Weepingñ Women A STUDYGUIDE BY KATY MARRINER www.metromagazine.com.au www.theeducationshop.com.au Weepingñ Women This study guide to accompany divine intervention, which exceeds Weeping Women, a documentary the laws of nature. Religious by CM Film Productions, has been miracles are regarded as divine written for secondary students. messages from God to his It provides information and followers. Despite the hundreds of suggestions for learning activities in statues of Mary that appear to be Religion and English. weeping, the Catholic Church has declared very few to be miracles. Weeping Women was written by The devoted are not deterred Sarah Rossetti with additional by the findings of scientists, the narration written by Barrie Pattison reservations of the Catholic and Bridget Curran, and produced Church and the disdain of sceptics. and directed by Carmelo Musca. Fervent believers flock to places ‘Madonna statues have been known to where miracles have allegedly weep all around the world. Their tears do occurred. For the pilgrims, the message is that God is able to not discriminate, falling as often in busy directly intervene in this world. cities as sparsely populated villages such as Weeping Women documents the Medjugorje, Herzegovina (once known as perspectives of spiritual guardians, clerics, believers, scientists and Yugoslavia) and Civitavecchia, just north of sceptics, compelling us to move Rome. Madonnas have wept from America beyond curiosity and doubt to consider why people need to to the United Kingdom and from Asia to believe in religious phenomena. Australia.’ (Narrator of Weeping Women) Using Weeping Women in Introduction the classroom Weeping Women examines the Teachers may select from the phenomena of crying statues of the following activities to support Blessed Virgin Mary. In Syracuse in students’ viewing and close analysis 1953, a plaster plaque of Mary shed of Weeping Women: human tears. Apparitions of Mary Mary have transformed the small town Devotion to Mary is an integral part of Medjugorje into a Mecca of of the Catholic Church. Many of her religious devotion. A tiny statue of keenest followers are members of the Mary in Civitavecchia, near Rome, Legion of Mary, the largest apostolic wept tears of blood in 1995. The group of lay people in the world. Their Weeping Madonna of Rockingham most popular prayer is the Hail Mary. cried her first oily tears in 2002. – Narrator A miracle is defined as an … We look at where the Mother of extraordinary event caused by SCREEN EDUCATION 2 God has appeared in the earth over the past hundred years and she goes to the impoverished, she goes to the shepherd children, she goes to those who are open, those who are willing to listen and learn. – Father Baczynski Weepingñ Women Mary is a feminine figure who is ‘God allows specific supernatural considered close to God. She is • Our Lady of Tears looks with phenomena to draw people to that regarded as both protector and motherly goodness on the sorrow authentic original one message.’ – intercessor. Her image is used in of the world! Dry the tears of the Father Baczynski the most popular Catholic icons. suffering, of the forgotten, of the Devotion to Mary can be explained desperate and of the victims of ‘It’s hard enough, you know, in by Mary’s humanity and her status every violence. Make everyone weep today’s society to believe in God as Mother of God (Jesus). tears of repentance and of new life, let alone to believe in a statue that which will open their hearts to the weeps.’ – Lorenzo Martinez • Working in a small group, use the generating gift of God’s love. Make ‘Logic states that a statue can’t gospels of the New Testament them weep tears of joy for having cry but when you see it happening to research Mary’s story. Use seen the profound tenderness of before your eyes how can you not PowerPoint to present your your heart. – Prayer composed by believe?’ – Patty Powell findings to the class. Pope John Paul II to the • What moments in Weeping weeping Madonna of Syracuse ‘An experience of a non- Women reveal the fervent What does the prayer tell experience. Now this is something worship of Mary? us about Mary’s place in the which is very paradoxical. What Catholic Church and the lives do you mean by an experience of • ‘Here the Madonna manifested of all those who believe in her a non-experience, how can you herself through tears. It’s a simple presence in our world? understand that?’ language but a universal language, – Dr Glen Morrisson a language that manages to touch • Find out more about: 1) The the hearts of everyone.’ Hail Mary 2) The Rosary 3) The ‘We’re used to the miraculous – Monsignor Legion of Mary. being a factor in life. So I believe in Michele Giansiracusa. Faith miracles.’ – Archbishop Hickey Why does Mary cry? ‘The real miracle, in effect the Consider the following quotes: true wonders, are not these extraordinary occurrences …The great wonder is love.’ – Father D’Ercole ‘One indication of the authenticity of a miracle lies in its ability to bring people back to God through reconciliation or confession.’ – Narrator ‘We come here out of faith, not curiosity. We truly come here for faith, to pray. We come here every year.’ – Italian woman at Civitavecchia SCREEN EDUCATION 3 ‘Here is a place of grace. As Pope Paul VI said, shrines are the clinics of the soul.’ – Father Don Ellio • Use the above statements to initiate a discussion of why people believe in the religious Weepingñ Women occurrences described in Weeping Women. • What does Weeping Women tell us about the personal and profound nature of such experiences for those who believe? • View the interviews with the Irish pilgrims at Medjugorje. What do their accounts reveal about the dimensions of their faith? • They let themselves be encountered by the love of God in their lives. It’s a place where they can open up a time and space for this overwhelming love and this overwhelming grace, this sense of this unremarkable residence, hoping that the statue was a fraud. While glory in their lives which can give to experience their own miracle and the oil was found to be a mixture them a sense of meaning. witness the Madonna’s tears for of two oils, its origin could not be – Glen Morrison themselves. – Narrator determined to be either human or divine. Archbishop Hickey, the Is this an acceptable explanation On March 19, 2002, Patty Powell Archbishop of Perth, announced for why people believe? Draw on came home from work and noticed that the strict criteria the Church moments of Weeping Women to that her statue of Mary was requires for a miracle was not met. endorse your opinion. Is belief in weeping oily tears. Believing that such phenomena more a matter the weeping Madonna was not a While the actual cause of the tears of an open heart than an open private revelation but was meant remains a mystery, Patty does mind? for the wider community, Patty not need a scientific explanation. • Does this phenomena prove the took the statue to her parish priest Patty believes that the weeping often-repeated statement that Father Walsh, who accepted Patty’s is a sign for people to return to God works in mysterious ways? weeping Madonna as genuine. God. Her faith allows her to accept Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic without question that something • ‘Weeping Women offers a glimpse Church in Rockingham was soon remarkable is occurring. into a world of faith, hope and overwhelmed by the inquisitive and miracles.’ Discuss. The statue is still drawing a the devoted. Thousands of local, constant stream of visitors The Weeping Madonna interstate and international visitors to Patty’s home. The devoted of Rockingham came to view the statue. Reports pray to the Weeping Madonna of miracles soon followed. In the seaside suburb of Rockingham, of Rockingham and view the in an ordinary suburban street, a West A thorough scientific investigation other phenomena that have Australian Madonna is said to be of the statue proved inconclusive. followed. Patty, who sees herself weeping. Thousands of Mary devotees, The internal space of the statue as a guardian of a miracle, offers the curious and the suffering from was searched and x-rays revealed spiritual guidance and care to all all around the world are coming to there was no evidence to prove who visit the backyard shrine at SCREEN EDUCATION 4 the Holy Family House of Prayer. Her life has been transformed by the experience. ‘I believe that it’s a miracle.’ – Patty The first four or five months when ñ I was associated with it when I was Weeping Women going to the church, when the statue tremendous displays of curiosity, and those who claim healings and was in the Rockingham Catholic devotion and hope? Is it possible conversions are simply pointing to the Church, I saw a lot of good fruit, I saw for a cheap fibreglass statue to power of prayer not necessarily to the a lot of them coming to confession. A become divine? fact that the statue is weeping. – lot of people being open to God, a lot So first of all you predispose yourself Archbishop Hickey of people returning to prayer. So the emotionally, you want to believe it ‘It does make a big difference fruits certainly then were very, very right, and then secondly the motivation to the people who discover good. – Father Baczynski is that if you believe it then miracles these things. They suddenly find • Use these comments to initiate are possible. And that opens up I think themselves in the limelight and a discussion of the Weeping a huge vista of possibilities for the that’s a good feeling for anybody.’ Madonna of Rockingham and human individual.’ – Bob Tonkinson – Brian Balen the way the phenomenon has I hope the people would understand • Consider the views of shaped people’s faith.