The Statue of Our Lady of The Globe at the Basilica in Emmitsburg is Crying

Saturday October 13, 2007

For years there has been a rosary procession in honor of Our Lady of Fatima in Emmitsburg every May and October 13th. I have participated in this procession each time since 1999. In years past we have always processed from the Basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to St. Josephs.

Now that St. Joseph’s is always kept locked it did not seem that ending the rosary procession there was the best thing to do. There are always a lot of children in the procession and a locked church presents a cold and unwelcome atmosphere.

To avoid this problem Mike Sullivan decided to ask permission to begin and end the Fatima Rosary Procession on the grounds of the basilica. Mike asked the Mother Superior and permission was given. We were even told that in the event of rain we could have it inside.

Because of this change, this years Fatima Rosary Procession took a different route for the first time. It began at the lower level of the basilica and ended at the statue of Our Lady of The Globe on the upper level next to the main entrance and this is how it went:

Today is the 90th anniversary of the Miracle of The Sun in Fatima. We have our rosary procession at the basilica today at 1 pm. I woke up this morning and glanced at the clock as I got out of bed and the time was 8:13.

Later in the morning I rode to St. Peter’s Books for a cup of coffee because S.C.C. was working today. I left the book store to go to the 12 noon mass at the Grotto of Lourdes and as I did the CD flashed 1313. I drove the Grotto and just as I arrived and the car came to a complete stop the CD flashed 33.

Mass was held outside because of the good weather. The priest was Fr. Jack Lombardi and two other priest who were visiting. The homily was about Fatima. We knelt for the consecration and it was at that instant I felt the peace. I glanced down at my watch and the time was 12:33. Mass ended and I drove straight to the basilica for the 1 pm rosary procession. I arrived and the odometer was 1.3.

There were about forty or more people present for the procession. Carlos Delgado and Ray Sanders carried the statue of Our Lady of Fatima during the Joyful Mysteries and Mick Major and I carried Her during the Luminous Mysteries.

We processed around the grounds of the basilica and ended the procession in front of the bronze statue of Our Lady of The Globe near the main entrance. When we arrived at the statue we still had one complete decade of the rosary remaining. While we were standing there praying the rosary I looked up and noticed tear marks running down from Our Lady’s left eye, down Her cheek.

After a few minutes I nudged Jim T who was standing next to me and I said “Jim, it looks like Our Lady is crying.” Jim said “I think you are right.” I then said “I think I will take a picture.” Jim said, “I think you should.” I took some pictures and neither Jim or myself said anything to anybody else about the tears.

The rosary ended and as I walked back to my car I noticed the car that parked directly behind me had the license plate of 13.

I drove Ray Sanders home and then I drove home, just as the car came to a complete stop the CD flashed 33. Later in the afternoon I took my camera and loaded the pictures I took at the rosary procession onto my computer and it was then I noticed the time was 3:33.

I then emailed the pictures to a few people who were present at the procession. I did not mention in the email anything at all about the tears. A few hours later my phone rang and it was Mike Sullivan asking if I had noticed anything unusual about the pictures and I said “Yes, Our Lady is crying.

R_____ C___

Nov 13, 2007

10:33 Pm