Day 1: Novena to Our Lady of Champion

Our Blessed Mother appeared to Adele Brise in a small town near Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the year 1859. She told her, “I am the Queen of Heaven.” Our Lady asked Adele to teach the children what they must learn for salvation: “Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.”

Today, at the site of the apparitions is the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, the only Church-approved Marian apparition site in the United States. On this first day of the National Novena to Our Lady of Champion, we pray that the Queen of Heaven would be our intercessor and advocate. We ask for her to reign in every area of our lives, our Church, and our nation. We beg her to help bring peace and healing where there is pain and division. Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, pray for us.

How to pray the novena:

  1. Pray the daily intention prayer below (check back each day for that day’s intention.)
  2. Pray the novena prayers.

Day One: Queen of Heaven 
“I Am the Queen of Heaven” 
O Mary, you were chosen to be the mother of the Savior, and reign now as the Queen Mother. We salute you as the Queen of Heaven, knowing that you are our intercessor and advocate. You are the Queen of Heaven and Earth, the Queen of Peace, the Queen of Apostles, and the Queen of Clergy. I ask you today, to be the Queen of my heart, my family, my diocese, and my country.

To receive the daily prayer intention by email, go to championshrine.org/novenas  and sign up for the National Novena to Our Lady of Good Help (Oct 1-9).

Novena Prayers

Prayer to Our Lady of Champion

by Most Reverend David L. Ricken, D.D., J.C.L. 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay

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 “Do not be afraid; I will help you.” Help me now as I place this intention with complete confidence and trust. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be

Our Lady of Champion, pray for us

The Our Father

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

The Glory Be

Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Litany to Our Lady of Champion

by: Fr. Edward Looney

V. Lord, have mercy.
R. Christ have mercy.
V. Lord have mercy. Christ hear us.
R. Christ graciously hear us.
V. God the Father of heaven,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. God the Holy Spirit,
R. Have mercy on us.
V. Holy Trinity, one God,
R. Have mercy on us.

Response: Pray For Us

Holy Mary, Pray For Us
Holy Mother of God, Pray For Us
Queen of Heaven, Pray For Us
Star of the Sea, Pray For Us
Star of the New Evangelization, Pray For Us
Comforter of the Afflicted, Pray For Us
Health of the Sick, Pray For Us
Refuge of Sinners, Pray For Us
Our Lady of Champion, Pray For Us

Response: Mary Help Us

In times of temptation, Mary Help Us
In times of sickness, Mary Help Us
In times of sorrow, Mary Help Us
In times of confusion, Mary Help Us
In times of persecution, Mary Help Us
In times of failure, Mary Help Us
In times of betrayal, Mary Help Us
In times of weakness, Mary Help Us
In times of discernment, Mary Help Us
In times of war, Mary Help Us

Response: Mary Help Them

For those who are unemployed, Mary Help Them
For those who are homeless, Mary Help Them
For those who struggle to make ends meet, Mary Help Them
For those in troubled marriages, Mary Help Them
For those contemplating abortion, Mary Help Them
For those contemplating suicide, Mary Help Them
For those who are sick, Mary Help Them
For those suffering with physical handicaps, Mary Help Them
For those trapped in a life of sin, Mary Help Them
For those who suffer from addictions, Mary Help Them
For those near death, Mary Help Them
For those who do not believe in God, Mary Help Them
For those who have rejected God’s commandments, Mary Help Them
For those who need our prayers, Mary Help Them
For the immigrant, Mary Help Them
For the poor souls in Purgatory, Mary Help Them
For teachers and catechists, Mary Help Them
For Catholic schools and universities, Mary Help Them
For bishops, priests, deacons, and seminarians, Mary Help Them
For consecrated religious, Mary Help Them
For missionaries, Mary Help Them
For all married couples and families, Mary Help Them

V. Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, R. Spare us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, R. Graciously hear us, O Lord.
V. Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, R. Have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, Grant O God, through the intercession and mediation of Our Lady of Champion, all the graces we need to live a life in accordance with your will. Come to the help of your servants who are in need of heavenly assistance. Incline your ear to the prayers offered by them through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven, through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

(With Ecclesiastical Approval)

John Hanretty serves as a Digital Media Producer for Relevant Radio®. He is a graduate of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas. Besides being passionate about writing, his hobbies include drawing and digital design. You can read more of his daily articles at relevantradio.com and on the Relevant Radio® app.