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The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, the site of the only Church approved Marian apparitions in the United States, is inviting the faithful to join in prayer for the nation’s many bishops. Called The Shepherd Project, the initiative is a unique way for Catholics to support the missions of our Church leaders through prayer.
Apparition inspired
The Blessed Mother, under the title of Our Lady of Champion, appeared to Belgium-born Adele Brise, in 1869. Brise reported seeing a woman clothed in white, surrounded by light, with a yellow sash around her waist and a crown of stars above her blonde hair. After seeing the apparition again, this time accompanied by companions who could not see Our Lady, Brise consulted her local priest, who instructed her to ask the apparition to identify itself and what it wanted.
Following her priest’s guidance, the third time the apparition appeared, Brise asked and was given the response: "I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same."
The apparition went on to task Brise with a mission to "gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation."
The Shepherd Project
It is in the spirit of Our Lady of Champion’s instructions to “gather the children” and teach them, that the Shepherd Project has taken up the mission of praying for the nation’s bishops, who are responsible for instructing Catholics on what they need to know for their salvation. Meanwhile, the lay people of the Church are tasked with the responsibility of praying for them as they conduct their good works.
At Our Lady of Champion’s official website, the Shepherd Project writes of its Call to Prayer:
“As our world faces a shortage of peace and an increase in division and attacks within our families and the Church, our Bishops are facing extreme challenges. This is why they need our prayers, now more than ever, for the grace necessary to heroically lead people of faith in these uncertain times.”
How to get started
Calling the mission a “season of prayer,” the Shrine notes that it intends to pray for each and every Catholic bishop of the US from May 1 until the end of October. The website further supplies a comprehensive list of each day’s bishop.
Over the last few months the Shrine has already prayed for the bishops of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New York, The Dakotas, Nebraska, and West Virginia. The prayer schedule is currently moving through the Kansas bishops, with Maryland and Delaware coming up.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Champion even went out of its way to include a mailing list that will inform participants of each day’s subject for prayer. Visit the Shrine’s official website to learn more about this unique way to support US bishops, and start praying today.
