Couple Says An Image Of The Virgin Mary Has Appeared At Their East El Paso Home

KTSM News Channel 9 ^ | June 3, 2011 | Oralia Ortega

[Alex Murphy]

EL PASO- A stunning sight at an East El Paso home, where neighbors flock to see what they say is the apparition of the Virgin Mary.

The Virgin was first spotted Saturday in the backyard and has been appearing ever since. But what makes this story even more interesting is the other images people say they see when they snap pictures, pictures of what some say are demons surrounding the virgin.

The homeowner has always called his backyard "Mary’s garden" and now what appears to be the image of the Virgin Mary has shown up on a rock wall.

“I don't know if this is a message from God. I don't know but it's just a miracle,” says Marta Ramirez, who came to see the Virgin.

It was Saturday night when the homeowners told us the image first showed up. Alex Guillen says he had about 50 people over for his 50th birthday bash. “We just all of a sudden saw like a light turn on and it turned out to be the Virgin Mary. She came on my 50th birthday. She still hasn't left,” says Alex.

We were there before sunset and watched the image appear right before our very eyes taking pictures every 10 minutes starting at 8:20 p.m. “You can see the face right here. And then it goes all the way down right here. You can see her fingers and her robe goes all the way down,” says Alex.

Alex says the people who saw the apparition at his party started spreading the word and every day more people show up to pray, light candles and flowers by the virgin's apparition.

Martha Ramirez, a cancer survivor, is one of those who came to see the image for herself. “I touched it and I felt so good but I didn't want to touch it at first because I didn't want it to go away and it didn't,” says Marta.

The pictures that people have taken have led to speculations of other images surrounding the Virgin. “I've actually had people tell me that they saw Jesus Christ in back, just different things,” says Alex. “It's a lot of speculation, you know, of you know, demons and goat heads and jackal heads and all kinds of stuff.”

Right in the middle of the Virgin's robe, you can see the image of a goat head. “See the horns right here, the eyes, the nose the mouth, looks like a chin. Looks like it has horns,” says Alex.

In another picture, there's speculation about a skull. We’ve magnified the image to take a closer look and let you judge for yourself. And then in another picture, there's a glowing red head that appears to have horns.

“His face is red but it looks like a goat. It looks like a goat and I was just in awe,” says Nancy Guillen. “My mother-in-law walked over to what she thought was a demon-looking thing and we poured holy water with it with the sign of the cross. And we did say a Hail Mary also, all of us,” says Alex.

Those images, plus what appears to be the number 5 at the bottom of the virgin's robe led Nancy, Alex's wife, to do some research on the internet to find out what the demons and the number 5 could all mean.

“And I ran into this virgin and it looked like the Virgin that appeared on my wall. So I clicked on her. I never heard of her, this name I’ve never heard and it so happened that she appeared in 1876,” says Nancy.

The article says the lady the Virgin appeared to had cancer and the Virgin told the woman she'd be ok. “And it was telling her that she was going to be spared, that Christ was being merciful and she was going to live and he needed her here but she still had to suffer five more days for the five wounds of Christ,” says Nancy.

When she read about a demon also appearing with the image of the Virgin, she says she was convinced, this was the same Virgin. “And the virgin tells this lady 'Do not fear, for my son is merciful and he has sent me here and you will be ok,'” says Nancy.

Alex says he also believes what the Virgin is trying to say is that she's there to protect against all evil forces.

“I have a feeling in my bones, she's taking care of me. She's getting evil away from me. She's getting evil away from me. She came in to protect me,” says Alex.

We tried contacting the Catholic Diocese for comment but we were told that the bishop is out of town.

[Alex Murphy]

It was Saturday night when the homeowners told us the image first showed up. Alex Guillen says he had about 50 people over for his 50th birthday bash. “We just all of a sudden saw like a light turn on and it turned out to be the Virgin Mary. She came on my 50th birthday. She still hasn't left,” says Alex. We were there before sunset and watched the image appear right before our very eyes taking pictures every 10 minutes starting at 8:20 p.m. “You can see the face right here. And then it goes all the way down right here. You can see her fingers and her robe goes all the way down,” says Alex....

....Right in the middle of the Virgin's robe, you can see the image of a goat head. “See the horns right here, the eyes, the nose the mouth, looks like a chin. Looks like it has horns,” says Alex. In another picture, there's speculation about a skull. We’ve magnified the image to take a closer look and let you judge for yourself. And then in another picture, there's a glowing red head that appears to have horns. “His face is red but it looks like a goat. It looks like a goat and I was just in awe,” says Nancy Guillen. “My mother-in-law walked over to what she thought was a demon-looking thing and we poured holy water with it with the sign of the cross. And we did say a Hail Mary also, all of us,” says Alex.

Those images, plus what appears to be the number 5 at the bottom of the virgin's robe led Nancy, Alex's wife, to do some research on the internet to find out what the demons and the number 5 could all mean....The article says the lady the Virgin appeared to had cancer and the Virgin told the woman she'd be ok. “And it was telling her that she was going to be spared, that Christ was being merciful and she was going to live and he needed her here but she still had to suffer five more days for the five wounds of Christ,” says Nancy. When she read about a demon also appearing with the image of the Virgin, she says she was convinced, this was the same Virgin. “And the virgin tells this lady 'Do not fear, for my son is merciful and he has sent me here and you will be ok,'” says Nancy.

[QBFimi]

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz.

[getitright]

Oh this is ridiculous. That image is so obviously Mary’s older sister Laura. How can anyone not see that? Anyone who thinks this is Mary is insane. That is Laura’s nose without a doubt.

/sarc

[gov_bean_ counter]

There are virgins in El Paso???

Who knew?

[Natural Law]

Someone is going to have to explain Alex's obsession with pareidolia, more specifically simulacrum, the ability to see religious imagery in natural phenomena.

[mancini]

Yep, sure looks like her. *facepalm*

[NoGrayZone]

I wouldn’t “zzzzzzz” if I were you. The Bible states He will be speaking once again to us in the last of days.

It’s these little miracles, which I’m sure a lot of FReepers have probably experienced in their day to day life (found them in Quix’s last thread).

They should be taken seriously.

[ZX12R]

They should be taken seriously.

You left off the sarcasm identifier.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Hail Mary,
full of grace,
help my horse,
to win the race!

Ave Maria,
Gratia plena,
Succurro meus equus,
Ut lucror conflictus!

[SECURE AMERICA]

According to me, my bank account APPEARS to have $3,800,532.00 in it.
If however I wrote a check for $5,000.00 I would be arrested.

[Quix]

Thanks.

I believe there are some critical criteria by which we are to measure

. . . essentially . . . EVERYTHING . . .

certainly such phenomena:

1. ARE THEY BIBLICAL?

2. PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF BIBLICAL PRIORITIES—DO THEY GLORFY GOD VS ANYONE OR ANYTHING ELSE?

3. DO THEY ARRIVE VIA A SOURCE THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT JESUS CAME IN THE FLESH AND THE BASIC DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH? At the very very least do they avoid contradicting or misdirecting away from any of those basic truths?

4. IS THE FRUIT of the phenomena that individuals END UP CLOSER TO GOD, MORE INTIMATE WITH GOD vs closer or more intimate with anyone or anything else?

Perhaps A-G would add something more to these criteria.

[NoGrayZone]

No sarcasm here; therefore, no need for the “identifier”

[Kartographer]

“Thats the thing about faith, If you don’t have it you can’t understand it. And if you do, no explanation is necessary.”

[NoGrayZone]

It seems to me, from the article, everyone going to see it is actually bringing them CLOSER to God.

We often talk about the “fruit” of a situation. This “fruit” seems to be bringing people closer to God. Perhaps they are praying more than usual, ALLOWING Him into their lives, more than they have been.

The one lady who saw a demon went and poured Holy water upon it. satan and it's demons are nothing but lies. They want the world to think that those who believe are “crazy” (you of all people know exactly what I mean).

He is here. He is now beginning, in my most humble opinion, to show Himself, even in the most tiny “obscure” ways.

It is WE that have to be open to see Him.

[ZX12R]

“Thats the thing about faith, If you don’t have it you can’t understand it. And if you do, no explanation is necessary.”

That's the thing about a simpleton's justification for anything whatsoever. If you don't have it, you're stuck facing the world as it is. And if you do have it, make believe is just dandy.

[faucetman]

I saw the Virgin in my ham sandwich last night, but I was so hungry, I ate it before the church officials got there.

All of these “sightings” are just plain embarrassing. They make all Christians, not just Catholics, look FOOLISH. Just more ammunition for the secular world to ridicule people of faith. This stuff hurts our credibility with the lost we are trying to reach.

I would be more inclined to believe this image (if real) is demonic.

[ZX12R]

I saw the Virgin in my ham sandwich last night, but I was so hungry, I ate it before the church officials got there.

Go directly to hell. Do not pass the Vatican. Do not collect $200.00

[Quix]

The caveat I will offer is

that, imho, The God of The Bible is big enough to use anything for His purposes and His good will.

Nevertheless, in general . . . virtually always . . .

giving glory to anyone or anything else THAN GOD, is a spiritual hazard; dead end, destructive, deadly.

[Kartographer]

Thanks for caustically proving my point.

Is it better to let those who would believe in miracles believe or is it better to mock them for their belief?

"and the just will live by faith" Romans 1:17

[Brian Kopp DPM]

You should repeat this often: