Last week, Mary Jo Coady of Methuen, Massachusetts, spotted a pattern on the bottom of her iron that she believes resembles Jesus. The 44-year-old mother was reassured about the religious imagery by her two daughters and friends after she posted the photo on Facebook. She says that the image reassured her that "life is going to be good." And although she could certainly try to auction off the hot commodity, Coady is going to tuck away the iron in a closet and simply buy a new one.
Grant Morris, The Eagle Tribune / AP Photo
That’s not mildew—that’s the Almighty. In 2005, Jeffrey Rigo noticed a water stain in his bathroom after he stepped out of the shower in his Pittsburgh home. Rigo cut out the section of the wall and put it on eBay, and his moldy Shower Jesus sold for $1,999.99.
Pittsburgh Tribune Review / AP Photo
A 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich with an apparent imprint of the Virgin Mary fetched $28,000 on eBay in November 2004. Florida resident Diana Duyser kept the sandwich in a plastic box for a decade, and said it brought her luck at a nearby casino where she won $70,000. Nearly 2 million people visited the online listing before Internet casino GoldenPalace.com was the lucky winner, with plans to put the toast in its touring museum before donating the proceeds to charity.
AFP / Getty Images
In November of this year, a Vatican researcher claimed to have found the words "Jesus Nazarene" written in Greek, Latin, and Aramaic on the 14-foot-long cloth believed by some to be the burial cloth of Jesus. Many scientists consider the Shroud of Turin to be a forgery, but historian Barbara Frale says the text—which also mentions that he was sentenced to death and are only seen by a computer-enhanced image—was written on paper to identify the body and that the ink seeped into the cloth.
Antonio Calanni / AP Photo
While cleaning the dishes after a pizza lunch at her Houston elementary school, cafeteria worker Guadalupe Rodriguez discovered what appears to be the Virgin Mary in a spot of grease on a baking sheet. The image was found, appropriately enough, on Ash Wednesday, and a PTA member took the coveted silhouette home, where it was displayed in her front yard for hundreds of visitors.
Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / AP Photo
In November 2009, Tennessee resident Jim Stevens began seeing an image of Jesus every morning on the window of his pickup. He hasn’t washed his truck, and the image reappeared in the morning dew for two weeks on his Isuzu.
Lee Talber, Johnson City Press / AP Photo
Michael Wilk of Wisconsin was having a few beers with friends when he noticed his pet alligator had unusual markings on its belly, specifically the white markings that pop out to spell "G-O-D." He had acquired the 12-year-old pet a few months earlier in 2006, and first believed the markings were a hoax, but now calls it "a phenomenon." The alligator’s only comment: "God is on my side."
David Trotman-Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, MCT / Newscom
Workmen in County Limerick, Ireland, saw the image of the Virgin Mary in a tree stump on July 9, 2009. Some 2,000 people signed a petition to prevent the willow tree’s removal, and many say the chopped tree should be preserved and covered in glass. In other words:
There once was a stump of a tree
That appeared for all those to see
An image of Mary
Please don’t be contrary
It gave Lim’rick residents such glee.
Amateur photographer Grzegorz Lukasik snapped an image of a fire that locals in southern Poland believe resembles the late Pope John Paul II making a blessing. He took the photo in April 2007 during a vigil marking the second anniversary of the Polish pope’s death. Strangely enough, the timestamp on his digital camera says the picture was taken at the same hour the pope died. At left is a photo of said pope taken in May 1995.
Grzegorz Lukasik, Jockel Finck / AP Photo
An eagle-eyed Google Earth user spotted an eerie resemblance to Jesus in a South American sand dune.
In May 2000, a Christ-like visage appeared on the outside of the Palma Sola Presbyterian Church in Bradenton, Florida, after a pressure washing of the church’s wall. Hundreds of worshippers came by to view the 15-foot high figure. The pastor called it "miraculous."
Steve Nesius / AP Photo
In 1996, an image of the Virgin Mary was first seen in a financial building in Clearwater, Florida, and thousands of people over the years came to pay their respects. Eight years later, a teenager smashed out the top three panes of the building with a slingshot and was charged with vandalism. Bulletproof glass was later installed to protect the apparitional image.
Peter Cosgrove / AP Photo
Workers at a luxury chocolate company discovered a column of chocolate drippings under one of their vats that some think bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary. The two-inch tall piece of chocolate was discovered at Bodega Chocolates in Fountain Valley, California, in August 2006. Chocolatier and co-owner Martucci Angiano said, "I was raised to believe in the Virgin Mary, but this still gives me the chills."
Nick Ut / AP Photo
Rosalee and Jerry Lawson of St. Petersburg, Florida, found this seemingly Christ-like image on a Lay’s sour cream and onion potato chip six months after the Virgin Mary grilled cheese (also found in Florida) made the news. Rosalee Lawson was snacking in front of the TV when she noticed the burnt snack, now kept in a jar in her kitchen.
Luis Santana / Splash News
As with many sudden religious sightings, Donna Lee of Toledo, Ohio, came across this vision on a holy occasion—Palm Sunday. "I was frying pierogies, and when I turned this one over the face of the Lord was fried into it," she said. Lee kept the Polish dumpling in her freezer before GoldenPalace.com made the winning eBay bid of $1,775. Amen.
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