GREEN BAY, Wis. (OSV News) ─ A formal inquiry of a 19th-century Belgian-American immigrant woman who witnessed three apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary has begun in the Diocese of Green Bay.
On Dec. 28, Bishop David L. Ricken issued an edict seeking public input into the life of Adele Brice (Brise). The bishop is requesting stories from the faithful in a preliminary phase to a potential cause of canonization.
There are only 15 American saints and blesseds ─ but dozens of Americans declared "venerable" or "servants of God" are still awaiting elevation.
Following these apparitions in October 1859, and obeying what she said Mary requested, Brice devoted her life to teaching the Catholic faith to local children. The site of her apparitions is now the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.
On Jan. 4, in an official announcement on social media, Bishop Ricken invited people "to share any stories you have about Adele, personal experiences, experiences from family or friends, or ways her prayers and faithful example have touched your life."
This inquiry is the next step in a formal path that began in June 2024, when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops authorized Bishop Ricken to open a sainthood cause for Brice. In November 2025, the Vatican formally allowed the cause to proceed. Until Jan. 30, public input about Brice, who was born in 1831 in Belgium and came to the U.S. as an immigrant with her parents and sisters, will be accepted by the diocese and the shrine.
In 1855, the Brice family settled in Northeastern Wisconsin, near the town of Champion. The area attracted many Belgian immigrants and Father John Girotti, diocesan vicar general, noted the area is ripe with stories about Adele Brice.
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"The Belgians have not moved away," Father Girotti said. "So the stories (about Brice) have not dissipated."
On Jan. 30, Father Girotti will become episcopal delegate of the sainthood cause. That will begin the formal work of the diocese in exploring Brice's life. For now, Father Girotti said, the shrine is "the actor of the cause" in the sainthood process.
"The 'actor of the cause' makes the request to Rome," he explained. "The actor is the one who is asking: 'Could she be a saint?' ... Once they ask that question, then the personnel get in action."
Those personnel will be in Rome as well as Green Bay. Father Girotti expects the diocesan phase to last a year and a half. He added that many stories have already been shared, from prayers answered, to healings and even things as everyday as naming daughters "Adele."
Brice, who was 24 when her family arrived, worked on her parents' farm until 1859. In October of that year, she experienced apparitions of a woman dressed in white, wearing a yellow sash and crowned with stars. During the third apparition, this woman identified herself as "the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners." She told Brice, "Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation."
This apparition, now "Our Lady of Champion," set the course for Brice's life. She traveled the area, often on foot over many miles, teaching children the catechism and prayers, and preparing them for the sacraments. Asking for nothing in return, she often cleaned houses or did farm chores just to be allowed to teach the children.
Eventually, her father, Lambert, built a small wood chapel on the site of the apparitions and people came to pray. This gathering for prayer continues today. The current brick chapel was built in 1942.
In 2010, Bishop Ricken declared Brice's visions "worthy of belief." In 2016, the U.S. bishops made the site "a national shrine." Today, this is the only church-approved Marian apparition in the United States. It is staffed by the Fathers of Mercy.
Brice eventually founded a school there, aided by a group of laywomen. They cared for students, including some who stayed at what became "St. Mary's Boarding Academy." As Third Order Franciscans, they wore habit-like clothing, seen in photos of Brice, and disbanded after her death.
In 1871, the Peshtigo Fire ravaged northeastern Wisconsin, killing as many as 2,400 people and burning 1.2 million acres. To escape the flames, many fled to "La Chapelle" (as the site was called) to pray through the night. The fire burned around the perimeter of the school and chapel, but everything within its bordering fence was spared. Today, this is recalled annually at "the Miracle of the Fire" held each Oct. 8. Many, including descendants of Belgian settlers, gather through the night to pray and share stories about Adele Brice and Mary.
It is these stories which the diocese and the shrine seek: memories, prayers answered, lives changed and even potential miracles.
"We've been watching this develop for 15 years now," said Father Girotti, adding that, following a positive result of January's public inquiry, it will become proper to refer to Brice as a "Servant of God."
After almost 37 years of catechetical ministry, Marie Adele Joseph Brice died on July 5, 1896. She lies buried beside the current chapel, in the boarding school's cemetery. Her grave, near the apparition site, offers more insight.
"One of the things we've noticed is that, over the years," Father Girotti said, "there are more and more footprints by her grave. One of the things that we have used as a barometer is how trampled the grass is next to her grave. Or now, in the snowy season, how many footprints are in the snow. ... This winter, before we announced this, there were footprints all over the place. To us, this is a sign, a very passive sign, that something is going on."
That something, he added, is that "maybe, it's possible, that Adele Brice is a saint."
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Pat Kasten writes for OSV News from Wisconsin.
