Prayer is a most powerful tool in seeking God’s grace and blessings. This Novena for the success and safety of the Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion is a wonderful way for participants to prepare for the pilgrimage and a great way for those who are not attending to be linked spiritually to those who will be there. This Novena is based upon the elocutions of Our Blessed Mother to Adele Brise in Champion, Wisconsin, on October 9, 1859. The Novena is recommended to be said for the nine days leading up to Pilgrimage.
Join us in praying this Novena from Tuesday, July 25th – Wednesday, August 2nd. Please click here for the Novena in PDF format.
Prayer to Our Lady of Champion by Most Reverend David L. Ricken, D.D., J.C.L., ChC, Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay
O Dear Lady of Champion, You revealed yourself as the Queen of Heaven to your servant Adele. You gave her a mission to pray for the conversion of sinners, to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others and to prepare the children for the reception of the sacraments. I trust that as you called Adele to holiness, you are calling me, in my station in life, to live a holy life, devoted to Jesus Christ with the help of your maternal love. I bring before you now my worries and anxieties. I abandon my attachments to them and place them at your feet. I ask you to hear the deepest longings of my heart as I pray most earnestly for: _______________ (your intention). Dear Lady, you told Adele and you say to all of us “Do not be afraid; I will help you.” Help me now as I place this intention with complete confidence and trust. AMEN.
Tuesday, July 25th | Day 1: Queen of Heaven
“I Am the Queen of Heaven”
O Mary, you were chosen to be the mother of
the Savior, and reign now as the Queen other.
We salute you as the Queen of Heaven, knowing
that you are our intercessor and advocate. You
are the Queen of Heaven and Earth, the Queen
of Peace, the Queen of Apostles, and the Queen
of Clergy. I ask you today, to be the Queen of my
heart, my family, my diocese, and my country.
Wednesday, July 26th | Day 2: Renewal of Sacramental Life
“You Received Holy Communion This Morning, and That Is Well. But You Must Do More. Make a General Confession…”
O Mary, you are the mother of the Church,
and always direct us to the source of God’s love
found in the sacraments. Please intercede for
our Church today. Renew among the faithful a
belief in Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist.
Through your motherly intercession, draw the
faithful back to the sacrament of Reconciliation,
so they may know your Son’s love for them. As
our mother, please keep inviting us to return
to your son, and accompanying us on our
pilgrimage to the kingdom of Heaven.
Thursday, July 27th | Day 3: Conversion of Sinners
“Offer Your Holy Communion for the Conversion of Sinners”
O Mary, you told Adele you were the Queen of
Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.
Just as you invited Adele to unite with you in
that prayer, I wish to do the same today. I join
you in praying for me, the unworthy sinner that
I am, but also for my family, friends, co-workers,
country, and the entire world. As we listen to
the words of your son in the gospel, may your
intercession gain for us a conversion of heart,
and repentance for our sins, so one day we may
inherit the kingdom of Heaven.
Friday, July 28th | Day 4: Workers In the Vineyard
“Why Are You Standing Here in Idleness While Your Companions Are Working in the Vineyard of My Son”
O Mary, you were one of the first to spread
the good news, as you carried the Christ child
in your womb to visit your cousin Elizabeth.
Today, your son calls each of us to service in
His vineyard, just as he called Adele long ago.
Help us in whatever vocation we live, to never
be idle, but always ready to proclaim the good
news to whomever we meet. In a special way, I
ask you to intercede and obtain from your son,
many graces for those who serve as missionaries,
priests, and consecrated religious.
Saturday, July 29th | Day 5: For Believers and Unbelievers
“Blessed Are Those Who Believe Without Seeing”
O Mary, you commended the faith of Adele’s
companions who knelt at her command. Look
with love upon those who visit the National
Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in faith that
you will intercede for their intentions. May the
stories of those who have received graces from
this shrine, touch the hearts of those who do not
believe. Open the eyes of all to the wonders that
are around them, and through your intercession,
obtain for them the grace of belief.
Sunday, July 30th | Day 6: Reparation
“Convert and Do Penance”
O Mary, you have asked in many apparitions
for us to do penance and make reparation for
sin which offends God. Help us by your prayers
so we may know the areas of our lives in which
we need conversion and enlighten our minds to
know the sins of our past for which we need to
repent. I pray that the sacrifices and penance I
make, may be found pleasing to you my mother,
and to Almighty God.
Monday, July 31st | Day 7: For Youth
“Gather the Children…”
O Mary, with a mother’s love you want all to
know about your son, and God’s love for them,
young or old alike. As you instructed Adele
to gather the children and teach them, we ask
you to pray for all our young people. By your
intercession, obtain for them an open mind and
heart so they may desire a deeper relationship
with God and live according to his commands.
Tuesday, August 1st | Day 8: For Teachers and Catechists
“[T]each them what they should know for salvation.”
O Mary, your Son endows his servants with
many gifts, and calls individuals to serve him
in different ways. As our mother, look with
love upon all those who dedicate themselves to
teaching young people as teachers or catechists.
Intercede before the throne of God for them,
so they may be effective communicators of the
gospel. May their love for God and the Church
serve as a witness to all they meet.
Wednesday August 2nd | Day 9: For All Our Needs
“Go and Fear Nothing, I Will Help You…”
O Mary, you are our mother and intercessor. To
you do we cry, as the poor banished children of
Eve, to you do we send up our sighs, mourning,
and weeping in this valley of tears. You told
Adele to fear nothing, echoing the words you
heard at the Annunciation. I trust these words
are meant for me. As I place my confidence in
your intercession, I surrender all my fears and
worries of life to Jesus through your immaculate
hands. Fulfill your promise of help, and obtain
from your son whatever graces He wishes to
impart to me while I make my pilgrimage on
earth to the heavenly kingdom.
