February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
More than 50,000 people have come to the hospital parking lot to look up at the third floor window that contains the image. The window is in the rear of the ophthalmology clinic at a medical office building. It is covered by drywall and cannot be seen from inside the building, frustrating attempts by investigators to examine it.
Among the many visitors who come to the site frequently to observe and pray is Mary Blaney, a native of Galway City who now lives in nearby Quincy. Lately, she has been leading recitations of the rosary and joining with others in song.
“I don’t know what is going to evolve here, and I wouldn’t dare to presume to speak on Our Lady’s behalf,” she said. “I only know what I feel.”
Blaney started compiling a register of visitors several weeks ago. “I now have over 1,500 names in it of people from 32 countries,” she said. “Most of the people from the other countries were already here, but some are now coming over from Ireland and other places around the world to experience the vision.”
Blaney said that she is often in contact with the hospital’s public relations staff. “I have a lot of respect for the way they have handled this and how they try to accommodate the people who are coming here every day,” she said. “They’ve even hired additional security and attendants to help with the parking.’
Hospital staff decided several weeks ago to limit the viewing hours from 5:30-8:30 p.m. daily. During the rest of the time, the window is covered with a tarp.
The hospital is awaiting some instruction from the Archdiocese of Boston about how it should deal with the phenomenon. In the meantime, thousands of visitors are expected to continue to converge on the hospital grounds.