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If we could charge admission
Believers Flock to 'Crying' Virgin Mary
By JULIET WILLIAMS, Associated Press Writer 37 minutes ago SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Carrying rosary beads and cameras, the faithful have been coming in a steady stream to a church on the outskirts of Sacramento for a glimpse of what some are calling a miracle: A statue of the Virgin Mary they say has begun crying a substance that looks like blood. ADVERTISEMENT It was first noticed more than a week ago, when a priest at the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church spotted a stain on the statue's face and wiped it away. Before Mass on Nov. 20, people again noticed a reddish substance near the eyes of the white concrete statue outside the small church, said Ky Truong, 56, a parishioner. Since then, Truong said he has been at the church day and night, so emotional he can't even work. He believes the tears are a sign. "There's a big event in the future — earthquake, flood, a disease," Truong said. "We're very sad." On Saturday, tables in front of the fenced-in statue were jammed with potted plants, bouquets of roses and candles. Some people prayed silently, while others sang hymns and hugged their children. An elderly woman in a wheelchair wept near the front of the crowd. A red trail could be seen from the side of the statue's left eye to about halfway down the robe of concrete. "I think that it's incredible. It's a miracle. Why is she doing it? Is it something bothering her?" asked Maria Vasquez, 35, who drove with her parents and three children from Stockton, about 50 miles south of Sacramento. Thousands of such incidents are reported around the world each year, though many turn out to be hoaxes or natural phenomena. The Diocese of Sacramento has so far not commented on the statue, and the two priests affiliated with the church did not return a telephone message Saturday. The Rev. James Murphy, deacon of the diocese's mother church, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, said church leaders are always skeptical at first. "For people individually seeing things through the eyes of faith, something like this can be meaningful. As for whether it is supernatural or a miracle, normally these incidences are not. Miracles are possible, of course," Murphy said. "The bishop is just waiting and seeing what happens. They will be moving very slowly." But seeing the statue in person left no doubt for Martin Operario, 60, who drove about 100 miles from Hayward. He took photos to show to family and friends. "I don't know how to express what I'm feeling," Operario said. "Since religion is the mother of believing, then I believe." Nuns Anna Bui and Rosa Hoang, members of the Salesian Sisters of San Francisco, also made the trek Saturday. Whether the weeping statue is declared a miracle or not, they said, it is already doing good by awakening people to the faith and reminding them to pray. "It's a call for us to change ourselves, to love one another," Hoang said. * Email Story * IM Story * Discuss * Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY Recommend It: Average (39 votes) 3.4 stars » Recommended Stories Full Coverage: Religion News Stories * Believers Flock to 'Crying' Virgin Mary AP via Yahoo! News, Nov 26 * Pregnant and Unwed, Teacher Fights Church at The Los Angeles Times (reg. req'd), Nov 26 * Punched Preacher Will Pray for Assailant AP via Yahoo! News, Nov 23 * Nepal Boy Called Reincarnation of Buddha AP via Yahoo! News, Nov 23 Feature Articles * A Rabbi, a Van and 28 Temples in 12 States at The New York Times (reg. req'd), Nov 26 * Keeping the Faith and the Fitness Center Alive at The New York Times (reg. req'd), Nov 25 Opinion & Editorials * Faith-Based Politics at The Washington Post (reg. req'd), Nov 24 * No need to be afraid of us at The Guardian (UK)., Nov 23 U.S. National * 2 Washington State Inmates Still at Large AP * Holiday Sales Off to a Lukewarm Start AP * Few Attend Dueling Rallies Near Bush Ranch AP * Bush Official's Plane Makes Emergency Stop AP * Court to Weigh Never-Enforced Abortion Law AP Red stains are seen running from the left eye of a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2005. According to Anthony Nguyen, a deacon at the Church, the stains first appeared more than a week ago, but they were wiped away. The stains reappeared a week later. Visitors have been flocking to the church to see what many call 'a miracle.'(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
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Scientist I work with noticed one thing that consistently survived Hurricane Rita in SW Louisiana: bathtub Virgins. You know, Mary (Mother of God) effigies in a semi-protective shelter that looks like a half-bathtub buried in the ground. They're not uncommon in Roman Catholic dominated areas.
His suggestion for rebuilding is to have new building codes requiring new construction be Virgin Effigies. I'm down wit dat. B |
#3
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I'm not catholic so I don't get this Madona frenzy thing they have....
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Proud owner of .... 1971 280SE W108 1979 300SD W116 1983 300D W123 1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper 1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel 1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified) --------------------- Section 609 MVAC Certified --------------------- "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche |
#4
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Quote:
If you don't believe in miracles, you'll never accept stuff like this. But it makes sense to me. BTW, I visited Fatima in '83.
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Current: 2014 VW Tiguan SEL 4Motion 43,000 miles. 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (wife's). Past: 2006 Jetta TDI 135,970 miles. Sold Nov. '13. 1995 E-320 Special Edition. 220,200 miles. Sold Sept. '07. 1987 190-E 16 valve. 153,000 miles. Sold Feb. '06. 1980 300-D 225,000 miles. Donated to the National Kidney Foundation. 1980 240-D manual, 297,500 miles. Totaled by inattentive driver. |
#5
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She cries for us
Because we are getting sooo screwed on fuel prices
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You can get farther with a smile and a gun than you can with just a smile. 1984 300D 1985 300CD 1980 300SD 1993 SL500 |
#6
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we're all going to die ahhhhhh
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