The mystery of Thornton's 'miracle' statue

St. Anne's may not be that different from most other Catholic churches in the United States, except that very few of them have had to deal with a "miracle."

The miracle: A statue actually shedding tears and moving 20 feet or more to the altar -- all by itself.

In 1981, reports of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima moving, untouched by human hands, came from several parishioners at St. Anne's mission church in Thornton, Mater Ecclesiae. The results: Thousands of people showing up in Thornton to view the statue.

The statue moved to the altar on the 13th of each month from April to September 1981, said Al Amaro, a Thornton resident since 1942. The statue stopped moving after church officials moved it to a different location inside the church. The statue is still there, Amaro said.

Long-time Thornton resident Manuel Pitta also claimed that Jesus and Mary spoke directly with him.

Father Harmon Skillin, pastor at St. Anne's and Mater Ecclesiae from 1983 to 1994, remembers having to handle what rightfully could be termed a delicate situation.

"It was a great diversion for a pastor, believe me," Skillin told the News-Sentinel last week.

"A delegation came from Thornton," he said.

So how do you insist that the statue didn't exhibit human characteristics, yet treat your parishioners with respect with dignity?

"Very carefully," Skillin said.

Roger Mahony, then bishop of the Stockton Diocese and now cardinal of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, appointed a commission of four area priests to investigate what was going on in Thornton.

During a press conference in Thornton on June 8, 1983, Mahony announced before a battery of newspaper and TV reporters that the statue didn't constitute "a miracle in the eyes of the Catholic Church," according to a story in the News-Sentinel.

Skillin said he had to be gentle, but truthful.

"Sometimes, truth is not acceptable (to those who don't wish to accept it)," he said.