Church Officials Doubt Statues’ Glow Is Miracle
The glowing eyes on statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary at an Ohio Catholic church probably are not miraculous, church officials said.
Thousands of pilgrims have flocked to St. Joseph the Provider Catholic Church in Campbell to glimpse the two statues on the bell tower. Believers say Mary’s and Jesus’ eyes and the sacred heart of Jesus glow, especially at night.
Msgr. Robert Siffrin, vicar general for the Diocese of Youngstown, said he consulted with the church’s pastor, Father Michael Swierz, and concluded that the glow comes naturally from gold leaf paint applied to the statues in the 1970s.
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