Worshippers in Ohio have been left stunned after a statue of the Virgin Mary commissioned more than 75 years ago appeared to blink as they looked at it, with photographs capturing the mysterious moment.
The International Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was touring the region as part of a tour when it reportedly closed and opened its eyes on Aug. 2 while on display at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
The church is located in the city of Canton, known for being the birthplace of the NFL and home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The statue has visited more than 100 countries, including Russia and China.and is believed to be the closest image to a documented apparition of Mary in 1917, deemed “worthy of belief” by the Catholic Church.
Many who have visited the statue have since claimed to have witnessed medical miracles, including a child who some believe was cured of malaria.
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The International Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima was touring the region as part of a tour when it reportedly closed and opened its eyes on August 2.
The sight stunned parishioners like Katie Moran, who took the photo of the alleged flickering. Others said they saw it too.
Those in Northeast Ohio who claim to have seen the gesture took a photo that apparently shows the idol blinking.
“According to theologians, mystically his presence is there with the statue,” said Katie Moran, who took the photo to post on social media.
Speaking to a Fox affiliate WJWShe said: ‘I picked it up and thought, ‘That’s really cute.’
“I took one more just to be sure and when I looked at him, his eyes were closed,” she continued.
‘I (said), ‘wow!’
Others, including Connie Liptak, claimed to have also seen the statue flicker.
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 very close-up. I mean, you can clearly see her eyelashes are drooping.”
Others said they saw it too, like Connie Liptak, who said “(she) knew it was a miracle because I had been looking at it all morning.”
Pointing to the photos, she added: “They’re very close-up. I mean, you can clearly see her eyelashes are drooping.”
Katie, who is also director of the US branch of the organisation that oversees the statues, further claimed the phenomenon was a warning of sorts, consistent with other miracles the idol is believed to have performed.
“For those who believe, no proof is needed,” he said, as reports continued to abound of visitors being cured of problems ranging from cancer to infertility.
“For those who do not do so, there is no possible proof,” he added.
“It’s faith and I believe.”
“We know she has cried 15 times,” added the statue’s custodian, Larry Maginot, who follows the Holy Mother on her travels and says such occurrences, while rare, are not out of the norm.
Sharing a story about a three-year-old boy with incurable malaria who was supposedly cured by Our Lady of Fatima, Maginot recalled: “He said, ‘The doctors had given up on me.'”
But when the boy’s father took him to the statue during a visit to Vietnam, he said, “he ended up recovering.”
Anticipating the reaction of skeptics, Liptak told a journalist what he might say in response.
“We know she cried 15 times,” added the statue’s custodian, Larry Maginot, who follows the Holy Mother on her travels and says such occurrences, while rare, are not out of the norm.
He claimed that a three-year-old boy from Vietnam was cured by an idol after suffering from malaria, after his father took him to the statue during a similar tour around the country. Pictured: Worshippers contemplating the statue in the nearby city of Parma last week
“I just say, ‘I’m not lying,'” he said.
“I know what I’ve seen and I believe what I’ve seen.”
Considering the history of the statue and the events surrounding its creation, there are some indications that it is special.
It was sculpted by José Thedim, then known as ‘the Michelangelo of Portugal’, in 1947 and, 20 years later, it was blessed by Pope Saint Paul VI.
He has visited over 100 countries and thousands of churches since then.
Its image was achieved thanks to the precise instructions of a nun who spoke with shepherds who are said to have witnessed the miracle that influenced its creation: an alleged apparition of the Blessed Mother more than 100 years ago.
In 1917, three peasant children near the town of Fatima, Portugal, were said to have encountered a woman who “identified herself as Our Lady of the Rosary” six separate times.
On each occasion, the trio were apparently 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 some 77 years.
Considering the history of the statue and the events surrounding its creation, there are some 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 brought to Buffalo, New York.
When that day came, a crowd of approximately 70,000 people gathered in the village at the young people’s word, hoping to witness such a miracle.
There, they supposedly saw the Sun fall towards Earth while also appearing to “dance” and zigzag across the sky.
The phenomenon reportedly lasted about ten minutes, and newspaper articles at the time showed crowds staring in amazement at the supposed wonder.
The event has since been dubbed the “Miracle of the Sun,” and the children later claimed that they never saw the Virgin Mary again.
They said Mary told them the miracle would be performed so that others would believe, and 13 years later, Bishop José da Silva deemed the incident “worthy of belief.”
It was declared to have “supernatural character”, so the statue was built shortly afterwards.
Her image was achieved through the precise instructions of a nun who spoke with shepherds who are said to have witnessed the miracle that influenced her creation: three peasant children near the village of Fatima, Portugal, who are said to have been visited by Mary six times in 1917.
The ghost supposedly told them that a miracle would occur on October 17 of that year, after which a crowd of approximately 70,000 people gathered before reportedly seeing the sun dance around the sky and move towards them.
The event has since been dubbed the “Miracle of the Sun,” an incident the Catholic Church has deemed “worthy of belief.”
It was believed to have a “supernatural” character, so the statue was built shortly afterwards and is still venerated today.
She is respected and revered to this day, with reports of healings and miracles following her wherever she goes.
While many of the reports have drawn criticism and scrutiny, it is clear that Canton parishioners remain adamant that they know what they saw.
The statue will continue its tour through Ohio until August 21, before being moved to Wisconsin and then Minnesota in September.
No further visits have yet been announced.
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