CAMPBELL As stories of statue's miracle grow, so do crowds

Miracle or not, the glowing statue brought people together.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CAMPBELL -- The crowds are getting bigger, arriving earlier and staying later, prompting the city to take pre-emptive action in the event of an emergency.
Curious onlookers and the faithful have been gathering outside St. Joseph the Provider Church to see for themselves what some say is a miracle since a group of women noticed the glowing eyes and heart of a statue of Mary, mother of Jesus, on the bell tower about two weeks ago.
Weekend crowds swelled, packing Masses on Saturday and Sunday. Some worshippers streamed into the church to pray until the wee hours of the morning, according to Rocky Yeropoli, who lives across the street.
Around-the-clock crowds
Crowds gathered outside around the clock, praying or peering through binoculars in front of the statue of Mary on the west side of the bell tower and the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the east side.
Neighbors, for the most part, aren't bothered by the crowds except when people park on both sides of the street, hampering the flow of traffic, Yeropoli said.
To discourage drivers from parking along both sides of the road, police placed bright orange pylons along the curb in front of the church Saturday.
Keeping one side of the road clear allows traffic to flow smoothly and ensures that emergency vehicles can get through, said Police Chief Gus Sarigianopoulos.
If the crowds continue, Yeropoli said he suggested that Porter Avenue and Sanderson Street be temporarily converted to one-way traffic. "We just had a festival about a month ago, and it was one-way for that, and it worked," he said.
What else was seen
Meanwhile, stories of unexplained occurrences at the church continue.
Women from the church told Yeropoli on Monday they saw a reddish-color liquid streaming down the face of the tower near the foot of the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue.
Yeropoli said that once they pointed it out to him, he was able to see the liquid, too.
Whether the liquid is in fact red and coming from the statue is uncertain, he said.
Monsignor Robert Siffrin, vicar general of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown said he has yet to speak to Rev. Michael A. Swierz, pastor of St. Joseph the Provider Church, regarding the history of the statues.
Whether there is a scientific explanation for the glowing eyes and heart may not be as important as what has occurred, said Jean Davanzo of Youngstown. "It has brought people together in prayer."
Davanzo was at the church Monday afternoon. She'd also been there at 2:30 a.m. "Everybody was praying and talking to each other. It gives you a lot of hope and faith," she said. "We've truly been blessed."
Skeptical, but there
Tammy Reed of Hubbard, also at the church Monday, is skeptical, but, she said, "it was pretty neat being here with everybody looking for the same thing." Reed was also at the church Sunday evening.
Dominic Romeo of Campbell is certain something special has occurred.
"Mary is pointing to her son, telling us to turn to him. It goes back to the wedding feast when he changed water into wine.
"Remember what he said? 'It is not my time yet.' But it was his mother so he changed the water into wine.
"And remember what she said? 'Do exactly what he tells you to do.'"
kubik@vindy.com