OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP
 
Adele Brisse, late 20's, allegedly saw the Virgin Mary at Champion (then Robinsonville), Wisconsin, in 1859.
 
The first apparition happened when Adele was on her way to the mill. The apparition did not speak. She described the figure as being of a woman with a lovingly motherly gaze, dressed in white that shone with great light, with long flowing blonde hair and wearing a crown of golden stars. The next Sunday Adele saw the woman again who spoke to her this time. In the last apparition, Adele asked the lady who she was and got the reply, "I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received holy communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do [penance my Son will be obliged to punish them." Adele had companions with her at this time who saw nothing. They complained that they saw nothing and the lady said to Adele, "Blessed are they that believe without seeing.". Then she said, "Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation. Teach them their catechism and 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."
 
This apparition was accepted by the Church as being of supernatural origin in 2010 by Bishop Licken. This is the first apparition to be approved in the United States.
 
The problems with authenticity are these.
 
The bishop stated in his letter that Adele's outstanding Catholic life and dedication was an important factor in his decision. What about Hindu mystics who see visions and live as great Hindus and even starve to death?
 
Only Adele saw the apparition. The Bible God says that one witness isn't good enough.
 
Adele's friend Sister Pauline recorded that Adele was frightened of the apparition. This contradicts Adele's claim that the first time she saws the vision that she found it to be very loving and motherly.
 
The apparition had no right to say that people who believe in the apparition without seeing it are blessed. That implies that taking Adeles' word for it is better than seeing for yourself. That would be a very superstitious and irrational idea to have. It would mean an apparition with two alleged witnesses would be more believable even the apparition said Adele was deluded! Better to believe two witnesses than one! The apparition had no concern for evidence.
 
Mary would not have had golden blonde hair. Adele saw pictures of Mary that looked more Jewish. Catholic's rarely went for holy pictures of Mary that were blonde. It cannot be argued that Mary was trying to accommodate herself to the visionaries preconceptions and beliefs.
 
Adele probably had anti-Semitic tendencies like her religion. She didn't want to see a Jewish Mary so she didn't!
 
The apparition was a delusion.
 
BOOKS CONSULTED

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From Fasting Saints to Anorexic Girls, Walter Vandereycken and Ron van Deth, Athlone Press, London, 1996
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The Turin Shroud is Genuine, Rodney Hoare, Souvenir Press, London, 1998 Twenty Questions about Medjugorje Kevin Orlin Johnson Ph.D, Pangaeus, Dallas, 1999
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