Dozens Flock to 'Blinking' Jesus Statue in New Jersey

Hoboken, N.J., Aug. 1 - While dozens of people continue to flock to Hoboken to see a statue of Jesus that many believe blinked its right eye, church officials aren't claiming a miracle just yet.

Since Thursday (July 28), many witnesses say a Sacred Heart of Jesus statue -- the centerpiece of a Catholic shrine of cherubs, crucifixes, and Madonnas created by neighborhood preacher Julio Dones -- opened one of its normally half-closed eyes. They believe it's a miracle.

Dones said he was among the first to notice the occurrence, while he was cleaning the shrine. Visibly worn and peeling, the statue's chipping paint falls away in a way that forms a cross on Christ's forehead, which Dones also believes is a miracle.

Word got back to the Rev. Michael Guglielmelli of St. Francis Roman Catholic Church, where Dones is a parishioner. Guglielmelli is not dismissing what everyone believes they saw, but advises them to wait and see what happens next.

"As a priest, I'm always open to everything. Whatever lets a person pray is good," Guglielmelli said. "If this is from God, one way or another he will let us know. If not, it will fade away."

Whenever there is a case like this, it's up to the local church how it wants to handle the matter initially, said James Goodness, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark.

The diocese doesn't have a set policy for such events, nor is it taking any specific action at this time, Goodness said.

"Checking into these situations depends on what impression or sense the priest gets from the person," Goodness said. "We don't want to curtail people's sense of faith. We are interested in hearing more about it."

The tiny statue has drawn dozens of visitors. Some brought camcorders. Others, dressed neatly as if coming from church service, prayed intently at it.

Next to the spectacle was Dones. A 52-year-old man with a slight frame, Dones has preached intermittently to visitors, some of whom shook his hand. "To me this is a miracle," Dones said. "You don't see a Sacred Heart of Jesus with one eye closed, then one eye opened."

Guglielmelli said a miracle, in the view of the church, is something different.

"It would have to take an extraordinary event," he said, like a statue crying blood or sweating. "Something where there's no natural explanation for it."