The faithful in single file to the altar that seeps water

It happens during the religious celebrations: from the altar in the Sanctuary of the  Santissima Trinità Misericordia of Maccio flows water. Pure water, without a doubt. And there is also no doubt that there are hidden or leaking pipes.

And so in the small village of Olgiatese the faithful from Como, Milan, Brianza and Varese area queue up to place their hands on the marble, kiss it and collect drops of “miracle” water in bottles. The altar has been “crying” from the end of October 2009. The news of the events, currently unexplained, was spread from the parish priest, Don Luigi Savoldelli, after having had the green light from the Curia.

The liquid, and this is one of the most unique thing, was analysed by the Forensic Department of Parma: is water at the maximum state of purity.

An unexplainable fact in the same church where for many months, the choir conductor, Gioacchino Genovese, during sessions of prayers goes into ecstasy. The Bishop proclaimed the basilica a Marian Shrine.

It’s too early to speak of a miracle but the reaction of the people goes in a specific way: the faithful arrive with medical records, bottles, handkerchiefs to collect drops from the altar.

Don’t expect,in case you want to visit the Shrine, to see jets of water from the altar marble base (it’s a table with a very simple structure): today there are only very large wet spots. The presence of water manifests itself mainly during the prayer sessions of the choir conductor, at the end of these, says don Luigi Savoldelli, the altar returns incredibly dry, without anyone cleaning it with rags or sponges.

Telefono Antiplagio (Italian organisation warning against charlatans and sects) have asked for caution: in a lengthy statement, sent to the Forensic Department of Parma, to the legion of the Carabinieri in Lombardy, to the Diocesi of Como, they invite maximum caution and provide an explanation of the phenomenon that is far from miraculous.