But Tuesday's prayer meeting at the home of Neil Harrington Sr. on Maple Road was like none before. After more than a year of listening to divine messages from a "visionary" postal worker -- who is Harrington's son -- and seeing statues cry, worshipers learned that Mary, the mother of Jesus, would no longer be visiting them.

Mary's departure coincides with the start of an investigation by the Archdiocese of Hartford, which has set up a fact-finding commission to study the Harrington prayer group.

During the past few weeks, just one statue has cried at the Enfield prayer meeting -- the white-robed plaster image of Mary that is kept in the Harrington's' second- floor "apparition room," where Neil Harrington Jr., a postal worker from Springfield, says he receives spiritual messages

Abstract version: (Document Summary) Full text of article available on link

September 5, 1995

Church to probe “weeping” statue of Mary

Believers say the statue’s glass blue eyes well up with tears that droplet flow down the icon’s face.

Springfield Union News, Associated Press

Springfield- the Archdiocese of Hartford has set up a fact finding commission to study a prayer group that says its plaster statue of Mary weeps for the sins of the world.

Believers say the statue’s glass blue eyes well up with tears and that droplets flow down the icon’s face.

Skeptics say the “tears” are created by condensation from the plaster and porcelain materials the statue is made from.

Tears or condensation the commission goal is not prove which theory is correct.

The focus of the investigation is to confirm that church members are not being led astray by the Harrington prayer group said Monsignor Daniel Placharczyk, chairman of the four-member commission.

“We have to ensure that these kinds of gathering are not a pretending making venture or a scam” he said.

The investigation was prompted by the large number of calls the archdiocese had received asking if the church sanctioned the prayer sessions.

The prayer sessions are held once a week at the Enfield home of Neil Harrington. The Harrington's which includes Neil Jr. and daughter Darlene said they have been asked not to talk to reporters until the investigation is complete.

Hundreds of people have gathered to hear divine message from a visionary postal worker who is Harrington’s son.

The messages Neil Harrington of Springfield Mass delivers from Mary revolve around themes of mending world events and following the rules of God. After the message is presented the 2 foot tall statue of Mary is brought out for the crowd to see.

Last Tuesday Neil Harrington Jr. said that Mary the mother of Jesus would no longer be visiting them.

It is not clear what will happen to the prayer sessions but many worshipers say will continue to go to Enfield Tuesday nights.

“We’re no fanatics. We’re not Holy Rollers” said Clare Riendeau of Rhode Island as she left with her son and grandson. “The important thing is not whether the statue is crying or whether she is appearing. The important thing is that she brought all of these people here and that she will always be with us”.