However, her holy desire might as well have gone up in smoke because Adele’s parents decided to move the family to America, along with other Belgian settlers. However, Adele’s priest confessor reassured her that if our Lord wanted this for her, it would happen in America. In God’s providence, her desired vocation would manifest in a most miraculous way! Nonetheless, it was a tough life in a rugged and scary new land. The winters at their new settlement in Wisconsin were extremely harsh. Some settlers died due to the piercing raw sub-zero conditions. Adele and her family lived with other immigrants in the largest Belgian settlement of that time. Adele helped her parents by bundling up to ward off the freezing temperatures every day and carrying the family grain on foot to the grist mill. Queen of Heaven One day, while walking on a trail in the Robinsonville area (now Champion), Adele saw a bright light, which took on the form of a Lady dressed in dazzling white. The Lady was silent. She was a bit elevated and between a maple tree and a hemlock tree. She soon vanished and left a brilliant white cloud behind. Adele wondered what this encounter could mean. She shared it with her parents upon reaching home. Her parents believed that she had seen something mystical and important — most likely, a Holy Soul from Purgatory in need of prayer. A few days later, on Sunday, Oct. 9, 1859, Adele again saw the mysterious Lady between the trees. After Mass, Adele shared her two encounters with the priest. He gave her clear instructions to ask the Lady, “In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?” Adele saw the Lady for the third time and asked the Lady, who answered immediately, “I am the Queen of Heaven.” Adele’s mission Adele was then given a holy mission from the Mother of God! Mary said, I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general Confession and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them. Looking at Adele, she asked, “What are you doing here in idleness while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?” Adele could neither read nor write and asked, “But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?” Our Lady answered, “Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and how to approach the Sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you.” Our Lady’s requests were simple but very necessary in forming the foundation of faith for children. She allayed Adele’s fears, assuring her of her holy help. Adele’s father built a small family chapel on the site and Adele recruited her women friends to help her teach. Within a few short years after the apparitions, buildings were up and in use. People were helping and much evangelization work was being accomplished. Great Fire On Oct. 8, 1871, the Great Peshtigo Fire, considered the worst fire in U.S. history, was headed straight for the community! It threatened to destroy everything they had worked so hard to build in order to serve the children. Afterwards, a local priest, Fr. Peter Pernin reported, “After hours of horror and suspense, the heavens sent relief in the form of a downpour. The fervent prayers to the Mother of God were heard.” He continued, “The convent, school, and chapel on the holy land consecrated to the Virgin Mary shone like an emerald isle in a sea of ashes.” For the next 25 years until her death on July 5, 1896, Adele and her lay women continued to teach and catechize the children. She is buried in the cemetery located near the Apparition Chapel on the grounds of the National Shrine. Our Lady of Champion (feast day: Oct. 9), please pray for America! To learn more, visit ChampionShrine.org. Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle writes about Our Lady of Champion and other Marian apparitions in her book, Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope! Jubilee Pilgrims of Hope with Mary (Product code B69-POHB), available from Marian Press on ShopMercy.org. Marian Helper • Spring 2026 • Marian.org 25 Our Lady said, ‘Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross, and how to approach the Sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing, I will help you.’
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