A faint stain on the cheek of a statue of Mary at an Indiana church has moved some onlookers to tears and left others searching for an explanation.
The 4-foot statue of Mary, which sits in the center of a garden on the grounds of St. Mary Catholic Church in Griffith, Ind., appears to have a stain resembling a tear stretching from the statue's right eye and down its cheek.
A drop of water rolling down the statue's cheek was first noticed by students in a fourth-grade class Monday night, according to the Northwest Indiana Times. The tear, which was reportedly captured in a photo, was gone by Tuesday afternoon, but left behind a stain.
Word spread Tuesday and people reportedly began visiting the statue, some in awe and others skeptical of the mark's meaning.
Among the skeptics of the stain is the church pastor, Rev. Theodore Mens.
Mens told the NWI Times he was searching for a natural cause of the stain, like melting snow or the cold winter.
"I'm not going to say anything against a possible further sign of God's love for us through Mary," he said. "I just don't want to fall for anything. I am formed and shaped by the scriptures and the teachings of Jesus, not necessarily by a tear that somebody sees on a statue."
