Vatican-approved U.S. Marian shrine offers 9-day novena & relic exhibit

At the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Wisconsin, a 9-day novena began July 1 and ends July 9.

• The Marian-apparition was bishop-approved in 2010 and was approved by the Vatican in 2022.

• The novena seeks the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the spiritual renewal of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.

• According to the Shrine’s rector, Fr. Anthony Stephens, CPM, the purpose of the novena is to invite Catholics to pray for “unity, holiness and a new generation of American saints” as the nation enters a milestone year.

• The novena is meant to be “a spiritual gift to the nation,” offered from the only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the U.S.

The event is paired with a Catholic Saints of America Exhibit, a Carlo Acutis-inspired display featuring 76 U.S. saints, blesseds, venerables and servants of God.

A Metephorical Tapestry

The exhibit is “a celebration of Catholic threads woven through U.S. history,” highlighting holy lives that shaped our spiritual identity. Many of the featured souls are represented through relics, biographies and contributions from their home shrines across our country. The exhibit is open daily during the novena, with reps to offer catechesis, historical context and devotional opportunities.

The location site is where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Adele Brice in 1859, instructing her to “teach the children what they need to know for salvation.” This mission continues to this day, through devotional and evangelizing work. The novena and exhibit encourage Catholics to learn from U.S. saints and pray for our future.

The timing of the novena, July 1 through July 9, aligns intentionally with the U.S.’s semi-quincentennial. The purpose is “prayer over politics.” By focusing on intercession, catechesis, and the lives of holy Americans; the exhibit offers a distinctly Catholic way of marking our national anniversary.

The shrine emphasizes that “holiness is possible in every state of life,” including parentage, missionaries, teachers, religious, martyrs and layfolk. Thus, the shrine issues a call to all, to seek sainthood and Mother Mary’s intercession for our next 250 years.

Prayer

Across the fields of Champion’s grace, where pilgrims walk a holy place,
A whisper stirs the summer air; a mother’s voice, a call to prayer.

She spoke to one, but reaches all, a quiet charge, a timeless call:
"Teach every child ..." the way to light, to choose the good, to love what’s right.

And now her children gather near, in hope, in trust, in fervent cheer.
To lift a nation worn and torn, and pray its heart be newly born.

The saints stand by in silent rows, their stories like a bonfire glows.
They walked through fire, pain, grief and night; yet lived with mercy, truth and might.

From cities wide to mission shore, from factory floor to parish door,
Their witness threads our nation’s frame, each life a torch, each soul a flame.

So, in this 9-day gentle span, we pray for every child and man,
That Mary’s mantle, blue and wide, will guard this land on every side.

And when the novena’s days depart, may grace remain in every heart.
For where e’er her gentle footsteps trod, she leads a nation back to God.

76 American Saints exhibited @ National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
St. John Neumann
St. Katharine Drexel
St. Damien of Molokai
St. Marianne Cope
St. Junípero Serra
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
St. Isaac Jogues
St. René Goupil
St. Jean de Lalande
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Mother Théodore Guerin
St. Mother Maria del Carmen Sallés
St. Mother Maria Katharina Kasper
St. Mother Maria Anna Barbara Cope
St. Mother Maria Teresa Bonzel
St. Mother Maria Magdalena of the Sacred Heart
St. Mother Maria of Jesus Crucified
St. Mother Maria of the Incarnation
St. Mother Maria of the Divine Heart
St. Mother Maria of the Sacred Heart
St. Mother Maria of the Angels
St. Mother Maria of the Cross
St. Mother Maria of the Assumption
St. Mother Maria of the Visitation
St. Mother Maria of the Presentation
St. Mother Maria of the Nativity
St. Mother Maria of the Holy Family
St. Mother Maria of the Resurrection
St. Mother Maria of the Annunciation
St. Mother Maria of the Trinity
St. Mother Maria of the Passion
St. Mother Maria of the Immaculate Conception
St. Mother Maria of the Sacred Wounds
St. Mother Maria of the Precious Blood

Sources

• Lumen Media. Catholic Saints of America Exhibit at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion.

• National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. History of the apparition and details of the novena.