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On the Feast of the Holy Family, December 28, 2025, Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, invited the faithful to submit any helpful information they might have to advance the cause for canonization of Adele Brice (Brise), the visionary who encountered Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin. This apparition of Our Lady is the only one in the United States that has been recognized by the Vatican.
The bishop's request is one of the very first stages of a canonization process -- one that takes place even before a cause is officially opened.
Adele was an immigrant to the United States from Belgium. She was born January 30, 1831, and died on July 5, 1896. She is buried near the Champion Shrine in Wisconsin.
Adele was 24 years old when she arrived in Wisconsin with her parents from Belgium in 1855. On Sunday, October 2, 1859, Adele was walking home through the woods when she saw a woman clothed in white standing between the trees.
The following Sunday, Adele was on her way to Mass with her sister and another woman when she saw the apparition a second time. Her sister and friend, who were walking a bit ahead of her, did not see anything.
As Adele returned from Mass, the Lady appeared to her for the third time.
See more about the apparition here.
Why this request from the bishop?
Canonization is the Church’s recognition that a man or woman is a saint in heaven, a determination that the Church makes only after extensive study. This study and its various steps are referred to as the "cause" for canonization.
In May of 2024, the Postulator -- the person who guides a cause along -- Dr. Valentina Culurgioni formally petitioned the local bishop to open a cause for beautification and canonization for Adele Brice.
Canonization processes begin with an investigation on the diocesan level, looking at the individual’s life, impact, and virtue.
As a prerequisite for the cause to be opened, Bishop Ricken first requested and received consent (which was unanimous) from the USCCB in June 2024 to move forward.
In October of 2025, the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints issued a Nil Obstat (no obstacle), in essence declaring that they found nothing standing in the way of the Cause proceeding.
What is he asking for?
The Bishop’s latest request – made through an edict – is also a required part of the process.
Bishop Ricken’s edict shares that the Supplex libellus (the formal name for the petition) had been submitted, “requesting the opening of the Cause of the Servant of God and of the Diocesan Inquiry on the life and heroic virtues as well as on the reputation of holiness and of signs of the Servant of God.”
Reports from the faithful could, the official website of her cause stipulates, include “testimonies that could support her cause for beatification and canonization, including personal experiences, documents, or accounts of intercessions attributed to Brice.”
These testimonies will be submitted to the diocese and need to be either handwritten or typed, and signed.
In a recent interview on SonRise Radio, Bishop Ricken mentioned that these testimonies could be positive or negative and could even include stories told to them by family members or others.
He expressed enthusiasm for the steps being taking in the process:
“The more people get to know Adele, they’ll be very impressed by the quality life and of the mission the Blessed Lady gave her.”
If the Cause progresses, it will pass through various stages and likely take a number of years.
Find out about the steps of a cause here.
In the meantime, this edict draws more attention to Our Lady of Champion and to Adele Brice, to whom Mary said, “Go and fear nothing; I will help you.”
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