To coincide with July 4th, the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion will be hosting a special "America 250 - Saints of America Exhibit."
The shrine is unique in that it is the site of the only approved Marian apparition in the United States, and the event seeks to highlight all of the active American sainthood causes in one place.
Featured at the shrine will be an exhibit that contains information about 76 holy men and women who helped shape America.
July 1-9
The exhibit begins at the shrine on July 1, and starting July 2 representatives of various sainthood causes will offer brief presentations on their saint.
Included during these nine days is the opportunity to venerate the relics of the following saints: St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, St. John Neumann, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Damien de Veuster, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. Marianne Cope, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, Bl. Stanley Rother, Bl. James Miller, Bl. Solanus Casey, and Bl. Michael McGivney.
On July 5 there will be an "All American Picnic," where families can get hot dogs and hamburgers. This event will include various activities for children.
Also, on the same day there will be a special Mass commemorating the anniversary of the death of Adele Brice, the visionary who saw the Blessed Mother at Champion. Her sainthood cause was initiated in January and local officials are currently examining her life to determine if she lived a life of "heroic virtue." Once their findings have been compiled, they will be sent to Rome in hopes that she would someday be declared a saint.
Fr. Anthony Stephens, rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, told OSV News how the holy men and women included in the exhibit "founded schools, cared for the sick, served the poor, and witnessed to the Gospel through lives of sacrifice, service and unwavering love for Jesus Christ... Their example shows us what it truly means to be a faithful Catholic and to be American."
