Faithfull Flock to Garage Door

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'Oh come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem!
Come and behold him,
Born the king of angels'

So begins the old Christian hymn of faith, inviting believers to join in prayer for their lord Jesus Christ. And come they have, three hundred strong, people of all ages. From tiny tots to graying grandpas, they converged onto Lewis Street in the town of Minersville, Pennsylvania to witness a miracle, the appearance of the blessed Virgin Mary mother of Christ on a garage door. Their eyes alight, smiles from ear to ear, they wait their turn to see the image, glowing four feet tall in all its glory. Some touch it, passing their fingers around its outline, others pray, leaving flowers at the foot of the door below it.

The word is, the daily appearances are part of the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, a celebration of the Virgin Mary's ascension into heaven among Catholics on the 15th of August. At least that's what Colleen Olenick says:

According to TheRepublicanHerald.com, Olenick's family has a 1957 Plymouth stored in the garage - a car that her uncle, George Geles, Duncott, never got to drive. He purchased it shortly before becoming disabled in 1958, rendering him incapable of driving. When Geles died on July 3, 1996, the family said that he would finally be able to drive his car in heaven. And, more than that, Olenick said she got goose bumps when a fellow spectator mentioned the image resembled St. Theresa. Her sister, Maryann Theresa Willis-Sims, Pottsville, died from cancer in June.

My mom used to call her Theresa, Olenick said. I just had this feeling that it was her on the garage door, just telling us she's OK because our family is just a mess over it. When I saw it, I thought of what our family always says, 'Uncle Georgie picked her up (in his Plymouth) and they're letting us know she's up there with him now'. It was her telling us she was in heaven with her uncle," Olenick said.

Others shared similar sentiments:
"You feel relieved when you see it, it's like all your worries are gone," said Cecilia Sell of Mahanoy City. Although the prevailing feeling is that it is a true manifestation of Mary, some are skeptical, attributing it to a reflection from a window across the street.

This is not a new phenomenon in Christianity, manifestations of Jesus or Mary have been reported worldwide, wherever Christian faithful are found. From burnt toast and grilled cheese sandwiches to shower stains and crying Madonna statues, there has been no shortage of divine manifestations in modern times.