Pastor thinks ‘God is saying something’ through red stain beneath painting

A narrow red stain that has remained for years beneath a painting of a crucified Christ at the Saint John the Evangelist church in Newport, Rhode Island, has led the church’s pastor to speculate on its possible meaning and the presence of Jesus.

Red stain beneath painting of Jesus at St. John the Evangelist Church in Newport, Rhode Island. / ABC 6 News
Red stain beneath painting of Jesus at St. John the Evangelist Church in Newport, Rhode Island. / ABC 6 News

Providence Journal reported on Monday that the 140-year-old Episcopal church has recently been attracting attention for the strange rust-colored stain, which in the right light appears to be coming directly from Jesus’ crucified feet from the 12th Station of the Cross painting.

The mark has been there for years, but the church’s leadership has resisted trying to turn it into a “roadside curiosity.”

The Rev. Nathan J.A. Humphrey spoke out about the mark in a sermon on Sunday, however: . . “I stop, look, pray, and listen. And when I do, what I always hear is, ‘Pay attention. I am here.’ Jesus is here.” . . . “It’s almost as if God is saying there is something to pay attention to,” Humphrey said. . . .

“I’m not about to put up velvet ropes and sell tickets,” Humphrey said. “But whether one scoffs or not, for those of faith, it is a sign Jesus is present.”

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