'Weeping Madonna' statue tours Catholic churches in Youngstown
The Pilgrim Virgin Statue is on display at St. Maron Church on Saturday as it makes its way through churches within the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.
According to the Catholic Echo, the story of Our Lady of Fatima began in 1917 during World War I, when the Virgin Mary visited three children in Fatima, Portugal through several apparitions.
The Pilgrim Virgin Statue was made in 1947 by artist Jose Thedim and has toured the world over the last handful of decades.
The statue was blessed by Pope Pius XXII in 1952 and has toured since then, visiting more than 100 countries.
The Catholic Echo details the history of the statue, now known as the "Weeping Madonna." The name comes from several occurrences when the statue was photographed appearing to shed tears.
The first instance happened on July 16, 1972, and has happened several times since then.
This isn't the first time that the statue has made its way to Youngstown with the first tour of the Diocese of Youngstown happening in 1986.
St. Maron's Church on S Meridian Road will have the statue on display until 8:30 p.m. Saturday. It will then go to Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church on W Rayen Avenue from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
It will make a trip to Ashtabula Monday before coming back to the Valley, with a stop at St. Dominic's Church in Youngstown on Tuesday and a final stop at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Austintown on Wednesday.