The only approved Marian apparition in the U.S.

_{The above photo is of Our Lady of Good Help, in Champion, Wisconsin.} / _{Photo: Video screen grab https://youtu.be/lMBoo–4×84}

On this day, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, we remember the Blessed Mother’s appearance 105 years ago to three young children in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917.

According to Eternal Word Television Network, “Our Lady came there to warn us of the harm we would inflict upon ourselves as a result of our sins: wars, famines, plagues, persecution of the Church and the loss of many souls in Hell.”

The 1918 pandemic began the very next year. Several wars followed: World War II / 1939, Korean War / 1950, Vietnam War / 1954, Afghanistan War / 2001, Iraq War / 2003, not to mention the current threats impacting our world today.

But did you know that right here in the United States, in Champion, Wisconsin, the Catholic Church has approved the only apparition of the Virgin Mary in the U.S.? The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion is the site where the Blessed Mother, in October 1859, appeared to 28-year-old Adele Brise. At that time the town was called Robinsonville.

You can read the story of the apparition here: championshrine.org/the-story.

The “Cliffs Note” version is that Our Lady wanted Adele to teach children about her son and to instruct them in the ways of the Church in regard to how to pray, worship, etc.

The website explains that some 12 years after the apparition, a severe drought (a familiar headline today!) caused two fires that are among the largest in the country’s history. The deadliest was the Peshtigo Fire, which ravaged the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin and moved into Michigan.  It’s estimated that as many as 2,500 perished in that fire, which occurred on the same day as the famous Chicago Fire. The blaze covered 60 miles, moving from Peshtigo to Champion Wisconsin, known at the time as Robinsville. It consumed 1.5 million acres, according to PBS.org.

The Catholic Diocese of Green Bay’s official publication, “The Compass,” in 2011 published a story that shares accounts of what occurred the night of the fire.

On that fateful night, at Adele’s urging, the town’s people convened in the chapel on the site of the shrine that had been constructed by Adele’s father to commemorate the apparitions. There they prayed the rosary nonstop with the petition that they be saved from the devastation of the fire. And while the surrounding area was totally destroyed, the shrine and grounds were saved, due to a rain that poured down and put out the blaze.

According to the Marshfield News Herald, “All of the area outside the five-acre property was reduced to a landscape of ashen turf and charred remains, sparing the site of the incredible apparition.”

Bishop David Ricken, who is at the helm of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, approved the apparitions just 12 years ago on Dec. 8, 2010.

Resource: www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com.

Editor’s Note: See photo below. We finally finished our backyard shrine to Our Lady. Today, in honor of Our Lady of Fatima, we placed a lovely red rose at the foot of the Virgin Mary and blessed her with holy water from Lourdes.

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