Bishop David Ricken announced on Wednesday, December 8th, that he officially approves the Marian apparitions that occurred on the the site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The announcement was made during a special Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception held at the Shrine which is located at Champion, Wisconsin.
Reading from his decree, the Bishop stated, “I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful.”
This declaration makes the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion the first and only Marian shrine in the United States that is on the site of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While the Bishops of Green Bay had given full support of the Shrine throughout its history as a place of prayer and pilgrimage, the Apparitions have never received formal Church approval. Along with his decree on the apparitions, Bishop Ricken further approved the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help as an official Diocesan Shrine of Green Bay.
Further details of the approval given during the Mass of the Immaculate Conception will follow later. In the meantime, you can view the official decrees and Diocesan press release by clicking the links below.
> Official Decree on Marian Apparitions
> Official Decree on Diocesan Shrine
> Green Bay Diocese Press Release |
