Churchgoers in Ohio are baffled after a statue of the Virgin Mary, commissioned more than 75 years ago, appeared to blink when they looked at her. Photos captured the mysterious moment.
The International Pilgrim Statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima was touring the region and is said to have closed and opened its eyes on August 2 while on display in the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
The church is located in the city of Canton, known as the birthplace of the NFL and home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The statue has visited more than 100 countries, including Russia and Chinaand is considered the closest resemblance to a documented apparition of Mary in 1917, which is considered “credible” by the Catholic Church.
Many visitors to the statue claim to have witnessed medical miracles, including a boy who was cured of malaria, according to some.
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The International Pilgrimage Statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima was traveling through the region as part of a tour when it reportedly closed and opened its eyes on August 2
The development left churchgoers like Katie Moran, who took the photo of the alleged blink, stunned. Others said they had seen it too
People in Northeast Ohio who claim to have seen the gesture have taken photos showing the idol blinking.
“According to theologians, she has a mystical presence with the statue,” said Katie Moran, who posted the photo on social media.
In conversation with Fox affiliate WJWshe said, ‘I took it and thought, ‘that’s really beautiful.
“I took another one just to be sure, but when I looked at it, I saw that my eyes were closed,” she continued.
‘I [went]’Wow!”
Others, including Connie Liptak, claimed to also see the image flashing.
She told the local news station: “I knew it was a miracle because I had been watching her all morning.”
Pointing to the photos, she added, “They’re really closed. I mean, you can really see her lashes are down.”
Others said they saw it too, like Connie Liptak, who said: ‘[she] knew it was a miracle because I had been watching her all morning’
Pointing to the photos, she added: ‘They’re really closed. I mean, you can really see her lashes are down.’
Katie, who also heads the US branch of the organization that oversees the statues, further claimed that the phenomenon was a warning of sorts, one consistent with other miracles the statue is said to have performed.
“For those who believe, no proof is needed,” she said, adding that reports continue to come in of visitors being cured of ailments ranging from cancer to infertility.
“For those who don’t know, there is no proof possible,” she added.
“It’s faith and I believe.”
“We know she cried 15 times,” added the statue’s caretaker, Larry Maginot, who follows the Virgin on her travels and says such events, while rare, are not unusual.
Maginot told a story about a three-year-old boy with incurable malaria who was said to have been cured by Our Lady of Fatima. “He said, ‘The doctors had given up.'”
But when the boy’s father brought him to the statue during a visit to Vietnam, “he eventually recovered,” he said.
Liptak expected a negative reaction from skeptics and told a reporter what she would say.
“We know she cried 15 times,” added the statue’s caretaker, Larry Maginot, who follows the Virgin on her travels and says such events, while rare, are not unusual.
He claimed that a three-year-old boy in Vietnam had been cured of malaria by an idol after his father brought him before the statue during a similar nationwide tour. Pictured: Worshippers viewing the statue in the nearby city of Parma last week
“I’m just saying, ‘I’m not lying,’” she said.
“I know what I saw and I believe what I saw.”
When you consider the history of the statue and the events surrounding its creation, there are indications that it is special.
It was sculpted in 1947 by Jose Thedim, known at the time as ‘the Michelangelo of Portugal’, and twenty years later it was blessed by Pope Paul VI.
Since then, the event has visited more than 100 countries and thousands of churches.
Her image came into being thanks to the careful instructions of a nun who spoke to shepherds who had witnessed the miracle that affected her creation: an alleged apparition of the Virgin Mary more than 100 years ago.
In 1917, three farm children near the Portuguese village of Fátima reportedly encountered a woman six times who “identified herself as the Lady of the Rosary.”
Each time, the trio was told that God would perform a miracle later that year, on October 13.
The idol has visited more than 100 countries and thousands of churches over the course of 77 years
When you consider the history of the statue and the events surrounding its creation, there are indications that it is special.
On October 24, 1952, Pope Pius XII blessed the statue, 18 years after the miracles that influenced its creation
The statue is seen here during its first visit to the US, when it was taken to Buffalo, New York
When that day dawned, at the word of the young people, a crowd of about 70,000 people gathered in the city, hoping to witness the miracle.
There they reportedly saw the sun falling towards the earth, while the sun appeared to ‘dance’ and move in a zigzag pattern across the sky.
The phenomenon reportedly lasted for about ten minutes. Newspaper articles from the time showed the crowd watching in awe at the supposed miracle.
The event has since been referred to as the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ and the children later claimed they never saw Mother Mary again.
They said that Mary had told them that the miracle would be performed to make others believe. Thirteen years later, Bishop José da Silva called the incident “credible.”
It was declared to have a ‘supernatural character’ and the statue was built shortly afterwards.
Her image was created under the careful instructions of a nun who spoke to shepherds who were said to have witnessed the miracle that affected her creation—three peasant children near the village of Fátima, Portugal, who were reportedly visited by Mary six times in 1917
The ghost is said to have told them that a miracle would happen on October 17 of that year, after which a crowd of around 70,000 people gathered before they reportedly saw the sun dance across the sky and move towards them.
The event has since been called the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ – an event that the Catholic Church considers ‘credible’
It was declared to be of ‘supernatural character’ – which is why the statue was built shortly afterwards. It is still venerated today.
She is still respected and revered, and reports of healings and miracles follow her wherever she goes.
While many of the reports have drawn criticism and investigation, it is clear that Canton churchgoers are convinced they know what they saw.
The sculpture will tour Ohio through August 21, before moving to Wisconsin and Minnesota in September.
Future visits have not yet been announced.