After making national headlines in early February, the North Shepherd Virgin Mary has been attracting more visitors than ever, slowing traffic on the busy thoroughfare as a pile of devotional flowers and candles continues to grow.

Through the years, Houston has hosted numerous sightings of the Blessed Mother — known as “Marian apparitions” in Vatican parlance — but few have left behind some form of permanent physical marker.

Seeking counsel on the fervor surrounding this tree, CultureMap stopped by the Roman Catholic chancery downtown to speak with Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, who oversaw the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from 1985 until his retirement in 2006.

Through the years, the archbishop said he’s heard of a variety of cases.

“Someone might see something on a tree or in the clouds and begin to imagine it's a divine sign,” he said. "From the point of view of the Church, though, we usually find that most of these images and apparitions are just naturally-occurring."

Fiorenza remembered an incident from about five years ago when an East End resident spotted Mary on a fence near Telephone Road.

“A high school here in the city hadn't won a football game in about three years, so the coach thought he'd bring the football helmets to where they thought there was this apparition to help them break their losing streak.

"Poor guy," Fiorenza smiled, shaking his head. "It didn't help."

Approval

The Catholic Church, of course, has approved a select few of the most inexplicable and well-documented Virgin Mary sightings — from famous appearances like those in Lourdes to 20th century apparitions like those in Fátima.

So, how far does Our Lady of North Shepherd have to go to become legitimate? Pretty far, actually.

The occurrence most first gain recognition from a local bishop like Fiorenza and then, pending careful technical analysis, from the Holy See. Legitimization typically takes decades, even centuries.

Fiorenza pointed to the 1531 Virgin of Guadalupe sighting in which Saint Juan Diego was told by Mary to gather roses in the middle of December. Diego returned with the miraculous flowers in his cloak (or tilma), which inexplicably bore an icon of the Holy Mother now on display in Mexico City.

"We put that image through a series scientific examinations," he said. "Mary left a detailed picture of herself for Juan Diego that has lasted miraculously now almost 500 years. When there's no natural or scientific explanation like that, then there's reason to lend credibility. There's something truly unusual or supernatural."

While Fiorenza could identify the uncanny Marian shape in the North Shepherd tree, he said he had little doubt it was simply a curious piece of natural phenomenon. Sorry, Houston, not this time.

"We certainly don't wish to discourage people's faith," he said. "If these revelations help strengthen their relationship with the divine, that's wonderful."