Adele Brice Canonization Cause Update

ALETEIA: On what would have been the 195th birthday of Adele Brice, the visionary of Our Lady of Champion, the cause for her canonization will officially open Adele Brice’s Canonization Cause.

On January 30, Bishop David Ricken will formally open the cause of Adele Brice, the visionary of Our Lady of Champion. On what would have been Adele’s 195th birthday, the Green Bay bishop will declare her a Servant of God, the first official stage on the path to canonization.

Fr. Anthony Stephens, CPM, the Rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady Champion, wrote that the promulgation of the Decree to open the Cause will take place during Solemn Vespers at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay, and will be open to the public.

“For generations,” he writes, “countless pilgrims have come to her grave to pray for her intercession, hoping that one day she would be honored on earth as a saint. This sacred act marks the official beginning of a long and prayerful journey toward sainthood, a journey rarely undertaken in the United States and unprecedented in the history of the Diocese of Green Bay.”

The opening of her cause follows quickly after Bishop Ricken’s request to the faithful in late December to submit any helpful information they might have to advance the cause for canonization of Adele. This request is a requirement in the universal Church before a Cause can be officially opened.

Who is Adele?

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.

What does the “opening of a cause” mean?

Canonization is the Church’s official declaration 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 in the place where he or she lived or worked. As a prerequisite for the cause to be opened, Bishop Ricken first requested and received consent (which was unanimous) from the US bishops’ conference in June 2024 to move forward. […]