FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2025

Annual Solemnity of Our Lady of Champion Oct. 7-9 Includes Peshtigo Fire and Belgian Life Presentations
National Novena to Our Lady of Champion begins October 1
Our Lady of Champion Hymn debuts at Solemnity Mass

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – Thousands of pilgrims will celebrate the Annual Solemnity of Our Lady of Champion at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion Oct. 7-9. Catholics are encouraged to sign up at championshrine/novenas to receive the National Novena to Our Lady of Champion, which begins Oct. 1 and ends on Oct. 9, the established anniversary day of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s second and third apparitions to Belgian lay woman Adele Brice.

“When Our Lady appeared to Adele, she instructed her to ‘gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they needed to know for salvation’,” said Rector Fr. Anthony Stephens, CPM.  As we celebrate the solemnity of Our Lady of Champion on October 9th, each of us should consider how we might better share our faith according to our state in life.  We look forward to celebrating this solemnity on October 9.”

Belgian Life and Peshtigo Fire Presentations

In addition to Mass, Confession and a Rosary Procession each day, on Oct. 8 Belgian Heritage Center will host Belgian Life Presentations and attendees will enjoy a Belgian Lunch for a modest fee. The day’s activities also include historical accounts of the Peshtigo Fire, considered the deadliest fire in U.S. history, killing over 1,200 people. These include the Nature of the Peshtigo Fire and a Fire Survivor Re-enactment.

That evening, the Rosary Path will glow with hundreds of candles during the Candlelight Rosary Procession, remembering the Miracle of the Fire. Anyone can request to Light a Candle in advance for a special prayer intention — an unforgettable way to lift prayers to Our Lady in this holy place. 

Debut of Our Lady of Champion hymn sung by local youth at Solemnity Mass

Green Bay Bishop David L. Ricken will be the main celebrant for the Solemnity Mass on Oct. 9 at 11:00 a.m., which will be followed by a Rosary Procession. Anyone seeking healing is encouraged to attend the Anointing of the Sick at 1 p.m. that day.

During the Solemnity Mass, the new Our Lady of Champion hymn will be debuted and sung by dozens of students who attend The Chesterton Academy of St John Paul II (Green Bay, WI) and Saint Ignatius Chesterton Academy (Kaukauna, WI). 

Composer Michael Miller, who is the Green Bay Diocesan and Cathedral Music Director, wrote the music to accompany verses written by Doug Taylor-Weiss, a convert to Catholicism who lives in Grand Rapids, MI. Taylor-Weiss wrote the Our Lady of Champion hymn after a research pilgrimage to the Shrine in 2024, in which he spoke with Bishop Ricken, pilgrims and others involved with the Shrine over the years. He then took the project to prayer and created a beautiful dedication to Our Lady. Miller and Taylor-Weiss previously worked together on a hymn for the Conversion of St Paul. 

The Masses will be livestreamed on the Shrine’s YouTube channel. More information and the full schedule for the Solemnity is online, Solemnity of the Annual Solemnity of Our Lady of Champion.

###

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.