Virgin Mary painting filmed 'praying' in Sydney church
Maronite Catholics in Sydney have filmed a painting of the Virgin Mary moving its lips in prayer, believing a miracle is occurring in their church.
Parishioners at Saint Charbel's Maronite Catholic Church in Punchbowl in Sydney's southwest have recorded a painting of the Madonna apparently praying as she holds a young Jesus Christ.
Two videos of the painting that hangs above the altar appear to show the Virgin Mary's lips murmuring along with the congregation.
The first video appeared on Facebook on July 5, posted by young Catholic Kirsten Keirouz who filmed the painting after a friend nudged her and "look at the painting".
"Once I looked up, I had no idea what they wanted me to look at and I saw her [the Virgin Mary] mouth moving. I then asked my friend; 'Is it her mouth?' She replied 'yes.' and then I got the shivers throughout my whole body. I couldn't believe my eyes, I kept blinking in case I was seeing things," she wrote.
After watching Kristen's recording, fellow parishioner George Akray decided he would make a recording on Sunday July 19 that he later uploaded to Facebook.
"This is something I had seen a few times," Mr Akray said. "This time I recorded it."
Mr Akary told Daily Mail Australia he often stares at the photos on the wall while he prays and has witnessed the Madonna's murmuring in the past.
"I never thought to record it until I saw a clip a few weeks ago. These signs are to bring people to know God is really with us," he said.
Skeptics who watched the videos disagree the painting is praying, suggesting the movement is little more than camera shake.
However, it is not the first time the Virgin Mary has apparently visited a miracle on Sydney. In 2003 she "appeared" upon a cliff in Coogee at certain times of the afternoon.
The Virgin's image could be seen on sunny afternoons between 3pm and 4.30pm in the light and shadow of the fence along the cliff top.
The weeping Mother Mary
A family in Israel were convinced a statue of the Virgin Mary they purchased in 2013 was weeping, prompting hundreds of people to make the pilgrimage to witness the phenomenon.
The Madonna stands tall again over Syrian town
Celebrations after the ancient Syrian city of Maaloula erects a statue of the Virgin Mary, replacing the cliff-top monument destroyed by rebels in 2013.
