By Bill Wolcott
LOCKPORT UNION-SUN AND JOURNAL (LOCKPORT, N.Y.)
LOCKPORT, N.Y.
August 31, 2007 04:01 pm
—
Antonia Filipertis’ family and friends gathered for the first anniversary of “Mary of the Maple” on Wednesday night.
It was one year ago, Aug. 29, 2006, that “Toni” Filipertis saw a vision of Mary in the sawed-off branches of a maple tree in front of her home at 96 Harvey St. Since stories about her vision, hundreds of believers have made the pilgrimage to the modest home across the street from John Pound Elementary School.
Visitors have covered the trunk and lower branches with rosaries, flowers, candles, crosses, holy cards, photographs, statuettes, palms, holy cards and ribbons. Grandson Shawn Fitzgerald put lights around the tree Wednesday afternoon for anniversary celebration.
However, Toni Filipertis could not attend. The 83-year-old native of Poland became ill two weeks ago and spent 10 days at Niagara Falls Memorial Hospital. She is now in the Odd Fellow & Rebekah Rehabilitation and Health Care Center.
“I pray every day,” Filipertis said with a Polish accent. “I pray for everybody who comes to tree. Every day, somebody comes. They come from Buffalo and Tonawanda.”
Her son, Jim Filipertis, said that 500 visitors came the first week and more than 2,000 visitors have come to the tree over the course of a year.
“They will come and put their candles,” she said. “I pray today and hope I get better soon.”
A year ago, Toni Filipertis was on her way to a doctor’s appointment when she heard a voice directing her to look at the maple. That’s when she saw the vision of the Mother of God in the tree.
“The voice, she told me to look on your tree,” Toni Filipertis said. “I come out and parked the car in the front and I look on the tree and I don’t see nothing ... Mary said in a soft voice, ‘Look at your tree. I’m in three places,’ and she was in three places .... And I look in this branch and she was very clear.”
Since the vision, Toni Filipertis was able to walk without a cane and nearly complete a painting of the tree with the school in the background. A month ago, she drove to the Fatima Shrine and to Niagara Falls, Ontario, alone.
Two weeks ago, she became ill with a stomach ailment. Now she is in a nursing home getting therapy every day and hoping to be home in a week.
“I’m working on the painting,” she said. “This is almost half done. When I finish it, put it in the window for everyone can see.”
Toni, who came to America in 1951, can speak English, German and Polish. She understands Russian and Ukrainian.
“My mother has been blessed because she’s lived through war,” Jim Filipertis said.
Toni Filipertis was born in Poland on May 28, 1924, the month of Mary. “She all the time watched for me,” she said.
Bill Wolcott writes for the Lockport (N.Y.) Union-Sun& Journal.
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