There are many things that could be said about the troubling and turbulent times in which we are living, but it is becoming clear that today we have one job: to grow in our faith and bring others along with us, particularly the children in our charge.
We need to tell stories of the martyrs and saints and speak about miracles and answered prayers like our lives depend on it. The faith of future generations depends on our testimony and our heroic response to times of great upheaval.
Even if we begin to lose heart, it seems that heaven picks up the slack and sends heavenly visitors with encouragement in order to reorient and affirm the mysteries of our faith.
Before their sainthood, many holy men and women were visionaries who were given a specific mission. St. Faustina was to spread the message of God’s unfathomable mercy, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s mission was to spread devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Our Lady of Fatima wanted the world to pray the Rosary for peace in the world.
And, at the only approved North American apparition in Champion, Wis., Our Lady had a special mission for Adele Brise that has intensified the propagation of the Catholic faith in North America.
Although not yet widely known, Our Lady of Champion is slowly gaining traction, particularly among devout Catholic families with young children. Although the message was delivered over 150 years ago, its contents are entirely relevant in today’s culture.
On Oct. 9, 1859, Belgian immigrant Adele Brise was in the woods of Wisconsin on her way to Mass when she saw a beautifully luminous lady dressed in white. This was the second time she had seen the silent woman. After Mass, Adele approached her parish priest and told him about the mysterious figure she had seen in the woods. The priest told her that if she saw the woman again, she should ask, “In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?”
Sure enough, on her journey back home, Adele once again beheld the beautiful woman. She was dressed all in white with a golden sash around her waist. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her hair fell in long golden waves upon her shoulders. As instructed by the priest, Adele questioned the woman about the reason for her visit, to which the woman replied:
“I am the Queen of heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well. But you must do more … “
Overcome by the emotion of the encounter, Adele asked Our Lady what more she could do. Our Lady responded with what would become Adele’s life’s work: “Gather the children of this wild country,” she said, “and teach them what they should know for salvation.”
When Adele protested that she was not well equipped for such a mission, Our Lady encouraged her tenderly: “Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing; I will help you.”
Heaven thought it important enough to send the Mother of God to earth to ensure that the children of this “wild country” would be properly formed in the faith. There is something for us here. In Canada, we too are “wild country,” though in a different way. We are at least two generations into adult Catholics with little to no knowledge of their faith, despite many having attended Catholic schools. If we ask for the gift of zeal for souls, Our Lady will surely come to our aid as she did for Adele.
With Our Lady’s words still ringing in her ears, Adele tirelessly travelled on foot to any family home that would accept her. Often walking up to 50 miles between settlements, Adele would live with the family and work alongside them at any chore they assigned, all for the honour of teaching their children the catechism.
Needless to say, it wasn’t long until a chapel was built on the apparition site, and many other women joined Adele’s mission of forming the children in their faith. There are many miracle stories that have followed these mystical events. One such event took place in 1871 during the most devastating wildfire in U.S. history. It’s estimated to have claimed as many as 2,400 people. Nearly 1.2 million acres of land surrounding the chapel and apparition site were levelled to ashes, but the entire compound – including the chapel and those who sought refuge on its grounds – were unharmed by the flames.
It is time to recall the faithfulness of the Lord and to remember how swiftly he comes to our aid and sends help from heaven when we need it. We need to recall the thousands of saints who have run ahead of us; we need to beg for understanding, humility, and wisdom for our children so that all things might be restored to Christ through their testimony in the world.
May the Lord lead us and place his words firmly in our hearts that we might, in the words of Deuteronomy, “teach them diligently to our children, and shall talk of them when we sit in our house, and when we walk by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise.”
Like Adele, let us never tire of doing what is right.