Glowing Virgin Mary statue attracts many, Campbell Ohio
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August 16, 2003 - Reported in the Vindicator.com. Statue of Mary glows, and faithful see the light. Whatever the explanation, the statue continues to draw crowds. By Peter Milliken & Maraline Kubikn. Campbell Ohio - Crowds outside St. Joseph the Provider Church, 633 Porter Ave., have been growing larger every night since a group of women first noticed that the eyes and heart of a statue of the Virgin Mary appear to glow. With many carrying still and video cameras and peering through binoculars, the crowd swelled to several hundred people of all ages as daylight waned Thursday, and the obvious glow of the statue's eyes and heart intensified. Even with some notable light sources, the reason for the glow was unclear. Light shined on the church and the crowd from inside the attached school building, where bingo was being played, and from security and streetlights outside. Lights on TV cameras and the fleeting light from flashbulbs also illuminated the scene. The sky was overcast and winds were calm Thursday evening. The eyes of the statue on the bell tower began glittering about a week ago, said Rocky Yeropoli, who has lived directly across the street from the church since 1974.Yeropoli, a 35-year member of the parish, said he remembers the statue's being painted with gold leaf about 30 years ago but doesn't recall ever seeing it glow the way it has the past few nights. "It's strange. Last night, she just had a glow to her," he said Thursday. Gathering to pray People have been gathering to pray for a variety of things. Some who are sickly have come with their oxygen tanks to pray for good health, he said. "One lady was here for about three hours praying that her son would find a job so he doesn't have to leave," Yeropoli said. The crowd was talkative, and some people could be seen making the sign of the cross as they left the church grounds Thursday evening. "I prayed for everyone to have peace of mind and good health," said Betty R. Tobias of Youngstown, a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church. "It touches me and a lot of others. It's a beautiful vision," she added. "It reinforces your faith. It's a pretty obvious sign," said her daughter, Barb Malizia of Youngstown, a parishioner at St. Paul Church in New Middletown. Her visiting friend, Amanda Johnston of Australia, also a Roman Catholic, said she prayed for world peace. "I wanted to come and say a few private prayers and see if there are any answers to what's happening," said Paul Andrews of Campbell, a member of St. Lucy Church in Campbell. Monsignor comments Monsignor Robert Siffrin, vicar general of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, said he first learned about the glowing statue Thursday morning when a secretary from St. Joseph's called to inform him about the crowds that have been gathering outside the church. "Obviously, light is being reflected off of the heart of Mary. I've been told that there's gold leaf on that portion," of the statue, Monsignor Siffrin said Thursday evening after seeing the statue in the dark. "When extra light is flashed against the statue from flash cameras, I see the flicker of lights from the eyes, which, again, could indicate that there's gold leaf there. So, there would seem to be an easy explanation of it right now," he observed. Monsignor Siffrin, who stood at the back of the crowd, said the pastor of St. Joseph the Provider, the Rev. Michael A. Swierz, who has been away on vacation, was to return to the parish this weekend. Once the pastor returns, the history of the statue and tower will be reviewed in search of an explanation, Monsignor Siffrin said. "People are claiming that the eyes have the appearance of light in the evening," Monsignor Siffrin added. "There is always a skepticism in the church [that such occurrences are the result of divine intervention] because there may be a scientific explanation." Will seek explanation First, he said, the church will determine what the statue is made of and how it was constructed to see if there is a scientific explanation, he said. "It may be something very obvious." He did not know the origin or history of the statue. Yeropoli said that a statue of St. Joseph on the opposite side also was painted with the same gold leaf at the same time as the statue in question, and he said it doesn't glow. But a faint glow could be seen in St. Joseph's eyes and heart through binoculars Thursday evening. Although there are several reports each year from throughout the world about statues that glow, cry and bleed, "most claims are not substantiated," Monsignor Siffrin said. In his 15 years at the Youngstown Diocese central office, he said, he doesn't recall any claims such as this. He added, however: "Anything in the course of our daily life that challenges people to think about their own life, their relationship to God and their faith is a good reminder. Even if it's not miraculous, it's a good reminder to us that faith is an essential part of human life."
Update Aug 18, 2002 - Glowing statues attract many The show starts at dusk, promised Tony Valvas, his eyes fixed on the Blessed Virgin Mary statue affixed to the bell tower at St. Joseph the Provider Catholic Church. Stand at the corner of the hedge next to the church's school, he instructed. Then gaze up into the statue's eyes. Into its glowing eyes. "There's something happening here,'' said Valvas, 37, who lives two blocks from the church. "I don't know what it is, and I can't explain it. But there's something happening.'' Is it a miracle or a mirage? Nobody knows for sure, but plenty of people are making a pilgrimage to the church in search of an answer. Thousands have flocked to the town south of Youngstown since the statues on the bell tower, the Virgin Mary to the west and Jesus Christ to the east, seemingly flickered to life 11 days ago. Small groups wander outside the church during the day, when the glow is somewhat visible. The watchers shield their eyes from the sun as they look skyward, trying to catch a glimpse. The throngs come at night, their parked cars clogging the streets. They stay until all hours. On one recent night, about 1,000 crowded a courtyard outside the church, singing hymns and taking pictures of the mysterious illumination. Sometimes God uses ordinary things to speak to us,'' said the Rev. Mike Swierz, who oversees the 500-family church. "Maybe that's what this is all about.'' Apparition reports
of the Virgin Mary date to the third century, according to a Web
site hosted by the International Marion Research Institute at the
University of Dayton. Sightings have spiked in recent years, according
to the institute. "People are straining to find anything to give meaning to their lives,'' said the Rev. Thomas Thompson, director of the Marion Library at the University of Dayton. "That's why they reach out to these things. It's a tribute to their belief." But few sightings qualify as miracles, and most can be explained, Thompson said. The image on the hospital window, for instance, is believed to be water marks caused by a broken window seal. Skeptics outside St. Joseph say the glow there may be related to gold leaf put on statues in the 1970s. No investigation is planned, church officials said. "Don't close your mind to the possibilities,'' Thompson said. "But don't be gullible and naive, either.'' Naysayers and believers tote binoculars to better view the glowing eyes and hearts on the statues at St. Joseph. Others use videocameras to capture the image. One group gasped as they watched a close-up on one tape that showed what appeared to be pupils in the eyes of both statues. "Nobody paints eyeballs that way,'' said Leticia Gonzalez, 46. Others noted
what appear to be stains underneath the statue of Jesus, speculating
that it may be blood. Valvas said the stains appeared only recently.
George Mottle listened to it all shaking his head. "If there
was something here, the pope would be here right now. On his knees,"
said Mottle, 59. "It's just the light, an illusion," echoed
his father-in-law, Harry Dilisio, 82. But Joanna Sims, 50, said
the piercing statue eyes touched her soul. She then excused herself
and headed to her car. "I'm going home,'' Sims said. "I've
got a Bible to read tonight.''
Update Aug
18, 2003 - Something is happening at St. Joseph the Provider Roman
Catholic Church Reported in the Beacon Journal.com. Written by Colette M. Jenkins Campbell Ohio - Nobody seems to really know what it is. Some say they don't understand why hundreds of people are flocking to the church each day to stare at the concrete statues of Jesus and Mary affixed to the bell tower in the town of 9,645, just south of Youngstown. Others speculate God is trying to tell us something through an apparition. Whatever it is, thousands have come to see for themselves if the eyes and heart, which are covered in gold leaf, are glowing on the Immaculate Heart of Mary statue on the west side of the bell tower, since a group of women reported the phenomenon two weeks ago. What is certain is that the crowds are growing each day, the bulk showing up at dusk, waiting for darkness to fall, hoping to see a brilliant illumination from the statue of Mary or the one of her son, Jesus, on the east side of the bell tower. Many stay into the wee hours of the morning. Earlier this week, parishioners and pilgrims to the church at 633 Porter Ave. began reporting a reddish liquid streaming down the tower near the foot of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Some are also reporting seeing a light in the eyes of the Jesus statue and pupils in the eyes of both statues. "We've never said it was a miracle. Truly, the miracle is on the ground, with the number of people coming to pray -- people of all faiths and nationalities and ages," said the Rev. Michael Swierz, pastor of the 500-family parish. "If Mary is pointing us to prayer and prayer leads us to Jesus and we commit to follow his ways, the real miracle takes place in our hearts and souls." Martha Salvatore, a parishioner at St. Joseph for more than 50 years, describes the scene of people crowding the church courtyards, singing hymns and fellowshipping together as "unbelievable." She said the experience has inspired her. "It's unreal. I've prayed to the Blessed Mother for a lot of years and I can't believe, in my lifetime, I'm seeing this," said Salvatore, 64. "If you can believe something you cannot prove, then the good Lord has really touched your heart." Those not willing to call it a miracle suggest a scientific explanation - that maybe the recent rains had something to do with it, exposing the gold leaf put on the statues in the 1970s. Jeremy Morales, 15, of Boardman, thinks it's the paint. He said the small gold reflection he saw in the eye of the Virgin Mary was probably the sun reflecting on the paint. Ja'Neice Murray, of Struthers, has made at least four trips to the church and plans to come back. She is a member of Visions of His Glory, a nondenominational church in Poland, and views what is going on as a faith-strengthening experience. Apparitions of Mary and Jesus have been reported on every continent. In Ohio, visions have been reported in Barberton, Massillon, Cleveland, Geneva and Cincinnati. "I believe at all times God is speaking. We have to take time to listen. It takes things like this to get our attention and make us focus on the right things," Murray said. "It's a blessing for this to happen in such a desolate city that people say is dead. God is saying, "I am here and I am real." In a prepared statement, Catholic Diocese of Youngstown Bishop Thomas Tobin said he believes those who find significance in the statue of Mary are being called to personal spiritual renewal. "Although we are hesitant to believe that anything truly 'miraculous' (out of the ordinary spiritual order) is taking place at that site, we are sincerely edified by manifestation of faith and devotion taking place there,'' Tobin stated. The report of what's happening at St. Joseph is not being investigated as an apparition for official approval by the Roman Catholic Church. The church classifies visions as "not worthy of belief," "not contrary to the faith" or "worthy of belief." Janeen and Courtney Masternick aren't concerned about whether the church puts its stamp of approval on it. They believe there is a reason for what is going on. The sisters, who are from Boardman and parishioners at St. Charles, said those who have faith and believe Jesus is watching over them will be encouraged by visiting St. Joseph. "It's something you have to see for yourself," said Courtney, 17. " Our Mom says because the eyes and heart are the things glowing, Mary might be saying I see what you're doing, you're breaking my heart. I believe that." Update -
August 26, 2003 Youngstown Bishop Responds to Reports of Glowing
Marian Statue
Gold leaf paint was applied to those parts of the statues on the bell tower — the Virgin Mary on the west side and the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the east — in the 1970s, said Monsignor Robert Siffrin, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown. "Father Swierz is still of the same mind that I am, that light is being reflected off the gold leaf," Monsignor Siffrin said. The Rev. Michael A. Swierz is pastor of St. Joseph the Provider Church . It could be that the eyes and heart on the statues always reflected the light and that some people noticed but didn't draw attention to it, Monsignor Siffrin said. Even if there is nothing miraculous about the glowing heart and eyes, he said, "anything that reminds people of their relationship with God is a good thing. The nice outcome of people's willingness to come out, initially out of curiosity, is [the effect it has on their relationships with God]. Hopefully it results in a genuine renewal of faith," Siffrin said. Bishop's statement "Although we are hesitant to believe that anything truly miraculous is taking place at that site, we are sincerely edified by the manifestation of faith and devotion taking place there," said Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of the Diocese of Youngstown in a written statement. This is the 60th anniversary year of the diocese and it has been dedicated to Mary, the Blessed Mother of Jesus, Tobin's letter states. The diocese is also observing The Year of the Rosary, as requested by Pope John Paul II. "Perhaps, in response to our renewed devotion and sincere requests, Mary is making her presence felt among the people of this diocese, not so much in extraordinary signs and wonders, but through ordinary, spiritual means," Tobin said. "I believe that those who find special significance in the statue of our Blessed Mother at St. Joseph Parish are being called to personal spiritual renewal — because authentic devotion to Mary always leads us to Christ." Tobin said he encourages those visiting Mary's statue to attend Mass, receive the sacraments, keep the commandments, be charitable, do penance, support the church and reconcile with their neighbors. "In these manifestations of our Christian faith, Mary will be pleased and God will be praised," the bishop said.
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