Description
Wisconsin Shrines Pilgrimage
Come to the great state of Wisconsin, Mary’s country, on a pilgrimage anchored around three Marian shrines as well as the Great Lakes cities of La Crosse, Green Bay, and the “Cream City” of Milwaukee. From a new world-class shrine nestled in the bluffs to America’s only approved Marian Apparition site and finally, to an “otherworldly” hilltop basilica, Wisconsin is home to three Marian shrines! Every one of us has questions about our Faith, and these shrines offer the answers! Enjoy mid-western hospitality, spectacular scenery, magnificent church architecture, and Marian devotion on this journey of thanksgiving to America’s hidden inheritance!
PILGRIMAGE HIGHLIGHTS:
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- Our Lady of Good Hope; the only Vatican-approved U.S. Marian apparition site.
- New Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe; an architectural gem, commissioned by His Eminence, Raymond. L Burke and designed by America’s Classical Church Architect, Duncan Stroik
- Holy Hill; “otherworldly” hilltop sanctuary, cared for by Carmelite Fathers since 1906
- Great River cities; La Crosse Green Bay & Milwaukee
- Authentic Paddlewheel ride on Old Mississippi
- St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette
Daily itinerary
Friday – Mid-day departure from LAX on a non-stop flight to Chicago O’Hare. Early evening arrival in Chicago and transfer to Milwaukee for overnight.
Saturday – A day in Milwaukee, “a great city on a great lake” (with a great Catholic heritage)! Many Polish immigrants flocked here in the 19th Century, building splendid churches; the most famous being the Basilica of St. Josephat (America’s St. Peter’s). Another jewel is the medieval Chapel of St. Joan of Arc, an original 15th Century French structure dismantled and brought to Marquette University’s Campus, stone by stone. Touch the spot where St. Joan of Arc prayed before leading troops in the 100 Years War! Late afternoon departure for the Carmelite-run Shrine of Mary Help of Christians, “Holy Hill,” in Hubertus. Evening arrival at Holy Hill guesthouse.
Sunday – A day at Holy Hill, majestically set atop a glacial hill at the highest elevation in SE WI. The 17th Century missionary, Fr. Marquette, S.J., was the first to make an altar here and offer Holy Mass. Today over 300,000 come here annually. Explore the grounds, including a beautiful hilltop basilica, a lif-size outdoor Way of the Cross, several large chapels, a gift shop, and a cafe. Overnight at the Holy Hill guesthouse.
Monday – Morning check-out and departure north for Green Bay, stopping for a Holy Hour at the Carmelite Convent in Denmark (WI). Early afternoon arrival in Green Bay, situated on a peninsula jutting out of Lake Michigan. Afternoon arrival in Green Bay. Visit the exquisite Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier, modeled in a late 19th Century Bavarian style, with century-old murals depicting scenes from the life of St. Francis. It was financed in large part by the Bavarian King. See centuries-old, newly restored magnificent murals! Learn of the city’s history dating back to the 1600s when entrepreneurs plied the area’s waterways for trade. Today, Green Bay is most famous for its XIII time world-champion football team, the Packers, whose legendary coach, Vince Lombardi, was a devout Catholic! Check-in at our Green Bay hotel for two nights.
Tuesday – Feast of the Assumption of Mary! A day at the Nat’l. Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, where a first in American history took place – a Marian apparition on our very own soil! This shrine honors the appearances of Our Lady to 29-year-old Adele Brise, a Belgian immigrant, in 1859, a year after the Lourdes apparitions. Upon walking home from Holy Mass, Adele saw a lady in dazzling white crowned with stars. “I am the Queen of Heaven,” she said, instructing Adele to teach the children “of this wild country” about Christ’s Salvation, promising her maternal help. Adele took her message to heart and began walking up and down the peninsula, going home in search of children to catechize. While not a vowed religious, a lay community formed around her, known as the Sisters of Good Help. They started a boarding school with 95 students enrolled by the 1871-1872 school year. On October 8, 1871, the shrine was in the midst of the worst recorded firestorm in American history that started in Peshtigo, WI. The fate of the shrine was changed forever when Sr. Adele beckoned the local faithful to the chapel and then processed around it, praying the Rosary, begging for Mary’s protection. Heaven responded with torrential rains, smothering the flames. The chapel and surrounding area were spared! Overnight in Green Bay.
Wednesday-Today depart from Green Bay due west across the hinterlands to La Crosse. Upon arrival, sail on the La Crosse Queen, a modern-day replica of the grand riverboats plying the Mississippi in the early 1900s. Enjoy the history and trivia of the “Old Man River,” the longest river in the US, stretching from Minnesota to Louisiana. Visit a Romanesque jewel where Franciscan Sisters have had Perpetual Adoration for over a Century. Early evening arrival at our hotel in La Crosse for the next two nights.
Thursday– A day at the new Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, set high up on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi Valley (a setting reminiscent of Tuscany). Dedicated to the Patroness of the Americas, this jewel was the inspiration of His Excellency Raymond L. Burke, former bishop of La Crosse. It was designed by the award-winning Church Architect – Duncan Stroik. Upon arrival, one is happily whisked away on board a motorized cart up a winding, mystical-like, half-mile path, stopping at a Votive Candle Chapel to finally arrive at a glorious church set in the forest. The same spiritual benefits given to pilgrims of the Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico are granted to those who come here. Overnight in La Crosse.
Friday – Morning departure for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport for our non-stop flight home to Los Angeles. Mid-afternoon arrival in Los Angeles.
