Does Photo Show Appearance of Blessed Virgin? Partygoers Believe in Their 'Miracle'

EAST GREENWICH, RI — Bryan Pickell, of East Greenwich, says he is a man of faith but typically has not put stock in stories about the Virgin Mary's appearances.

But he's been convinced something happened recently after a party he hosted to collect gifts for disabled veterans: The Virgin Mary made a cameo, providing the partygoers with their "own little Christmas miracle."

One of Pickell's friends owns Veterans Assembled Electronics, which provides free training to help veterans find jobs in electronics. The company's been profiled in Providence Business News and basically uses government grants to pay for tuition and then helps find the vets jobs.

"They offer a training program to help assist veterans in transferring the skills they acquired during their service to careers in civilian life," Pickell said. "A lot of the guys that they work with have some sort of disability or need a little help after leaving the military."

Last year, he and some friends decided to have a Christmas party to give the veterans a little extra help.

"The Christmas party itself was not directly affiliated or sponsored by the firm but was a private function at my home in EG," he said. "Since the firm works so closely with so many Veterans, we were able to to find a few that had young kids and could use a little help around this time of year."

So, the party went forward Saturday and seemed to be a success, he said.

Sunday night, "a few of us were at the house cleaning up from the event the night before when one of my friends noticed something very interesting right above the entrance to the tent we used for the party," he said. "Right above the entrance to the tent appeared a likeness of Mary."

He sent pictures along to illustrate.

"The craziest part is that no one noticed this during the party the night before," he said. It wasn't until all the guests had left.

"The crazier thing is that there isn’t anything to make a shadow appear this way," he said. "The only thing in that part of the tent is a strand of Christmas lights we had hung up the morning before to provide light for the party; that’s all."

Pickell says the image is going to remind him about the true meaning of Christmas.

"To myself, and others that were there, this is kind of our own little Christmas miracle," he said. "It serves as a reminder of what this time of year is really about, and may inspire others to help their fellow man and focus on the true meaning of Christmas instead of being so preoccupied with everything else that comes with the season. Feel free to pass this story along to others, hopefully it can continue to inspire people as it spreads."

Courtesy Photos Bryan Pickell