Dubious Veneration: Questioning the Adele Brice Canonization Inquiry
The Catholic News Agency portal (January 5, 2026) reports that “Bishop” David Ricken of Green Bay has initiated a diocesan inquiry into the life of Adele Brice, a 19th-century Belgian immigrant associated with alleged Marian apparitions in Champion, Wisconsin. The article claims Brice received Church-approved apparitions in 1859, where a figure identifying as the “Queen of Heaven” instructed her to teach children catechism and promote penance for sinners. The inquiry seeks testimonies for Brice’s beatification, citing two alleged miracles: a woman’s recovery from depression and a man’s cancer remission. The shrine was designated an “approved apparition site” in 2022 by Vatican authorities, and Brice’s cause gained momentum after the U.S. “bishops” endorsed it in 2024.