At St. Mary's Church in Griffith, Indiana, people of faith are flocking to witness a Virgin Mary 'miracle.' Some say after the experience, their faith is stronger now more than ever before.
Believers in Indiana say that a 4-foot-tall Virgin Mary statue recently shed a tear and that the 'Mother of Jesus' replica now has a tear-stained cheek.
According to television broadcast news, WGN, a group of students witnessed the statue cry. After leaving St. Mary's church after confession, they stopped at the statute to pray and when they looked up, they reported seeing a tear stream down the Virgin Mary's face. The alleged tear-stain is still visible today.
Since the incident, word has spread and visitors from surrounding areas have flocked to the statue to witness the 'miracle' for themselves. Visitors have been taking photos and kneeling before the statue to pray.
"It looks real, it actually does," one woman who visited the Virgin Mary told WGN. "It looks like she was crying."
Another woman admitted that she had her doubts. But with her husband being sick, she felt compelled to push beyond the disbelief, visit the statue and pray. "Honestly I never believed it...and I've seen reports," she said. Now the woman says she's convinced. "Until today, I do believe there was something."
For every group of believers, however, there are skeptics, and among them is the church's very own pastor.
Father Theodore Mens told WGN that he doesn't believe the Virgin Mary statue actually shed a tear. Conviction tells him there must be another 'reasonable' explanation. He believes the stain on the Virgin Mary's face may have been the melting snow or the cold weather.
Still, the pastor says, if the statue brings people closer to God, then he's fine with it.
