Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary who wept blood in Jordan

Anjara (Jordan) (2010)

In northern Jordan, in the small town of Anjara, there is a Latin parish served by the Institute of the Incarnate Word and the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará. The sanctuary is linked to a grotto that local Christian tradition venerates as a resting place for Jesus and Mary during their journeys between Galilee and Jerusalem. It should be noted that this tradition of the cave is not supported by ancient documents; it is a devotion passed down from generation to generation, not a historically proven fact.

What did happen, and was witnessed, occurred on May 6, 2010. A nun was cleaning the sanctuary and, as she approached the grotto door, she saw something strange in the wooden image of the Virgin through the glass. It seemed to her that it was blinking; at first, she thought it was a reflection of the water on the glass. But as she drew closer, the image took on a lifelike appearance, as if it were alive, blinked again, and two tears of blood began to fall from its eyes. The nun screamed in fright, and two young men who were working with her rushed over and saw it too. When the crying stopped, the tears had dried, leaving marks on the cheeks of the statue.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, and the auxiliary bishop for Jordan, Selim Sayegh, then intervened. The shrine was closed, and the Sisters of the Rosary, nurses who run a hospital in Irbid, were asked to analyze the substance. The analysis confirmed that it was human blood. The witnesses were questioned and deemed truthful, and fraud was ruled out in the local investigation. As a memorial, it was authorized to place a plaque next to the image commemorating the event, a kind of official votive offering from the local Church. However, there is no record of a solemn decree from the Holy See nor of its inclusion in universal lists of recognized apparitions: what is accepted is the factual reality of the weeping and its symbolic value.

The parish priest of Anjara has interpreted this sign with profound pastoral understanding: Mary weeping for the suffering Church in the Middle East, for persecuted Christians, and for peace. Every May 6th, the anniversary is celebrated with Mass, processions, and Marian prayer, in which the Rosary plays a central role. There is no official "Feast of the Rosary of Anjara" as such, but the religious orders that oversee the site live a strong Rosary spirituality, and it was precisely the Sisters of the Rosary who analyzed those tears. Thus, the Rosary is prayed there for those who suffer most, under the protection of a Mother who also weeps.