Local News
Letters to the Editor
Published: June 9, 2011
To the Editor:
On December 8, 2010 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception), Bishop David Ricken from the Diocese of Green Bay, Wis., officially announced the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Champion, Wis., in 1859 as “worthy of belief.”
The bishop stated the following: “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.”
My reason for writing is that I have not seen this information in the Georgia Bulletin and my thinking is that this is very important information for all Catholics and all Christians. Many people, including myself, have visited sites in other countries where Our Blessed Mother appeared. Now we have a place right here in our own country, in our own backyard, so to speak. This is the first official Catholic Church approved apparition in the U.S., although for more than 150 years, according to what I have read, many people from various parts of the world have visited the apparition site in Wisconsin. My discussion with people indicates that not many people in the U.S. were aware of this apparition, but now that the Church has officially approved the apparition as “worthy of belief,” I think people should know about it. ... People who are interested can search online for: “Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help.”
Also, here are links to websites about the apparition in Wisconsin:
www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com http://www.gbdioc.org/newsevents/news/857-worthy-of-belief.html www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1357015/Vatican-declares-Wisconsin-shrine-holy-site-U-S.htmlDeacon Ben Gross
Peachtree City
