Frequent Questions

Question: When did Adele die?

Answer: Adele died on July 5, 1896

Question: Where did Adele live before coming to America?

Answer: Adele and her family lived in a small town in Belgium called Dion-le-Val. She lived there from 1831 to 1855.

Question: What year did Adele see the Blessed Virgin Mary?

Answer: Adele saw the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1859.

Question: Has a cause been opened for Adele Brise yet?

Answer: To date, there has not been a cause opened for the canonization of Adele Brise, the visionary to whom the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared. The faithful are encouraged to pray, asking for the opening of the Cause and for Adele’s beatification and canonization.

Question: How did Adele damage her eye?

Answer: It is believed that Adele suffered the loss of her right eye due to an accident with lye at a young age and while still in Belgium.

Question: Was Adele a nun?

Answer: Adele was a secular Franciscan who wore a religious habit and lived as a nun but had not professed vows.

Question: What order of nuns assisted Adele in her mission?

Answer: Adele, a Third Order Franciscan, was assisted by a group of companions who joined her as Tertiary Franciscans.

Question: Who does the research for the biographical information regarding Adele?

Answer: The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion and a professional research team within the Diocese of Green Bay conduct research in connection to Adele.

Question: Is it Adele Brise, Brice, or Bryce?

Answer: Adele’s last name has been recorded in multiple ways throughout her life, such as Brise on her legal records and family’s gravestones, Brice on her gravestone and in Belgium, and Bryce in some early writings. While these variations can all refer to Adele, the Bishop of Green Bay and the National Shrine have selected “Brise” to be its official spelling.

Question: Where is Adele buried?

Answer: Adele is buried on the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion. She rests next to the Apparition Chapel, where it is believed she saw the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Question: Where is Adele’s family buried?

Answer: Adele’s father and mother, Lambert and Katherine Brise, are buried just down the road from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion at St. Joseph’s Church and Cemetery. Her sister Isabelle Brise, who was believed to be present with her during the Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is buried at St. Martin’s Cemetery in Tonet, Wisconsin. Her other sister, Esperence Brise (Duchateau), is buried at St. Louis Catholic Cemetery in Bay View, Wisconsin.

Question: What were Adele Brise’s contributions to evangelization?

Answer: Adele Brise played a pivotal role in evangelization, especially within the Northeast Wisconsin area. She fearlessly spread the Gospel from home to home on her travels, even offering to do household chores for the children she hoped to teach so that they would have time to listen. She did what she could with what she had – all through trust in God and Mary’s care for her. The fruits of her labor are still seen today within the Northeast Wisconsin community.

Question: Who has the authority to declare someone a saint?

Answer: The final authority to declare someone a Saint lies with the Pope. He is the final authority who recognizes a miracle has occurred through the intercession of a Blessed, and declares him/her Saint.