I love Door County. The woodsy landscape. The gorgeous views of the impossibly huge Lake Michigan. The beachy boutiques, cafes, and inns in each town.

It feels like God in His goodness, knowing us Wisconsinites are a good 16-hour drive from the Atlantic, gave us our own seaside escape to enjoy right here in our state.

At the end of our stay, it’s hard to say goodbye to Door County, knowing that the daily grind — full of laundry and dishes and not a sailboat in sight — is awaiting me at home.

But in what could be the best parting gift ever, God also gave us the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion to bless us on our way home.

Tucked away in tiny Champion, Wis., the shrine marks the spot where Our Lady appeared to Servant of God Adele Brice in 1859, encouraging Adele to pray for the conversion of hearts and asking her to gather the children in the area to teach them the Faith.

Later, it became a miraculous refuge in the midst of the horrifying Peshtigo Fire of 1871.

Stopping at the shrine has become a cherished tradition for me, a meaningful way to thank God for the gift of summer and to ask for His blessing and Our Lady’s prayers for the coming school year.

It’s also an annual opportunity to become even more puffed up about living in Wisconsin.

After all, the appearance of Our Lady of Champion is the only approved Marian apparition in the United States.

I feel very proud that out of all the states, the Blessed Mother chose ours to visit!

The chapel itself is beautifully simple and echoes the woodlands around it with its gorgeous wooden trusses.

Below the chapel lies an oratory filled with relics of amazing saints, from the Apostles to St. Carlo Acutis.

Candles, lit for loved ones and prayer intentions, flicker in the dim light of the oratory.

A statue of Mary is front and center, with small pews nearby, perfect for quiet prayer.

Outside, behind the main church, is a paved Rosary walk, where pilgrims can walk the path taken by those who petitioned Our Lady’s prayers during the Peshtigo Fire.

Nearby, pilgrims can also pray the Stations of the Cross along a beautiful brick path.

A gift shop, café, grottos, and history center are also on the grounds.

Visiting the beautiful shrine during the uneasy part of the year that bridges the end of summer and the start of the school year is a needed dose of grace to gear up for more demanding schedules.

It’s also a little easier to say goodbye to leisurely summer morning cups of coffee when I remember that Adele took her mission so seriously; she traveled up to 50 miles on foot to teach the children in her area.

Letting go of treasured, extended summer reading sessions is helped when I think about how the Belgian families Adele visited had to clear the huge trees from their land by hand.

The history-steeped chapel makes me more grateful for my modern, appliance-assisted work, even when it ramps up in the fall. I know in my heart what a very poor pioneer I would have made!

Finally, my annual visit reminds me that when the work assigned to me — even with the help of modern technology — feels daunting, I’m never truly alone in it.

When Our Lady instructed Adele, who herself was illiterate and without vision in one eye, to gather the children in the wild frontier country and teach them about the Faith, Our Lady promised that she would be with Adele and help her. Mary’s parting words were, “Go and fear nothing. I will help you.”

And so, with Mary’s prayers and God’s blessing, the return to shopping for school supplies, packing lunches, organizing schedules, and finding matching socks for the school day becomes a holy opportunity to grab Mary’s hand and set off to tackle the day’s work out of love for Jesus.

I may not be clearing land, doing laundry by hand, or hauling grain to the grist mill, but my work is still important, taxing, and in need of divine assistance! Especially the dishes.

Prayer to Our Lady of Champion

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, “Go and fear nothing; I will help you.” Help me now as I place this intention with complete confidence and trust.

Pray an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

Our Lady of Champion, pray for us.