NW Ind. church to consecrate statue of Virgin Mary

ST. JOHN, Ind. — A northwestern Indiana church plans to consecrate a three-story statue of the Virgin Mary that has been on tour around the Chicago area since 1999.

The Post-Tribune reports that Chicago Cardinal Francis George will attend the ceremony Sunday for the 34-foot-tall Our Lady of the New Millennium statue outside St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Gary Bishop Dale Melczek (MEL'-check) also is scheduled to attend the ceremony in St. John, about 35 miles southeast of Chicago.

The statue has found a temporary home in the church's parking lot while a permanent spot for it is prepared at the nearby Shrine of Christ's Passion.

The statue was blessed by Pope John Paul II during a visit to St. Louis in 1999.