American Holy Men and Women

ByKnight

“And he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'” -Revelation 7:14

To celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, the only Vatican-approved Marian apparition in the U.S., exhibited a display of 76 holy men and women with U.S. ties. The display was inspired by St. Carlo Acutis’s display, Eucharistic Miracles of the World, which stopped at our parish in 2023. The display at the Shrine in Champion, WI profiles 13 saints, 7 blesseds, 24 venerables and 32 servants of God, including:

  • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint;
  • St. Damien de Veuster, the most recently canonized American saint (commonly known as Damien of Moloka’i for his work with the lepers in Hawaii);
  • Connecticut’s own Blessed Michael J. McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus;
  • Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, the Emmy-award winning bishop known for his radio and television broadcasts (he’s scheduled for beatification on September 24th);
  • Servant of God (SoG) Adele Brise, to whom Mary appeared on three occasions in Champion WI;
  • SoG Thea Bowman, who taught in the Catholic schools in La Crosse, WI; and
  • SoG Michelle Dupong, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) founder whose cause opened November 1, 2022.

While SoG Dupong is the most recently recognized holy person in the display, she is not the most recently recognized US servant of God. That designation belongs to SoG John Rick Miller, an entrepreneur and missionary known for promoting consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The USCCB officially opened his cause for canonization on June 10, 2026, too late to be included in the Shrine’s display.

These holy men and women were vital to building this one nation under God. Learning about their lives can only help us on our journey of faith and inspire us to make our country even better. Let’s add a biography of one to our summer reading lists. All American holy men and women, please pray for us!

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