Faithful Flock To See Images Of Mary In Chicago Trees
Sebastian Cuaya has been praying for the Virgin Mary's help ever since he came to the United States from Mexico three years ago.
He has spent the last three days among a cluster of trees that he and a growing number of faithful believe bears images of Jesus' mother.
"The Virgin of Guadalupe came here to give us hope," Cuaya said in Spanish.
On Wednesday, in downtown West Chicago, he spotted a tree scar resembling the robed figure of a woman. Since then, images have been noticed on nearby trees in the suburb, and Cuaya has been joined by hundreds of visitors a day, many of them Hispanics, who want to get a glimpse of Mary in an open area next to a True Value hardware store.
"You do not believe it until you see the Virgin," said 46-year-old Laura Aguilar, who heard the buzz and dropped by out of curiosity. "We are privileged to have her here."
As she wiped water seeping from a tree onto her chest, she said, "It's holy water, tears."
Cuaya, 36, has been sleeping on the ground in front of a makeshift shrine of branches, pictures of Mary and Jesus, fresh and plastic flowers, dozens of candles and a child's drawing of Mary. His friends have taken turns bringing him meals.
The landscaper said he has prayed for himself and other Mexican immigrants who toil to make ends meet. He wants a church built on the spot, which he considers sacred.
It's also considered a little troublesome. With the increased traffic, there already have been several accidents in the True Value parking lot, said West Chicago police Cmdr. Spencer Kroning. An officer was stationed at the lot Friday to help with traffic and crowds.
People still visit another image that the faithful believe is Mary. It was discovered last year at the corner of Rogers and Honore in Rogers Park. It's a darker scar on a tree now circled by a tent filled with icons and chairs. "Twenty, 25, sometimes 50 people come every evening," said Pablo Gonzalez, 68, an ice cream vendor, who was gazing at the tree Friday afternoon.
In 1531, Juan Diego, a peasant in northwest Mexico, reported a vision of Mary, who ordered him to go to the bishop and tell him she wanted a church in her honor built on that spot. Today, it's the site of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The West Chicago sightings come less than two weeks before a group of 80 Chicago area residents are to embark on a pilgrimage to Mexico City for the canonization of Juan Diego.
It's common for trees to get "wounds" when branches fall off or are cut, or when some other damage is done, said Ed Hedborn, plant records manager at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. "It's just a natural process for a tree."
APPARITIONS THROUGH THE YEARS
Several apparitions have been reported in the Chicago area in the last 20 years, each drawing dozens or hundreds of believers. Among them are statues, paintings and icons that appear to weep, and images, shapes or shadows that appear on walls, windows or trees. Some of the best-known include:
*June 1984: A wooden statue of the Virgin Mary at St. John of God Catholic Church on the Southwest Side appeared to weep. The Chicago Archdiocese said it could not rule out natural causes.
*1986: A painting of Mary appeared to weep, beginning on her name day, at Nicholas Albanian Orthodox Church on the Northwest Side.
*1991: Crowds trampled graves at Queen of Heaven Cemetery when a man said he saw a fiberglass crucifix there bleed.
*1994: Tearlike moisture streamed down an icon of Mary at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Cicero.
*1997: In Hanover Park, a security light created a shadow that many believed resembled the virgin.
*1999: A shadowy outline of Mary was seen in the window of a vacant house.
*2001: A scar on a tree trunk in Rogers Park was thought to be an image of Mary.
Brenda Warner Rotzoll
• Story originally published by:
Chicago Sun-Times / IL | Julie Patel - July 20.02
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