Devout worshippers flock to see a piece of algae they’re convinced looks like the Virgin Mary
The alleged miracle – which a young boy claims to have seen moving – was spotted on a street in Nobsa, central Colombia
DEVOUT worshippers are flocking to see a patch of algae growing under a leaking pipe that they’re convinced looks like the Virgin Mary.
The alleged miracle – which one lad claims to have seen moving – was spotted on a street in Nobsa, in Boyaca, central Colombia.
Worshippers have said this patch of algae looks like the Virgin MaryA young boy was the first to discover the water running down the side of the brick wall of a canal, with algae growing resembling the robed virgin.
The mother of the young lad reported her son's story to local media.
She said: "He says that when he crossed the bridge, he heard a sound, as if there were a small animal trapped there.
"When he turned to look, my son saw the image of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe.
"He says that he immediately walked through the stream and began to take pictures of the image.
"At that moment, the image moved, and he was afraid.
"He knelt and prayed and then he ran out to tell me.
"I was in the warehouse and I went to check it with my own eyes because initially I did not believe him
"But it turned out to be true."
There have been some 2,000 reported sightings of the Virgin Mary
There have been 2,000 reported sightings of the Virgin Mary since the year AD40.
By the 16th century, there were so many “miracle” claims being made that the Roman Catholic Church instituted a strict vetting process.
Some are exposed as fakes or mistakes, while others get the stamp of approval – with somebeing claimed by people who went on to become saints.
To receive the church’s official endorsement, apparitions must be deemed miraculous with a high degree of certainty.
They must also fall in line with church doctrine as well as being found to have had a positive impact, National Geographic reports.
One of the most famous to be officially approved was the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe before Saint Juan Diego in Mexico City in the 16th century.
Another was the appearance of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal to St Catherine Laboure in Paris in the 19th century.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a title used for the Virgin Mary associated with an image of her in a church in Mexican capital Mexico City.
Word of the appearance rapidly passed through the community and people came flocking to see the “miracle”.
Local man Hugo Fuertes told Colombian media: "The people there were shocked, almost paralysed.
"The news spread everywhere, and began the procession of people praying the holy rosary to the image of the Virgin."
But the local church is asking for people to wait for the miracle to be certified.
Father Victor Leguizamon said: "When there is an apparition, one must act prudently until the competent authority certifies the authenticity."
While the church is carrying out all the necessary protocols to determine if it is indeed a miraculous apparition, the image has attracted a pilgrimage of hundreds of parishioners and tourists.
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The incident is not the first claimed sighting of the Blessed Virgin, with thousands sighted around the world since 40AD.
Worshippers claimed to have spotted the Virgin in the clouds above an Irish shrine in June after it was predicted by a teenage mystic.
Mexican villagers claimed a statue of Jesus’ mother was crying and moving her hands in September after a deadly earthquake.
And Venezuelan pilgrims were left amazed after they spotted a cloud resembling the Virgin Mary in April.
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