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Weeping Virgin of Las Vegas:
journal of a miracle

by Carole Ashley


Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
An hour after the midnight prayer vigil began on 12 December 1998, the miracle statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe began again to weep real tears. She cried again the following afternoon, at 2pm and 2.30pm. The tearful statue, called the "Weeping Virgin of Las Vegas" by the media, is located in the backyard of the Covarrubias family of Las Vegas, where they have built a small homemade shrine in Her honor to accommodate the many visitors since 1993, when the statue was first seen to weep.

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Thousands of such incidents are reported around the world each year, though many turn out to be hoaxes or natural phenomena.

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Originally posted by R.Wreck


And it's time for her to come up with a new shtick. Branch out into some other bodily fluids. How about lactating (for the baby-J, you know)? Or sweating? Or breaking out in festering boils? Come on, you've got eternity to work on this, show a little creativity already.

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Would somebody please build a remote-controlled talking serpent or something?

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Originally posted by pleco

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Would somebody please build a remote-controlled talking serpent or something?

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Filthy, I beleive this is your field of expertise.

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"There is a tremendous appeal to Mary, and it is growing," said the Rev. James Murphy, rector of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in downtown Sacramento, who noted that for centuries, great painters have made her a prominent subject.
In southeast Sacramento County, an outdoor statue of Mary has become the center of attention at the humble Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church on Jackson Road. Since late November, believers have come to view the statue, which has a red streak running from the corner of her left eye. A priest wiped the streak away Nov. 9, but when it reappeared Nov. 20, many viewed it as tears of blood being shed.

The "weeping Mary" has drawn crowds and national media attention.

No one has actually seen tears flowing. The Diocese of Sacramento has no current plans to investigate. Others consider it a common stain or possible hoax.

And still the people come.

They bring candles and flowers, bundled-up babies, and hearts filled with prayers and petitions.

"I believe it is a miracle," said Florence Champaco, a 56-year-old woman who lives in Elk Grove and is attending school to learn medical billing. She has visited nearly every day since she first heard about the statue on television, including last Thursday in the pouring rain.

"I just come to pray," Champaco said Monday, as she stood as close as she could to the fence line, about 10 feet from the statue.

According to author Joe Nickell, who wrote "Looking for a Miracle," the red streak is a hoax, but not without possible value. Such events often can draw believers and nonbelievers to the church.

"People are anxious to see something tangible," he said. "Rather than go to church and maybe hear a sermon, you could just go be near a miracle."

For Champaco, this was not the first time she'd sought a miracle. Fifteen years ago, she traveled to St. Dominic's Church in Colfax, about 50 miles northeast of Sacramento, to view what she and many others believed was an image of Mary. The phenomenon later was determined by a physics professor to be a reflection of sunlight.

Over the years, such sightings have been reported hundreds of times throughout the world. Sometimes the locations have been predictable, such as in stained glass windows. Others have been bizarre, such as a Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich that sold for $28,000 a year ago on eBay.

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