Testimonials | The Marian Foundation

The weeping statues brought thousands of people to the church from all over the world. All they wanted to do was to see Fr. Jim, to see the statues. Some people demanded a “show” … that he pick up a statue and make it cry. That was the bad part about this. We were trying to work through everything that was happening. But the good thing was that it brought alot of people out, alot of people together, alot of people who wanted to convert, who wanted to go to Confession. There were people who hadn’t been inside a church for thirty years and yet here they were. Fr. Jim always said it was never him, it was always God working through him. He was a very humble man. Fr. Jim always tried to tell people that it was the Will of God, whatever God has in store for you, this is what we should pray for … this is what we should look for. [Marie Pelletier]
On Friday, March 20, 1992, I went to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to attend the 9 am Mass. I arrived early to see the statue before Mass began. I entered the church and walked down the right side aisle which led directly to the statue. As I approached the statue I was amazed at what I was seeing. Tears were flowing from the eyes down the front of the statue and onto the floor. I realized at that moment that I was witnessing a miraculous event. The statue of our Blessed Mother wept for about 40 minutes that morning. This beautiful experience has changed my life in many ways. Most importantly, it has brought me closer to Jesus and closer to the Blessed Mother and that is where I want to remain always. [Margaret Orlevitch]
We were at a parish retreat and Fr. Dan said he wanted to share something with us. He told us that Fr Jim was experiencing the stigmata. When I heard about the stigmata of Fr. Jim, I said, “Sure thing. I will believe it when I see it.” And so he pulled up his shirt sleeves and his hands were bleeding and he took off his shoes and his feet were bleeding. When he went to pull his shirt up, I said, “I am the doubting Thomas and I have learned my lesson.” [Pat Wahus]
I was a member of the interior design committee for the new church. I remember one day meeting in the rectory and I mentioned that I had never seen a crying statue. We walked into Fr. Bruse’s office and there was a bust of the Blessed Mother sitting on a towel on a shelf behind his desk. The tears were coming out of the Blessed Mother’s eyes and the towel was soaked. Fr. Jim then told us about a Fatima statue about 8 inches tall that he had been given as a gift. It was a pure white statue. But as he had held it over time, the robes had turned pastel colors and the flowers around her feet had also turned pastel colors. He brought it down from his personal suite to show us and he handed it to me. The statue was crying and the tears were running down her robes which were a beautiful color. You could tell there was no paint on the statue. [Dave Wahus]
Easter Sunday we were sitting toward the front of the church about three pews from the Madonna with Infant Statue. We saw the tears that had fallen from her face and were suspended on Baby Jesus’ arms. What the weeping means to me is I can remember in my life sometimes going to bed at night, even though I have been Catholic my whole life, and thinking ‘what if it isn’t true, what if we just die?’ After seeing that, I have no doubt, it took away any doubt I’ll ever have that there’s something bigger than us going on that we are meant to get to. [Louise Rochette]
When I heard Fr. Jim had the stigmata, I thought Fr. Jim is probably the last person I would suspect to get the stigmata! He was a very down to earth, simple person and we appreciated how quickly he said Mass. Soon another friend told me that the large Our Lady of the Smile was crying. I jumped into the car with my boys and when we arrived at the church it was crying. The following week my husband and I were at Mass and saw it crying. After that, my husband began going to daily Mass. Fr. Jim came to the convent at Aquinas School, where I worked, to speak to the teachers and many had brought statues to be blessed. An Our Lady of Fatima statue began to cry. We passed it from one to another and we all were in awe. It was surreal to believe this is happening in Lake Ridge VA; these things happen in small European towns, not here in a little neighborhood nestled in a small suburb called Lake Ridge. [Libby Lawler]
Fran T., a colleague at Nordstroms, told me about the statue of the Virgin Mary crying at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church [“Seton”] in Lake Ridge, Va. As is the case with every human heart, I was desperate to find God in the late 80’s-early 90’s. I started attending the early morning mass at Seton Church as often as I could. Without understanding what was happening I was given the gift of tears around 1990, a gift which lasted until 2013. One morning before mass in the early nineties I asked Fr. Bruse to show me his stigmata which he willingly did. Another morning, in this same timeframe, the large statue in church actually began to weep. I was there for the “show” so to speak and wanted to make sure that my little statue received a tear from the crying statue. Leaving the church after mass that day, I distinctly heard in my soul a voice that said to me “O ye of little faith.” I remember feeling deeply ashamed. All changed for me in an instant. I no longer run after the supernatural experience, I only seek perfecting the practice of loving my unlovable neighbor as perfectly as I can. This is what the experience at Seton Church gave me. The weeping statue of Mary was the defining moment of my trajectory in the Catholic Church and the cornerstone of my deep faith today. In 2010, I joined the secular Carmelites. [Dawn Keeler]
I was raised Protestant and considered myself agnostic...until I met Father Jim Bruse. My family were members of Seton Church, but I did not participate. When I heard the church was assembling a building committee for a new church, I volunteered hoping to build my resume for my own architectural business. Rumors were circulating about Fr. Jim’s stigmata and crying statues, but I thought trickery was involved. When sitting next to Fr. Jim at a committee meeting I saw that his wrists had no marks. But during the meeting, I saw red spots appear on his wrists and begin to bleed! He quickly tried to cover them up so no one would notice. I was curious but not convinced.         On May 13, 1992, the committee interviewed an architect in Culpeper, VA. Fr. Jim came with us to the interview. We randomly decided to visit the architect's most recent project, the Precious Blood Catholic Church.  Upon arrival, I rushed to be the first person in the church, ahead of Fr. Jim. When I opened the door, there was a crucifix on the wall crying, and a stream of tears ran down the wall to a small puddle on the floor. How was that possible? Nobody knew we were coming until an hour before. At that moment, my life changed. I joined RCIA and witnessed many other supernatural events that year. I became close to Fr. Jim and learned how devout, humble and honest he was. I have been an active Catholic since, participating in RCIA, Adult Faith Formation, Prison Ministry and as a Eucharistic Minister. [Warren Walker]
And if I can believe this ~~ how much greater is this incredible miracle of the Eucharist! And the same God that can cause things to happen that shouldn’t happen ( !! ) that I see happening … that I witness happening over and over again ….If I can believe my senses, I need to believe what my faith tells me as well. [Marci Grattan ]