HOMEOWNERS SAY VIRGIN MARY APPARITION CONTINUES TO DRAW CROWDS

Homeowners Say Virgin Mary Apparition Continues To Draw Crowds

By Oralia Ortega - Main Anchor
Saturday, June 4, 2011 - 2:30pm

A follow up on a story that's got a lot of people talking. We've received a lot of feedback about what some say is the apparition of the Virgin Mary in East El Paso. We went back to the home, this time, with members of the Catholic church.

Right before the sun went down, about 100 people gathered in an East El Paso backyard, where the homeowners say the they've seen a vision of the Virgin Mary every night since Saturday.

"She decided to come here and bless us for six days. We didn't know if she was going to be here today. We didn't even know that. She showed up again," said homeowner Alex Guillen.

Most of the curious guests don't know each other but they pray together with rosaries in hand, united by what they call a miracle. "You could feel something special," said Alex's wife, Nancy Guillen. "There were so many people and we were all praying. I felt something really special. I felt warmth."

The homeowners say the image first appeared at Alex's 50th birthday party. Nancy says she spotted the apparition first, and immediately the focus shifted from the party to the figure on the rock wall. "We couldn't believe what we were seeing. It was surreal," said Nancy.

When we visited the Guillens for the first time, we began taking pictures of the wall as the sun went down. As the sky darkened, the image emerges: a robed figure which believers say resembles Mary the mother of Jesus.

An El Paso nun, Sister Martha, says it's important to focus on praying rather than what some say in an apparition. "We need to pray in our churches, where we go, or whatever we do in the morning, just to remember that Mary's here, that Jesus is here. We can just say our Hail Mary or our Our Father," said Sister Martha.

Patricia Calderon, who brought her daughter and granddaughter to the site, says she thinks the apparition is exactly what El Paso and the world needs right now. "There's a lot of ugly stuff going on in this world and I believe she appears when the world needs to get spiritually connected again," said Patricia. "The world isn't beautiful nowadays," said Patricia's daughter, Stephanie Carroll. "Maybe this is what people need."

And some visitors say the apparition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that they're blessed to be a part of.

"I think, until God gives me life, I will keep this in my memory. I feel my faith. I feel proud to have lived this moment," said Margarita Aguilar.

Sister Martha says the important thing to remember is that even though God is always with us, we need to keep praying as a part of our daily lives.

"I think the world needs to know that we can pray and prayer can change things," said Sister Martha.

http://www.ktsm.com/virgin/homeowners-say-virgin-mary-apparition-continues-to-draw-crowds