Drive a short distance outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and you’ll find yourself in a small rural town surrounded by dairy farms and fields of corn, oats and soybeans. While this area in northern Wisconsin is beautiful for many reasons, there is no place more special than the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, which is more than 150 years old, is home to the first and only church-approved apparition in the United States. Known as “The Chapel” by locals, the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help is built directly over the site where the apparitions of Mary are said to have occurred, and is considered a site of miracles. With thousands of visitors each year, the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help has been a popular destination for those believers looking for the blessing of the Virgin Mary. Book your stay at the Astor House Bed and Breakfast, and don’t miss your chance to visit a true site of miracles at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help.

In October 1859, Virgin Mary is said to have appeared on three occasions to Adele Brise, a young Belgian immigrant living in the area.  After receiving the apparitions, Adele Brise immediately began teaching local children, and also established a Catholic school and a community of Third Order Franciscan women. The Shrine’s Chapel was the first house of worship in the area, and was built on the site of apparition by Lambert Brise, the father of Adele. Once news of the apparitions spread, pilgrimages to the site began, soon overwhelming the small capacity of the Chapel. In 1861, to accommodate the large numbers of visitors, a larger chapel was built. Amazingly, the structure, and all those who took refuge inside it, survived the devastating fire of Peshtigo in 1871. Finally, in 1880, despite no official church recognition of the apparitions, a larger brick chapel, school, and convent were built on the original sacred site of apparition. The final chapel, which stands today, was built and dedicated in 1942.

In 2009, the Reverend David L. Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay, formally began investigating the Marian apparitions of 1859 on the site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. Finally, on Wednesday December 8, 2010, the feast day of the Immaculate Conception, Bishop Ricken gave official Church approval of Adele Brise’s apparitions 151 years earlier, thus establishing the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help as the first and only Marian shrine in the United States. To this day, there are continual stories of people who visit The Chapel and have their prayers answered, making it a continued site of miracles and pilgrimages. Join The Chapel on September 8th from 11:00 – 4:00 for the Rosary Rally for Peace. Also coming up on October 8th, join the church at 7:30 P.M. for a celebration marking the anniversary of the Miracle of the Fire.