The Virgin Mary which first appeared to a window cleaner. |
Virgin Mary Image In Window: It will be a long wait before the Malaysian Catholic community gets “official approval” from the local bishop or the Vatican to raise a Hail Mary or light a candle to Our Lady of Subang Jaya although hundreds of them are already singing Ave Maria at a “holy” site in front of a private hospital. For now, to the corporate Catholic Church of Malaysia, Our Lady of Subang Jaya — a purported apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a window pane at the Sime Darby Medical Centre — which first appeared to a window cleaner and is being witnessed by hundreds of people daily — is just a pixel of an abstract image on a window pane. This sighting of the Mother of Jesus may be deemed as authentic or not at all by Kuala Lumpur Archbishop Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam, who will most likely discern according to the “Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations” — a document issued in 1978 by the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (SCDF).
GATHERING IN FAITH: Roman Catholics offer prayers in front of an image said to be the Virgin Mary that appeared on the window of Sime Darby Medical Centre on Nov 11. |
Like previous apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary such as the one in Lourdes (France), or Fatima (Portugal) or Guadalupe (Mexico), it is going to be a long haul for Our Lady of Subang Jaya. She has to earn her pedestal through rigorous theological and scientific verification by local theologians and other experts. This could take years or even centuries to gain acceptance as an authentic phenomenon — as was the case of Our Lady of Laus (France) which received diocesan approval for Catholic devotion in 1665 but formal recognition as a supernatural event only in 2008. According to the 1978 SCDF prescription, the diocesan bishop can initiate a process of investigation on his own initiative or at the request of the faithful when such a phenomenon occurs. Read more..
Handling with care: Workers removing the window panels at the Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC) in Subang Jaya. |
‘Virgin Mary’ glass panes moved to Klang: (Petaling Jaya): The glass panel at the Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC), which has an image said to resemble the Virgin Mary, has been moved to a Catholic church in Klang. In a statement, Sime Darby Bhd said two panels from the North Tower of the hospital complex had been taken down in a 95-minute operation which began at 10am yesterday. “One of the panels has marks that some claim resemble artistic depictions of Mary, the Mother of Jesus,” the company said. Some eyewitnesses also claimed to have seen another image forming on one of the windows below, which allegedly resembled the face of Jesus.
The company stressed that the removal of the glass panels was carried out by professionals and due care was taken. “Church leaders and members of the Subang Jaya parish were present to witness the removal of the window panels,” it said. The panels were moved to the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang. Hundreds of people witnessed the removal process with many whipping out their handphones to record the event.
Faith and perception: The window panels at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Klang. |
In Klang, Catholics turned up in droves at the church as word spread that the glass panels had been brought there. Both panels are being displayed in the chapel, located behind the church. Parish priest Rev Fr Michael Chua said the panels can be viewed by the public from 7am to 10pm daily. Catholics were seen clutching the rosary and silently praying. Many also took photographs of the panels. Retiree Michael Ghana said this was his fifth time viewing the image. He had gone to SDMC four times previously. “Today, the image is clearer than usual. It’s a miracle,” he said. Patimary Anthony Raju, 58, said she was very happy that the panels were moved to her parish church. “I can feel Mother Mary’s presence when praying,” she said.
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Miracle At Mercy - Springfield, Massachusetts.
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