spend time with my husband, attend the weddings of my two youngest children, and babysit my grandchildren was something I had looked forward to for several years.
My husband contacted family and friends to pray for me to the Blessed Mother and Adele Brice for intercession from Our Lord. Help arrived! With twelve hours left of a window for treatment, my pulmonologist argued with a panel of doctors to administer a very expensive monoclonal antibody. The panel of doctors shared the opinion that this treatment would be of no benefit (I later found out that my pulmonologist was also the parent of four children and had lost his wife to a heart attack a year earlier). The monoclonal antibody had almost immediate effects. God was so good to me, and after 22 days in the hospital, I was released to go home. Two of my doctors both attributed my healing to God’s intervention.
For the past four years, in thankfulness for my healing and to inspire others to visit the Shrine, we have driven thousands of miles distributing pamphlets to more than 140 locations in the area, including all 137 parish churches in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. My daughter has visited the Shrine, and we hope to return someday soon!
5 Things To Know About Our Lady of Champion
1. The Message of Our Lady: In 1859, Mary appeared as the “Queen of Heaven” in Champion, Wisconsin to a lay, Belgian immigrant, Adele Brice, telling her to gather the children and teach them about their faith, particularly the Catechism, how to make the Sign of the Cross, and the importance of the Sacraments.
2. Approved Marian Apparition: In 2010, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion was declared the first and only approved Marian Apparition site in the United States and Canada.
3. Faithfulness of Adele Brice
Adele 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. In 2024, the U.S. Catholic bishops voted to begin the process of officially declaring Adele a saint.
4. The Shrine’s Significance:
The shrine is built on the site of the apparitions and is a place of pilgrimage and prayer. More than 200,000 pilgrims visit each year for individual or group pilgrimages. One of the Shrine’s largest events is the Oct. 9 Solemnity of Our Lady of Champion.
5. A Place of Peace:
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion is a welcoming sanctuary of peace, inviting all to grow in their relationship with Mary’s Son, Jesus as they contemplate the beauty of the Rosary Walk and other peaceful places to reflect and pray.
Guest Author: Joan Cavanagh, a pilgrim in New York who experienced a healing after praying for the intercession of Our Lady and Adele Brice, the seer of Our Lady of Champion.
