OXNARD : Glass That Drew Crowds Is for Sale

A dirty pane of glass bearing what some Oxnard residents say is a likeness of the Virgin Mary has been put up for sale to the highest bidder.

The owner of an Oxnard glass shop, where the kitchen window bearing the blurry and blemished likeness is now on display, said a Santa Barbara woman already offered $200 for the dirty piece of glass.

“What else does a glass shop do with glass?” reasoned owner Bill Rizzie, noting that the 44- by 22-inch pane ordinarily would cost $12.10.

But in the south Oxnard neighborhood where the silhouette was discovered earlier this week, Rizzie’s decision is not sitting well with the faithful who continue to flock to the site.

“They are disrespecting our religion,” said John Cortez, the estranged husband of Marty Vaca, who first saw the image on her kitchen window.

Since then, hundreds of the faithful and the curious alike have belted out hymns, lit candles and chanted prayers in front of the pattern, formed by a windblown spray of dirt.

“A lot of people offered us money, and we could have sold it,” Cortez said. “But it wasn’t right because it was an image from God.”

Vaca’s father, Maclovio Vaca, confronted Rizzie on Thursday at the C Street glass shop just a block from Oxnard City Hall.

“Why didn’t you clean it off?” Vaca wanted to know. “Are you going to sell it?”

“To the highest bidder,” Rizzie shot back.

Vaca’s landlord ordered the window removed from the modest south Oxnard apartment after someone shot into the crowd Tuesday night, slightly injuring two people.

Rizzie said onlookers tugged at his clothes and kissed his feet as he carried the window to his truck.

They also ran their fingers through the dirt pattern, smearing it almost beyond recognition.

Still, less than an hour after Rizzie displayed the pane in his shop Thursday morning, someone left a burning candle and $3 at his doorstep.

“It could be real, who knows what can happen,” said Ventura resident Luciana Jasso, who stared intently at the glass Thursday before touching the dirt and rubbing it on her chest. “Only God knows for sure.”

On the other side of town, dozens of faithful gathered outside Marty Vaca’s apartment to stare through the new squeaky-clean kitchen window.

“What are you all looking at,” said Vaca, returning from shopping and wondering whether the image had returned. “If it comes back, I’ll fall on my knees.”

Some in the crowd said they are convinced that the image is a sign from God and vowed to continue their pilgrimages.

“Some people say they can still see it,” said nearby resident Esther Lopez. “I think it’s going to return.”