Note: behind and
above statue to left of palm tree Man's face.
Now
photographs seem to show what many interpret as the face of Jesus. It's below
the silhouette of the Virgin in the lower half of the image. At any rate, it
bears a striking resemblance to a mournful, pained man. We'll let you discern. The building has been purchased by an Ohio-based group called Shepherds
of Christ, whose ministry is prayer for priests. According to the group's president,
John Weikert, a computer engineer in the Cincinnati area, pilgrims light candles
in the parking lot and some report healings. The building is now used as a distribution
center for the group cause, with the offices behind the glass plates reflecting
the image kept empty for security reasons (except for a special monthly Mass).
Often,
there are controversies around supernatural claims. If there are any in this case,
we don't intend on becoming involved with them. Let us simply report the alleged
phenomena. "At night, in the lower left hand quadrant of the window,
you can see the Face of Jesus that looks a lot like the Shroud of Turin,"
asserts John. "It was first noticed on July 5, 1998. That was the first time
it was photographed successfully. It's there every day, although the light
on the window is so interactive that it looks different from day to day but is
always there. It's not a reflection of any statue. It's in the glass."
While
some have tried to explain it away as the effect of corroding metallic elements
in the glass's coating, George Pecoraro, a scientist with a glass company, told
a newspaper that "we're not able to explain how the shape appeared or why
it appeared. It could be an accident or maybe it's Divine intervention."
The main image of the Virgin can even be seen at night. More than 1.5 million
have visited here, and the original owner, Mike Krizmanich, allowed them to install
what has become a permanent shrine, believing the image is "a gift from God
to be protected and shared." A hush falls over crowds as they view it, and
even police managing the throngs showed reverence. It has been reported that vandals
threw an unknown liquid at it, but the image healed itself, showing no lasting
effects.
Weikert says the main
Blessed Mother image, which can be seen very clearly during the day, is always
there "but can sometimes put on light shows that would cause the physicists
to scratch their heads. No way is it a coincidence. At night, as the
sun is setting, when it's dark, the window sometimes gets brilliantly lit up and
looks like it's glowing."
The
two-story building once housed a bank, and a message received at the site by an
alleged mystic quoted Mary as complaining that "you've made money your God."
Behind the face of Mary is the altar used for the monthly Mass, which is permitted
by the diocese's vicar general. "We've seen different things," Weikert
told Spirit Daily. "On the right side I really think there's a child in the
womb that I've seen. People get the grace to see different things."
Like
all allegedly miraculous images, it is a snapshot of the spirit world, and sometimes
includes the "other side"; a while back we noted an image from Clearwater
that seemed to show a sphinx-like face in a small part of the periphery. But the
focus is goodness -- and the Blessed Mother. According to Weikert, the woman who
first spotted the reflection told him she felt "led by the Holy Spirit"
and upon seeing the reflection, called local television stations, which then broadcast
it.
"We never talk about
it much, but there are physical healings at that site, quite a few," claims
Weikert. "Inoperable brain tumors that disappeared. Super-severe varicose
veins. But the main purpose of that site is spiritual renewal, not physical healings."
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