FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2024

Pilgrims Expected Nationwide for 11th Anniversary “Walk to Mary” on Saturday, May 4
Thousands will travel to Green Bay to visit the only Church-approved Marian Apparition Site in the United States

(GREEN BAY, WI) – Walk to Mary is excited to celebrate its 11th-anniversary pilgrimage on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Thousands of people from over 45 states are expected to travel to Green Bay, Wis., for the 22-mile walk. For those not able to walk the entire 22 miles, various join-in points are available along the route at the 14, 7, and 1.7-mile marks.

“Similar to the Camino de Santiago in Europe, the Walk to Mary is a spiritually centered walking pilgrimage that invites connection with God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” said Pat Deprey, a founder of the Walk to Mary. “We have seen nationwide representation for the Walk and have been so humbled to see how God has used this pilgrimage year over year to inspire its participants and reach into their lives.”

The 22-mile walk begins every year at the National Shrine of St. Joseph on the campus of St. Norbert College, traverses to the Fox River Trail, and winds through the streets of Green Bay, leading to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. Once at the Shrine, pilgrims can explore the sacred grounds of the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition Site in the United States and participate in Mass.

The Walk to Mary gives a foretaste of this summer’s National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, beginning in May and leading up to the National Eucharistic Congress on July 16, 2024. The northern route of the pilgrimage, named the “Marian Route” for Our Lady of Champion, will visit the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion on June 16, 2024.  Those participating in the Walk to Mary will journey along the same route the National Eucharistic Pilgrims will take when they travel to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion later this summer. On June 16, a public Mass will be celebrated at the Shrine, with a large Eucharistic Procession to follow. This procession will follow the same 1.7-mile Children’s Walk route of the Walk to Mary event.

“We constantly call upon our Blessed Mother to walk with us and pray for us as pilgrims on our journeys to heaven,” said Rev. Francis Joseph Hoffman, a founder of the Walk to Mary and CEO of Relevant Radio. “The Walk to Mary and Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage reminds us of Mary as one of the first pilgrims to walk with Our Lord growing inside her. Journeying alongside her always leads us to walking more closely with Our Lord.”

To learn more about Walk to Mary or to register for the May 4 event, visit walktomary.com.

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About Walk to Mary
The Walk to Mary is an annual pilgrimage event on the first Saturday of May. Founded in 2012, Walk to Mary calls pilgrims worldwide to participate in a 22-mile spiritual walking journey from the National Shrine of St. Joseph in De Pere, WI, to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion, WI. Its mission is to inspire and equip the faithful to live out and embrace their identity in Christ through pilgrimage to the first and only Marian Apparition Site in the United States.

For more information, visit walktomary.com, or follow along on Facebook.

About Relevant Radio
Relevant Radio brings Christ to the world through the media with informative, entertaining, and interactive programming twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. The Relevant Radio network is currently serving the Church by broadcasting coast-to-coast on over 200 owned and operated and affiliate stations, reaching over 270 million souls. Programming can be heard worldwide via streaming audio at relevantradio.com and on the free mobile app.

About the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
Located in Champion, Wisconsin, The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion is the first and only Marian Apparition Site in the United States approved by the authority of the Catholic Church. The Shrine covers the peace-filled holy ground where Mary, the mother of Jesus, appeared to a Belgian immigrant woman named Adele Brise on October 9, 1859, identifying herself as “The Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.” Recognized under the title of “Our Lady of Good Help” before 2023, The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion continues the mission of Adele Brise – to foster conversion, teach the children, and minister to the sick and old.

For more information on the Shrine, its history, and events, visit www.championshrine.org or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. To sign up for its newsletter, click here.