“Cool air and fall leaves, that’s something special for a Texan!”
For the past several years, Texas native Carol Konetzke and her husband, Steve, have chosen to spend five months of the year in Northeast Wisconsin. Why? To escape the heat! However, due to a newfound devotion to Our Lady, it has become much more for Carol.
In 2016, after years of caring for her mother, Carol lost her to Alzheimer’s Disease. Losing her earthly mother was a time of great sorrow for Carol, but it afforded one silver lining and that was the opportunity to draw closer to Mother Mary.
“For years, we drove by the sign for the Shrine on Hwy 57,” explains Carol, “but it wasn’t until the death of my mother that I finally got around to visiting it.” 
Carol was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, where she also attended St. Mary’s University – a Marian school where she received her undergraduate degree on a basketball scholarship and then earned her law degree. Carol’s parents raised her in the Catholic faith, and she had a prayerful relationship with Jesus, as well as a strong affinity for the Holy Spirit, but she did not feel a strong connection to Our Lady in her early life.
“Both my parents had a special devotion to Mary. My mother did, and my father carried his rosary throughout Europe while serving in WWII. But my relationship with Mary did not form until after the death of my mother.”
On a beautiful fall day in 2016, with the autumn foliage revealing vibrant colors and the cool air providing a welcomed release from the summer heat, Carol decided it was time to visit the Shrine.
“I was drawn here out of grief, dealing with my mom’s death. But I have thought about it, and I believe that after I lost my earthly mother, Mary became my mother.”
Carol began visiting the Shrine as a pilgrim, and like many pilgrims before her, she began to feel a tremendous sense of peace on the holy grounds at Champion Shrine.
“I was drawn in here and had a sense that I belong, a sense that I was meant to be here, a sense of home—which didn’t make sense because I was away from home. I am a proud Texan, but this place gives me a sense of peace and home and a feeling that Mary wants me here.”
Desiring to grow closer to Our Lady, Carol recalled a friendly Shrine staff member, Kathy Chia, who invited her to become a volunteer. In 2020, with her family grown and both her and Steve in retirement, Carol began her volunteer career at the Shrine. She started in the cafeteria and now serves in the gift shop five months out of the year.
“We aren’t just a retail store in the gift shop. We are all sharing the Mary experience together: staff, volunteers, and pilgrims. We all leave with a glow!”
As the cooling comfort of the fall air gives way to the harsher Wisconsin winters, Carol and her husband travel back home to the sunnier state of Texas. However, as the years had brought Carol closer to Our Lady, she decided to help bring Champion Shrine home with her!
“Back home, when I explain this place and how it was when Mary appeared to Adele, they are surprised!” To spread the word in her home parish that yes, Mary has appeared in the U.S., Carol began to act as a local Ambassador on behalf of Champion Shrine. After overhearing a pilgrim from Boston asking for brochures to hand out when she returned home, Carol determined she should do the same thing when she returned to Texas.
“It’s going to take time, but I’m working with my local parish, as well as reaching out to our Archbishop for permission to give out more information about the Shrine throughout the Diocese.”
Carol finds great comfort and purpose in her volunteer work here at Champion Shrine, strengthening her dedication to sharing this special place with those she loves back home and other faithful families in Texas. As Carol has come to learn, building a relationship with Our Lady paves the road to a fruitful relationship with Jesus Christ.
“You get to Jesus through Mary; she has a lot of blessings and graces to bestow if people would just go to her.”
The shrine looks forward to more years of seasonal help from our volunteer, friend, and ambassador, Carol Konetzke.