Father Henry Walsh with the statue (Image: undefined)
Thousands of pilgrims from across the globe embarked on the lengthy trek south of Perth, hoping to witness the remarkable 70-centimetre Madonna statue at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Rockingham, all for one extraordinary reason.
The statue was installed in 2003 and quickly captured the attention of religious devotees who observed what they believed to be a miraculous characteristic of the structure. Within months of being put on display, visitors claimed to witness her shedding oily tears.
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A Madonna statue serves as a representation of the Virgin Mary, embodying concepts of purity, motherly devotion, faith, hope, and redemption within Christianity. The word itself stems from the Italian expression 'ma donna', meaning 'my lady'.
Before long, the archbishop initiated an inquiry into what believers were describing as a supposed miracle, aiming to address the rumours and conjecture that the oily tears were actually a deception. Whilst he professed to "believe in miracles," Archbishop Hickey also declared at the time that they could not yet determine if it was "definitely one of them," The Age reported.
Notably, the church maintains a set of formal criteria that must be satisfied before they can proclaim anything as miraculous. In this instance, there were no established guidelines regarding a weeping statue, yet no explanation existed apart from heavenly intervention, reports <a href="https://www.themirror.com/news/weird-news/virgin-mary-statue-weeps-tears-1370466" rel="Follow" target="_self">the Mirror US</a>.
Statue of the Virgin Mary in the Garibaldi Square (Image: undefined)
He said: "I'm not saying it wasn't a miracle, by the way; I'm saying we haven't sufficient proof. I don't know how it happened; all I can say is other interpretations are possible."
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Following thorough examination by a doctor, priest, and even a microbiologist, no evidence of tampering was discovered after detailed scrutiny of the statue.
The hollow figure underwent magnification, X-ray, and CT scan over four days, the archbishop maintained.
According to him, there were no "hidden channels for the passing of liquids outside the statues."
The analysis revealed the oil was indeed vegetable oil containing globules of rose oil mixed in, believed to be the result of human interference.
The detailed examination also tracked the patterns of when the statue would weep, which allegedly started on March 19 during the feast of St. Joseph.
It persisted over the four days of Easter that year, and during the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, it shed tears almost continuously until mid-January.
The archbishop revealed there were several occasions when the statue didn't weep.
"One was the four days during which they examined the statue," he said.
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"And one was the month I asked for the statue to be isolated in the office of the parish priest of Rockingham."
After the puzzling weeping incidents and thorough investigation, the statue was subsequently returned to its rightful owner, parishioner Patty Powell.
The weeping Madonna was never put on display in church ever again.
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