NEW FRANKEN, Wis. — The bells of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion rang out shortly before 2 p.m., on Sunday to welcome and announce the arrival of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
Approximately 2,000 pilgrims participated in the shrine’s leg of the pilgrimage. Pilgrims, from babies in strollers to wheelchair-bound elderly, came together to walk with Our Lord and proclaim by their presence his true presence. Volunteers passed out holy cards with the newly painted image of Mary’s visits to Adele Brise. In 1859, Brise saw three apparitions of the Blessed Mother in the woods of Champion. The original image will be on display during the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis before coming to remain at the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, to be enjoyed and meditated on by the many pilgrims who visit each year.