At the base of Wisconsin’s Green Bay peninsula is the quiet farming community of Champion.
Nestled between two farm fields is the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. It is here that a young immigrant woman from Belgium, Adele Brice, received a vision of the Blessed Virgin in 1859, who instructed Brice to, “Teach the children what is needed for salvation.” To this day it is the only Vatican-approved Marian apparition site in the country.
To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, the shrine wanted to honor holy men and women from the United States who helped build a great nation and whose sainthood causes are being considered. They planned the first-of-its-kind “Saints of America” exhibit and invited shrines and guilds across the country. This invitation reached retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Stephen Stanley, chairman of the Father Vincent Capodanno guild in the Arlington diocese.
Stanley, a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales Church in Purcellville, first heard about Father Capodanno after reading “The Grunt Padre” by U.S. Navy chaplain Father Daniel Mode, a diocesan priest. The book tells the story of Father Capodanno’s life as a Marine chaplain and his death while giving last rites to his Marines on the battlefield.
“I just fell in love with the story,” said Stanley. “The shrine reached out to the guild and wanted to know if we would display at the event. Of course, we said yes. In my mind it was just perfect for Father Capodanno. The event was about our nation’s history, and these are national heroes who gave their lives for the people they served.”
On June 18, Stanley and his wife, Jean Marie, packed up their RV and set a course to Champion. They traveled to the Midwest, visiting family along the way in Ohio until finally arriving in Champion July 3. The nine-day event, which started July 1, featured 14 relics and exhibits of 76 saints, blesseds, venerables and servants of God.
“It was just perfect,” said Stanley. “I just felt we needed to be there.
For three days Stanley and his wife shared the story of Father Capodanno’s martyrdom, making sure to tone down the graphic details a bit for some of the younger pilgrims, who were in abundance.
“It was nice to see how many big families were there,” said Stanley. “It was a reflection of how good they are doing there at propagating the faith.”
Stanley also enjoyed meeting Marines and military families who had been stationed in Virginia at some point during their service. Some recognized Father Capodanno’s picture from the Marine Memorial Chapel at Quantico Marine Corps Base.
“A lot of the Marines that he served with are still with us,” said Stanley. “What still resonates with me is the relationship they have with him. He loved them and they loved him. On the day he died, he was wounded twice and refused evacuation. He ran out in front of a known machine gun to administer last rites to the two men who had been gunned down by that very machine gun, which is why the story resonates with me. It’s the story of our faith and our nation. In my mind, it is a dim reflection of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.”
According to shrine organizers, more than 10,000 people visited to tour outdoor and indoor exhibits and attend Mass. Also included in the exhibit were Venerable Father Emil Kapaun, U.S. Army chaplain and Korean War hero from Kansas; Servant of God Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur, World War II Army chaplain; Bishop Frederic Baraga, known as the snowshoe priest for his dedication to ministering to the Native American population in Upper Michigan; Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first publicly recognized Black Catholic priest in the United States; and representatives of the Rhoda Wise guild in Canton, Ohio. Wise was well-known as a mystic with many spiritual gifts and followers who reported healings, among them Rita Rizzo, the future Mother Angelica.
The Stanleys remained at the shrine until July 5 for a picnic and Mass with Green Bay Bishop David L. Ricken in honor of the 130th anniversary of Brice’s death.
According to organizers, the success of the event led to a flood of inquiries asking for the exhibit to go on tour. The shrine is looking into that possibility and invites individuals to fill out an interest form on their website. For pilgrims in the Washington area, the National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Md., will host an annual Saints Festival Sept. 13.
Kassock is a freelance writer in Fredericksburg.
Find out more
To express interest in hosting or visiting the “Saints of America” exhibit on tour, go to championshrine.org/americansaints and complete the interest form.
Hear Father Mode’s presentation of Fr. Capodanno’s life and witness at St. Ambrose Church in Annandale, July 27 at 7 p.m. in the parish hall.
