My Forest Fire Blessing

By Larry Peterson  (update to story from 2016)

I was born and raised in Bronx County, one of the five boroughs of New York City. Everything and anything a person might need was available to city dwellers, and there were eight million of us. People came from all over the world to experience our lifestyle. It was all there, from skyscrapers to excellent museums, professional sports, Broadway entertainment, the Statue of Liberty, candy stores, delicatessens, and so much more.

There was one thing we never had or would never experience. That was forest fires. I had only heard of them from viewing Smokey the Bear commercials on television. Life went on, and my wife and three young children moved to Florida. We settled into the Sunshine State, and regarding forest fires, they disappeared in my rearview mirror. Except for sporadic, occasional news reports about forest fires, they did not interest or intrigue me in any way, shape, or form. Then came September of 2010.

I was watching an evening news report telling a story about a forest fire in Colorado. It became known as the Fourmile Canyon Fire. It burned 6,181 acres, including destroying 168 homes. For some unexplained reason, even though this fire was several thousand miles away, I suddenly became interested in forest fires. Little did I realize my sudden interest in a highly deadly occurrence would become the beginning of my being blessed in a way I never imagined.

I began traveling hither and yon around the now-popular World Wide Web. I did not take much time to reach a story about the worst firestorm in American History. This was no simple forest fire. Located in Wisconsin, this firestorm wiped out 1.5 to 2.5 million acres and killed between 1500 and 2500 people (numbers are approximate because so much evidence was destroyed during the firestorm) . Suddenly and unexpectedly everything changed for me. I had come across the name of Adele Brize.

In 1855, twenty-four year old Adele Brise arrived in Wisconsin after traveling with her parents from Belgium. Adele was a devout Catholic who was deeply devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Adele prayed to her every day. The original story about   Adele, the Peshtigo Firestorm, and the Miracle that took place on October 8, 1871, follows. See links below. 

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Introducing The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion  (goes to Our Lady of Good Help) Peshtigo Firestorm and Adele Brise and Our Lady of Good help

From Most Reverend David L. Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay

From The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. Dedication scheduled October 9, 2024. 

In 2009, Most Reverend David L. Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay, opened a formal Church investigation into the Marian apparitions that occurred in 1859 on the site of the Shrine. The commission reviewed historical information on the apparitions, the life of Adele, as well as its consistency with Public Revelation as guarded by the Catholic Church. In 2010, Bishop Ricken declared the apparitions “Worthy of Belief” by the Authority of the Catholic Church and in 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops designated the grounds as a National Shrine, making it the first National Shrine in the U.S. with an approved Marian Apparition.

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From the author, Larry Peterson:

When I first discovered Adele Brise, and Our Lady of Good Help, I was so absorbed by this story that it has been part of me ever since. And now that the Church has elevated this to The Feast Day of Our Lady of Champion.  The date will be on October 9. This date will be with us forever. Thank you Mother Mary and may Our Lady of Champion pray for us.

copyright Larry Peterson updated2024