Virgin Mary makes an appearance in Lakeville

LAKEVILLE —On the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 26, Mike Stanton of Lakeville looked out his patio door and saw something unusual on the concrete retaining wall.

Stanton believes it is an image of the Virgin Mary.

The image — of a face with what might be a veil above the eyes — is not clear in photos taken by this reporter early Friday morning, Feb. 3, but it was visible to the naked eye.

And Stanton’s own cell phone photos capture the image reasonably well.

Stanton is no stranger to this type of phenomenon. He regularly visits the town of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where apparitions of the Virgin Mary have been reported since 1981.

The town has become a destination for pilgrims.

Stanton’s first trip was in 1987. He did not return until 2005, when he was accompanied by his daughter.

Now he leads trips to the town. The 25th trip, with 23 people, is scheduled for May of this year.

Stanton described himself as “a lapsed Catholic” until he returned to the faith in 2004, before his second trip to Medugorje.

He pointed out that if one looks at the image at his home and then looks up, the steeple of St. Mary Church is visible.

Asked what he thought the meaning of the image on his wall might be, he said, “It’s a gift, but I don’t know if it’s for me or my mom or if it’s for my granddaughter.

“It builds my faith. I’ve seen a lot of things, but this just builds it.”

For more information on Stanton and trips to Medjugorje, go to www.betweenthefoldsofhermantle.com.

— Patrick L. Sullivan

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