Lorena Sills, 3, blows a kiss to the Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima at San Antonio Church in Anaheim Hills. She was with her mom, Emma Sills. Sills says the mahogany statue sculpted in 1947, "touches me to the point of tears." It will be in Orange County until May 21 and has traveled to more than 100 countries, including Russia and China, and to the 9/11 crash site in Shanksville, Pa. MINDY SCHAUER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER MORE PHOTOSThursday, May 14, 2009
Holy statue that believers say has wept visits O.C.
The traveling statue of the Lady of Fatima, said to have performed miracles, is touring Orange County parishes through next week.
By DOUG IRVING and MINDY SCHAUER
The Orange County Register
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A revered statue said to have wept real tears is touring the Catholic churches of Orange County this week as part of a journey of faith that has lasted more than 60 years.
The small statue depicts the Lady of Fatima, who tradition says appeared as an angelic vision to three children in Portugal in 1917. The Lady told the children to pray and to recite the Rosary to bring an end to war, according to the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue Foundation.
The statue itself was created 30 years later, based on a description from one of the Portuguese children. It was blessed in 1947 and has been traveling the world ever since, with stops in more than 100 countries.
People have reported seeing the statue weep and heal the sick, according to the Web site of the Statue Foundation. Its purpose, according to the Web site, is to deliver a message of hope that its custodians describe as the "peace plan from heaven."
The statue arrived in Orange County earlier this month and will be here until May 21. It will be at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Ana (1322 E. Third St.) on Friday, then moves on to Catholic parishes and other sites around the county.
It attracted a capacity crowd to the morning Mass at San Antonio de Padua in Anaheim Hills today. After the Mass, people approached the statue, knelt and prayed near it.
The statue "touches me to the point of tears," said Emma Sills, who brought her 3-year-old daughter Lorena to see it.
Another visitor, Neda Karam, prayed in front of the statue. She said it helped her get in touch with her spiritual side and "realize what's important in life. It humbles me."
