Adele Brise, an immigrant from Belgium, had a deep devotion to prayer. As a child she and friends made a vow to enter religious life and devote their lives to the service of the Lord. But when she was in her 20s her family emigrated from Belgium to Wisconsin, near present-day Green Bay. In 1859 she received a series of apparitions of the Blessed Mother who charged her to teach the faith to the children. She saw this as Our Lady encouraging her to make good on that vow she made as a child. She began to teach children everywhere, often just the children of one family in exchange for food. A group of women joined her in this work, and they eventually opened a school. But this little community of lay sisters faced much opposition within the Church. Multiple bishops challenged their devotion and doubted the apparitions. But the faith and devotion of Adele and her companions eventually won them all over. Over time a shrine and pilgrimage site developed where the apparitions took place. In 1871, the Peshtigo Fire burned nearly 1.5 million acred and killed up to 2,500 people. Many, many people fled to the chapel of Our Lady of Good Help for refuge. Everything around the shrine grounds for many miles was reduced to ash, but the shrine grounds was unharmed. In 2010, the Church officially recognized Our Lady of Good Help as an authentic apparition of the Blessed Mother, worthy of belief by all the faithful. In 2023 the title of the apparition was officially changed to Our Lady of Champion. The chapel and shrine remains an important and popular place of pilgrimage and prayer.

In January 1634 two ships, The Ark and The Dove landed on St. Clement Island in the Potomac River, within the new colony of Maryland. The two ships were built by George Calvert, the first Baron Baltimore, to help him establish a colony of his own in the Americas. And with his conversion to Catholicism, his new colony would be a haven for Catholics in the New World. But by the time King Charles I granted the charter for the new colony, George Calvert had died, and his son, Cecil, inherited his title, Lord Baltimore, plus The Ark and The Dove, and his father's desire to establish the colony. King Charles named the new colony for his Catholic wife, Henrietta Marie. Cecil Calvert finally sent his two ships across the sea, but he could not go himself to establish his colonies. Instead, he sent his brother Leonard as the first governor of Maryland, with 140 settlers, including two priests. Shortly after landing they became friendly with neighboring tribes of Piscataway and Yoacamato natives, with the latter giving the new settlers their village to be their first city: St. Mary City, the first capital of the Colony of Maryland.

During World War I, the Knights of Columbus did more than anyone else — including the U.S. government — to help soldiers serving overseas, or even in remote parts of the U.S. Through their huts the “Caseys” distributed stationery, gum, playing cards, cigarettes, and so much more. Catholic soldiers could find the sacraments. "Everybody Welcome, Everything Free" was the motto, and they meant it. Everybody could come in to find a place to relax, read a book, play a game of cards, find counsel and solace, and have a bit of "home away from home." The huts also provided entertainment, sports tournaments and exhibitions. The Knights' efforts were the precursor to today's USO and the GI Bill. More than 100,000 of the soldiers who served during World War I were Knights, and both the first American soldier overall, an the final American officer to die in Europe during the Great War, were Knights of Columbus. The K of C was recognized by many for their contribution.