Virgin Mary statue in Perth weeps

The World Today - Monday, September 9, 2002 12:24

JOHN HIGHFIELD: A manifestation of this confusion and apparent fear amongst Australians can perhaps be seen in the Perth suburb of Rockingham. Over the past few days thousands of people have flocked to a small Catholic church by the seaside to view a statue of the Virgin Mary that has reputedly been weeping tears of rose-scented oil.

The fibreglass statue, owned by a local parishioner, is now being displayed at Our Lady of Lourdes Church for two hours every Sunday afternoon, and has been described by Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey as a "truly remarkable phenomenon," if not a miracle. As Tanya Nolan reports, others within the Catholic Church acknowledge there may be a timely connection with things going on in our country and abroad.

TANYA NOLAN: Patty Powell bought the statue of the Virgin Mary while holidaying in Thailand eight years ago, but it was only early this year that she first noticed something strange.

PATY POWELL: It started weeping on March 19, which is St Joseph's Feast day, and then it stopped. And then 10 days later, on Good Friday, it started again till Easter Sunday. When I first noticed it, I was really surprised and really saddened. It was like my mum crying and having the feeling of wanting to put my arms around her and say: "What's the matter?"

TANYA NOLAN: And Ms Powell says the statue has been crying continuously since August the 14th. It was the fourth time Ms Powell had witnessed the phenomena that she decided to reveal it to her parish priest, Father Henry Walsh, who has placed the statue on public display ever since.

HENRY WALSH [answering machine message]: Thanks for calling. You have reached Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Rockingham. If you wish to view the statue, you may do so on Sundays between the hours of 3:30 and 5:30. Thanks very much for calling.

TANYA NOLAN: Father Walsh, do you believe it's a miracle?

HENRY WALSH: Well, it looks like a miracle. There's no source for this oil. It's not tears, water tears, but it's oil, and it has this strong scent of promise.

TANYA NOLAN: Did anyone claim to have been healed by the statue?

HENRY WALSH: Oh yes, well there's one man, Michael Williams. He claims that his blood count has changed substantially since he saw the statues and rubbed the oil on his forehead. So, he's very cheerful about it and says he feels much better.

TANYA NOLAN: And Elizabeth Mavros was one of reportedly thousands of people who flocked to the church yesterday to get a glimpse of the statue.

\ELIZABETH MAVROS: It's a beautiful little statue, and all around her eyes were wet, and they had here standing on a little tray, and the tray was wet.

TANYA NOLAN: Were you sceptical at first?

ELIZABETH MAVROS: Look, I am a bit of a sceptic, but because I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Catholic, I think things like that can happen, and if you've got faith, you can believe in it. I mean, it does sound absurd. If you want to be analytical about it, how can a statue weep if it's hollow and it's made of fibreglass and bought in Thailand? But, it was a very moving experience.

TANYA NOLAN: The Catholic Church says it has no plans to investigate the mystery and is offering no comment on how it views the event. However, Perth Archbishop Barry Hickey has told the Catholic publication The Record that the weeping statue is a truly remarkable phenomenon, and says although he's unsure whether it's of natural or supernatural origin the sight of Mary's statue weeping tears has already had powerful spiritual effects, causing many people to return to god. Self-declared sceptic Father Tony Doherty, Dean of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, agrees that whatever the explanation, the statue is providing hope to people, in the context of recent world events.

TONY DOHERTY: We're all pretty shaken by the events of September 11 and its anniversary, and I find in the story of Mary – a young woman with the sort of vitality and enthusiasm – a trust in the future, and I think that's the very centre of what I would call Christian hope.

-- Kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), September 11, 2002

Answers

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-- (666@666.com), September 11, 2002.

I most certainly do beleive. I have a cronic back problem and would like to know that if I sent some cotton wool in a reply payed envelope would I be fortunate enough to have some of our Lady's tears sent back to me.I await patiently for your reply. Kay Hodd ( Hastings New Zealand )

-- Mrs Kay Hodd (derkandk@infogen.net.nz), September 16, 2002.

People may find this peculiar, but I have a newspaper article (with a relatively large, close-up image of the weeping Virgin Mary included) pinned to my wall, and just by touching her face and asking for spiritual guidance I know for certain that I have received the help I prayed for from the Holy Spirirt. If you too believe in the Holy Spirit, then I encourage you to do as I have, as I know that everybody can receive guidance like I have. This weeping Virgin Mary statue has definitely strengthened my already strong religious beliefs, and it is very possible that higher, scientifically unexplained forces are working through the statue to help people through these difficult times and modern day life.

-- Andrew Kelly (Andrew.D.Kelly@btinternet.com), September 21, 2002.

The answer lies not in the tears but the reason. The statue still weeps. It started on March 19th 2002 one year exactly before War with Iraq. It has cried noticeably in the presence of children and babies and many of the unfaithful who need some guidance. Great pic of this on the Statue's Website atwww.weepingmadonna.org

-- Ron Jakeman (ronj@vianet.net.au), April 10, 2003.