One dazzlingly sunny day last summer, my kids and I loaded up the car and journeyed not too far from our home for a special day at the Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help.

This would be our first visit to the chapel, but it will certainly not be our last. For what I thought was simply going to be a trip to a rural church off the beaten path turned out to be a lesson on the rich Catholic history of northeastern Wisconsin.

The April 26 feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel seems like a good time to think back on what we saw and learned that day last summer.

The story of the chapel begins in the 1850s. It was then that this part of Wisconsin saw the arrival of a great number of European immigrants. A group of Belgian immigrants settled at the foot of the Green Bay peninsula, which separates the open expanse of Lake Michigan from the sheltered waters of Green Bay. Among the Belgians were the members of the Brice family. They arrived here in 1855 with their four children.

Several years later, one of the Brice daughters, 28-year-old Adele, said that the Blessed Mother had appeared to her several times. On one occasion, Adele would recount, she fell to her knees and asked the lady who she was and what she wanted.

The lady replied, “I am the Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners.” Adele said Mary asked her to “gather the children and teach them what they should know for salvation.” To this Adele asked, “How shall I teach them who know so little myself?”

Adele said the Blessed Mother had reassured her by telling her that she would help her to simply teach the catechism, the Sign of the Cross and how to approach the sacraments. After saying this, the lady slowly vanished from sight.

After that Adele became a woman on a mission. She began traveling the peninsula, visiting families and asking to help with odd jobs around the house in exchange for the opportunity to teach the catechism to their kids. Once she thought the children were properly prepared, she brought them to the local priest, who would administer the sacraments to them.

Prayer and Good Works

As word spread about Adele Brice and her apparitions, pilgrims began arriving to see the locale. A tiny log cabin containing a small image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was erected on the site. This was replaced several years later by a larger chapel dedicated to Notre Dame de bon Secours (Our Lady of Good Help).

In 1865, Father Phil Crud was appointed pastor of the Belgian community. He was so impressed with Adele and her story that he encouraged her to begin a convent and open a school. Adele and a companion set out to appeal for funds to start this endeavor. By 1867 the Convent of the Sisters of Good Help was open. As well, classes in both English and French were in session and free of charge in the new school.

While she was known as “Sister Adele,” Adele did not belong to a formal religious order. She and her companions lived a lifestyle similar to that of Third Order Franciscans or Carmelites. It was not uncommon during this era to have groups of young women who, with approval from their local bishop, banded together to pray and do good works.

In autumn of 1871, a devastating forest fire raged throughout the region. It was said to be 50 miles in length and almost 20 miles wide. The Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help stood in its path. As it approached the chapel — with Adele and the community taking cover inside — a downpour came and extinguished the fire.

As the story of the spared chapel spread, it only increased the number of people coming to see the site. An annual pilgrimage began around this time on the feast of the Assumption.

While the Church has issued no formal declaration of approval on Adele’s apparitions, the local bishops have granted permission through the years to pass along Adele’s accounts.

Immigrant Experience

On our summer visit to the chapel — on the Aug. 15 feast of the Assumption, as it happened, one of the biggest days here — I was amazed by the number of cars parked on the side of the rural road approaching the church. Not to mention the people. Young and old streamed in, carrying lawn chairs as they arrived for the morning Mass.

The outdoor Assumption Mass was magnificent. Green Bay Bishop David Zubik was the main celebrant. At the conclusion of the Mass, he began a Eucharistic procession around the immaculately manicured chapel grounds. The Knights of Columbus, in full formal dress, led the procession; they were followed by a statue of the Virgin Mary as the Rosary was prayed over loudspeakers to the surrounding area.

Before leaving, we stepped inside the chapel. The small Tudor Gothic church was built in 1942. The main altar was erected above the site of the original apparitions that Sister Adele reported. Behind the altar and the veiled tabernacle was a magnificent statue of the Madonna with Child.

As we explored the church, I noticed that some of the statuary reflected the various devotions of the immigrants to this area. For instance, in the back of the church were statues of St. Cyril and St. Methodius. A small plaque next to them stated that these two Greek brothers were the apostles to the Slavs.

We knelt down in one of the pews to pray the Rosary. I could tell that this was holy ground. The worn and creaky pews, along with the darkened spaces and the heavy scent of candles burning, told me that simple folks have been seeking out this supernaturally quiet space for many decades.

Did Mary really appear here to Adele Brice a century and a half ago? No matter. The Blessed Mother is surely looking in on this place now, joining her prayers to its pilgrims as only a mother praying for her children can.

Eddie O’Neill writes

from Green Bay.

Planning Your Visit

Holy Hour with Rosary and Benediction is offered Sunday at 2 p.m. There’s a schedule of Mass and events at the chapel’s website,

shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com.

Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help

4047 Chapel Drive

New Franken, WI 54229

(920) 866-2571