Theoni Bell, the author of our NEW Glory Story, shares why Our Lady of Champion is so important for Catholic parents today.
In 2013, my husband and I wanted to take a pilgrimage to prayerfully make two specific requests. I had chosen a remote chapel on the Green Bay Peninsula because it was within driving distance, not realizing the importance Our Lady of Champion would hold for our lives.
When both of the lofty petitions which we brought to Our Lady on our pilgrimage were answered within a few months, I started to pray to Our Lady of Champion for every one of our needs.
Specifically, one need became more important than all the rest.
My oldest daughter received her First Holy Communion. Now, it was up to my husband and I to make sure she was ready EACH WEEK to confess and receive Communion. Before this momentous day, it seemed easy enough for a mom who was already actively living the Catholic faith to teach it to her children. As a family, we already attended Mass, read Catholic children’s books, and had all the important conversations.
But suddenly, it seemed like a much more weighty responsibility.
I found myself pregnant, homeschooling my children, and stressed out!
I thought back to our pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. In America’s ONLY Church-approved Marian apparition, Our Lady of Champion told Adele Brise to “teach the children what they should know for salvation...teach them their catechism, the sign of the cross, and how to approach the sacraments.”
All of a sudden, Our Lady’s words — “teach them what they should know for salvation” — felt heavy as a millstone!
All of a sudden, I saw the many bad habits and vices I was handing down to them. I saw how those negative behaviors would make them struggle with their faith as they grew into adulthood.
I prayed the official Our Lady of Champion novena, and the Blessed Mother showed me that I was teaching my children to gossip, hold grudges, yell and bicker, neglect prayer, and become self-centered, impulsive little people.
It was painful to continuously face my shortcomings, so I asked Our Lady of Champion to help me. When she appeared in 1859, she told Adele Brise, “Go. Fear Nothing. I will help you.” I trusted her to help me, and she still does.
Our life isn’t perfect. It’s hectic. We’re not saints. But we have healed as a family in many ways. We practice a deeper faith TOGETHER now. We live a more active life in the Church and have a community we love. I’m certain this wouldn’t be so without the guidance of Our Lady of Champion and the time my husband and I spent meditating on her words.
I hope the words of Our Lady of Champion are as impactful to you in your parenting as they have been to me.
If you would also like to pray the Our Lady of Champion Novena, click HERE.
Have you ordered our Glory Stories Volume 18: Our Lady of Champion yet?
Already, 24% of the first printing is SOLD so make sure you order yours today!
This Glory Story arrives TOMORROW and we will begin shipping right away!
Theoni Bell is author of The Woman in the Trees, a novel based on America’s first approved Marian apparition (TAN Books). She lives in Houston with her husband and three children (four in heaven). She has an MA in International Journalism and teaches literature to a room full of exuberant grade schoolers at her co-op. She recently wrote Glory Story #18: Our Lady of Champion with Holy Heroes. Her picture book Jellybean was written after she lost a baby to stillbirth and will be out soon with Holy Heroes. You can find her at theonibell.com or Visions of the Good Help on Etsy.
