Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Pilgrims flock to Sterling Heights home to see Virgin Mary's bowed head, photos.
The Macomb Daily News ^ | October 1, 2005 | Gordon Wilczynski

Posted on 10/04/2005 6:07:45 AM PDT by devoted

Miraculous?

Pilgrims flock to Sterling Heights home to see Virgin Mary's bowed head, photos.

PUBLISHED: October 1, 2005

By Gordon Wilczynski Macomb Daily staff Writer

Macomb Daily staff photo by Craig Gaffield Pilgrims come to see a statue of the Virgin Mary on the front lawn of a Sterling Heights home Friday.

The unexpected death of a beloved Sterling Heights man has triggered what some people are calling a religious miracle, attracting hundreds of visitors in recent weeks. The family of the deceased believes the death of Ghassan Pattah, 39, on Aug. 29, has spawned a spiritual message from the Blessed Virgin -- to renew the faith of people in God.

"We've had hundreds, and I mean hundreds, of people come here to see the Blessed Virgin and say they will quit doing bad things and straighten out," said Sal Pattah, brother of Ghassan Pattah. "That's what my brother would have wanted."

When Ghassan Pattah, who was a devout Chaldean Catholic, came down with a fever, he told his mother the Virgin Mary visited him. A Virgin Mary statue on his family's front lawn bowed her head and shed tears in apparent sorrow, according to the family. The statue of Jesus Christ's mother had been looking straight ahead prior to the Ghassan's death.

When he died, Mary's image appeared in the family's photographs of Pattah, and people have witnessed Mary blinking or producing a tear in photographs of her, the family said.

Streams of people have been flowing to the home on Fox Hill Drive since then, many of them chanting, saying prayers, wrapping prayer beads around the statue's neck and looking at the photos on display.

"Being a Chaldean Catholic and religious is in our blood," said Shahla Gabbara, who came from Macomb Township to visit the statue and see several of the photos on display. "This is like a true sign from our Blessed Mother that she exists."

The family on Friday had a Plexiglas box placed over the statue to protect it, and photos were encased.

Melinda Youkhanna said she lives down the street from the Pattah house and couldn't get near her house because of traffic congestion. She has noticed license plates from countless states.

"The people just want to pray to the Virgin Mary," Youkhanna said. "They are of all nationalities."

Mark Mikal of Sterling Heights said he found out about the Virgin Mary from many other people who heard the story in church.

Nishwin Mikal said he came because he believes in God and the Blessed Mother. He said he prayed and touched the picture of the Virgin Mary.

Despite the official cause of death being a heart attack, Sal Pattah said he believes his brother died from a mysterious illness. Sal Pattah said his brother was in the best of health.

Sal Pattah said Ghassan was a very good and religious person. Sal, who worked with Ghassan at Mazin Foods in Detroit, said three days before his brother died he painted the entire house and did a lot of other work as though he was preparing to leave this world.

"My brother went to the doctor who said he had a cold," said Sal. "He never smoked or drank and was a very healthy person."

When it was discovered that Ghassan had a fever, the head of the Blessed Mother statute bent down, Sal said.

While in the hospital, Ghassan told his mother that he had a visit from the Virgin Mary, Sal said. He told Sal that he was going to die.

"He told me to take care of mom (Amira Pattah)," said Sal, who added that his brother had no intentions of marrying until his brothers and sister married. "He was always good to my mom."

Sal Pattah lives at the home with his mother, sister, three brothers and sister-in-law.

When Ghassan died, the hospital called his sister, Rajah. All of the family members that were gathered at their home started crying. They looked at one of the many pictures of the Virgin Mary the Pattah family had at their home.

"The Virgin Mary's eyes were blinking and then it started dropping tears," Sal said. "We had a picture of the Virgin in the hallway and her eyes also were blinking. All of the members of our family and hundreds of other people saw this."

Sal said his mother had planned to sell the house prior to Ghassan's death. But now Amira Pattah plans to keep it in light of the Blessed Virgin's reaction.

"A lady came out here last week who had cancer and she prayed by the statute," Sal said. "She came back the other day and said the cancer left.

"People are trying to give me money and I won't take it. We also have a picture of my brother and suddenly two pictures of the Blessed Virgin appeared in them.

"I don't know why. I can't explain it, but I do know it's a miracle."

People have been visiting the Pattah house as late as 3 and 4 a.m.

Sal said he believes the Blessed Virgin came to his family because people don't believe in God as they once did. He said God sends occasional messages in the form of hurricanes and storms, such as hurricanes Katrina and Rita, to get people to start thinking of religion once again.

Visitor Gabbara said she was sold when she learned Ghassan told his mother that the Blessed Mother was speaking to him in Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. Amira said Ghassan started speaking back to her in Aramaic, a language that is unfamiliar to him.

Some of the pilgrims and family members said the statute with its head bowed down is more than a miracle -- God is trying to tell them to straighten up and behave. They said they believe the mother of Christ is trying to tell them that she is with them in their every deed and thought.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: blessedmother; catholiclist; michigan; miracles; religion; sterlingheights; virinmary
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last
This is located in Sterling Heights, Michigan which is a northern suburb of Detroit.
1 posted on 10/04/2005 6:07:45 AM PDT by devoted
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: devoted

I've never heard of Chaldean Catholicism. Anybody know how it differs from the Roman variety?


2 posted on 10/04/2005 6:11:00 AM PDT by Pessimist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devoted

3 posted on 10/04/2005 6:12:18 AM PDT by PBRSTREETGANG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: Pessimist

Ur of the Chaldees or UR of the Roman?.........


5 posted on 10/04/2005 6:14:58 AM PDT by Red Badger (In life, you don't get what you deserve. You get what you settle for...........)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Allan

fyi


6 posted on 10/04/2005 6:20:35 AM PDT by ARridgerunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: devoted; Diva

Ping

Pinz


7 posted on 10/04/2005 6:23:01 AM PDT by pinz-n-needlez
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pessimist; NYer

Chaldean Catholics are Eastern Rite. The Iraqis that I know are Chaldean. They use Aramaic, the language of Christ in their mass.

Nyer can help with a better explaination.


8 posted on 10/04/2005 6:25:35 AM PDT by netmilsmom (God blessed me with a wonderful husband.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: devoted

Hey! You have FReepmail.


9 posted on 10/04/2005 6:26:29 AM PDT by netmilsmom (God blessed me with a wonderful husband.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pessimist

The Chaldeans of Beth Nahreen (Mesopotamia which is current days Iraq, east Syria, and south east Turkey) are a live continuation of all the indigenous people of Mesopotamia whether their tribal names were Sumerians, Akkadians, Amorites, Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Aramaeans. The language of the Chaldean people is Aramaic, a different dialect than that spoken by Jesus Christ.
By the fall of the Assyrian Empire (612 B.C.) and Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire (539 B.C.), Mesopotamia and the lower valley of the Tigris-Euphrates were still predominantly pagan. With the advent of Christianity, most of the nation gradually converted, largely through the missionary works of Saints Addai and Mari. It is also historically accepted that St. Thomas the Apostle had a hand in the matter during this passage to India.

Most of Iraq remained Christian, until the advent of Islam in the mid 7th century A.D. But even in those early years, not everyone converted to Islam. There were sizable numbers of Christians and pagans, as well as Jews. One of the contributing factors to the presence of several religions may very well have been the Koran itself. The Koran speaks reverently of the Torah and the Gospel, as well as the religious significance of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

In Iraq, a turning point in Christianity took place in 431 A.D., when the patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, differed with the rest of the Roman Catholic Church over specific dogmas concerning Christ's personhood. (As a Western parallel, the reader may refer to the example of Martin Luther versus Catholicism.) The Eastern sector was divided as a result of this split over church principles. Some continued to follow the Nestorian thought, while others elected, in 1552 (more than eleven centuries later), to abide by the teachings of Rome.

Today, there are still thousands among the Assyrians who are Christians but not Roman Catholics. Those who are Catholics belong to what is commonly known as the "Chaldean" Church.

Let us consider the historical perspective to better understand the use of the designation "Chaldean" for the Catholics of Iraq. In Babylon, and the Babylonian Empire, different tribes ruled at various times. Regardless of who ascended the throne, Babylon always remained the capital, also, as an empire, the term "Babylonian" remained intact.

The Assyrian Empire, especially under Sennacherib, stood indestructible for centuries. Sennacherib won every single battle he engaged in; a veritable military genius whom no one could destroy -- except Babylon. He was killed there in one of the Babylonian temples.

As history would have it, this Chaldean regime was the last to rule in Babylon. The last name of this empire was not eternally attached to the Chaldeans, therefore whoever spoke of the final state of Babylon found himself simultaneously speaking of the Chaldeans. The name "Chaldean", in this final stage, included both Babylon and Ninevah (Assyria).

It is not unusual, therefore, to think of the last vestiges of the two fallen empires as "Chaldeans" collectively, since at the final collapse, Babylon included both the lower valley and upper Mesopotamia.

The Chaldeans and Assyrians, therefore, became one people as a result of political circumstances. They were now, perforce, all "Chaldeans" in the sense that the Chaldean Empire was their final name under one nation.

Many races came and went with the shifts of political rule. The Chaldeans, i.e., the "insiders", were the only natives that were non-intruders. Those who came into the country to rule and establish a new homeland cannot be properly described as Chaldeans.

The two names, "Chaldean" and "Assyrian", are still widely used. In the area of religion, "Chaldean" still applies to all Chaldean Catholics of Iraq who use the Aramaic language and follow the teachings of Rome. The term "Assyrian" is used to indicate the followers of Nestorius, and has been employed as a name for the Nestorian Church since 1886.

In 1445, the then-Nestorian Church in Cyprus indicated her wishes to join Rome, the pope accepted the letter of conversion from Bishop Timothawes of the Chaldeans in Tarshish and Cyprus who wrote Pope Eugene IV identifying himself as "Bishop Timothaeus of the Chaldeans..". On September 7, 1445, Pope Eugene IV accepted the conversion of the Chaldean community in Cyprus into Catholicism, and from then on the word "Chaldean" became the official term used to identify Chaldean Catholics by the Roman Church. Today, the Archbishop of Iraq's Chaldean Catholics goes by the official name of "The Patriarch of Babylon over the Chaldeans".

In conclusion, when in 1552 the major split in the Church of the East took place with a good percentage of the church converting to Catholicism, Rome simply extended the name of the Chaldean Church of Cyprus to cover all those new Catholic converts in Mesopotamia proper. That is, it followed the name used by the Nestorian Christian descendents of the Babylonians and Assyrians of Mesopotamia to identify themselves. After all, they spoke the Chaldean language, they carried on the Chaldean heritage, they practiced the customs that were undeniably Chaldean -- what better name to identify them with than "Chaldeans". They were not Romans, Medes, Turks, Mongols, nor Macedonians, but "Chaldeans"! Therefore, the name "Chaldean" has come to bear national significance, linguistic and cultural aspects, as well as religious connotations.

The Chaldean Church consists of Middle Eastern Christians who use Aramaic as their mother tongue. It is one of the eighteen Eastern Rites recognized by the Holy Sea in Rome. The head of the Chaldean Church today is the Patriarch MAR RAPHAEL I BIDAWID, Patriarch of Babylon, who resides in Baghdad. Throughout the world, Chaldeans number more than one million. The greatest concentration of Chaldean Catholics today are in Mesopotamia - Iraq.


10 posted on 10/04/2005 6:29:24 AM PDT by WilliamWallace1999
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Pookyhead
Hail Mary, mother of God. Blessed are thou among all women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Lord Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God. Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

11 posted on 10/04/2005 8:01:33 AM PDT by MarineBrat (When it rains, New Orleans makes its own gravy.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: WilliamWallace1999

Thank you for the information on the Chaldean Catholic Church.


12 posted on 10/05/2005 7:35:33 AM PDT by devoted
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: devoted; Salvation

Ping


13 posted on 10/05/2005 7:40:07 AM PDT by devoted
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

Pong.


14 posted on 10/05/2005 7:52:08 AM PDT by Antoninus (The greatest gifts parents can give their children are siblings.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: evets
you're gonna get your knuckles slapped....
16 posted on 10/05/2005 7:57:41 AM PDT by steveo (Member: Fathers Against Rude Television)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Red Badger
I don't know as I am not an Ur-ologist.
17 posted on 10/05/2005 8:29:47 AM PDT by fish hawk (I am only one, but I am not the only one.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Pessimist
I've never heard of Chaldean Catholicism. Anybody know how it differs from the Roman variety?

Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. According to the Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, the Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity (LG, no. 23). At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The new Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, uses the phrase "autonomous ritual Churches" to describe these various Churches (canon 112). Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 22 Eastern Catholic Churches. The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarizes this nicely:

"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814).

Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments. Many Eastern Catholic Churches use the same Rite, although they are distinct autonomous Churches. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Melkite Catholic Church are distinct Churches with their own hierarchies. Yet they both use the Byzantine Rite.

To learn more about the "two lungs" of the Catholic Church, visit this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15).

To locate an Eastern Catholic Church in your community, follow the following link:

Eastern Catholic Churches in the U.S.

A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Liturgy and fulfill his of her obligations at and Eastern Catholic Parish. A Roman rite Catholic may join any Eastern Catholic Parish and receive any sacrament from an Eastern Catholic priest, since all belong to the Catholic Church as a whole. I am a Roman Catholic practicing my faith at a Maronite Catholic Church. Like the Chaleans, the Maronites retain Aramaic for the Consecration. It is as close as one comes to being at the Last Supper.

Please freepmail me if you would like more information on the Eastern Catholic Churches.

18 posted on 10/05/2005 9:23:43 AM PDT by NYer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: american colleen; Lady In Blue; Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; ...
Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


19 posted on 10/05/2005 9:25:07 AM PDT by NYer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

This story is deeply, deeply moving.


20 posted on 10/05/2005 11:51:39 AM PDT by Maeve (Praying........)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson