REMEMBER THIS? All about a particularly popular poplar

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

Many believe that everything in nature possesses energy. Rocks, plants and trees are viewed as potential portals for spiritual energy. The Tree of Life, as described in Genesis, is an example of a connection between the earthly and the spiritual. The appearance of an apparition in a tree is not uncommon as trees often represent harmony, rebirth, and balance in nature.

An apparition is an appearance of something remarkable and unexplainable. Marian apparitions are those in which the Blessed Virgin Mary appears. An apparition is often thought to accompany an important and timely message. While they can appear for short periods or last for several years, an apparition has at least one witness and is most commonly felt as a positive, helpful presence. In the history of the Catholic Church, there have been countless reports of apparitions, but only 16 have ever been recognized by the Vatican as authentic. Authentic or not, apparitions tend to generate a devotional following and the apparition that appeared on a city tree in April 1986 was no different.

The silver poplar is easily recognizable by its light bark and heart-shaped leaves. The tree is normally pruned in the fall after the sap has stopped running as it results in less damaging wounds. When a tree’s bark is damaged it exposes the tree’s wound to damaging organisms and bacteria. This will begin the process of decay, and decaying results in discolouration in the wood.

It happened to be Good Friday in 1986 when a silver poplar tree at 436 Sherbourne Street had a large branch removed and it appeared as if an image was present on the tree’s scar. The scar left behind an image that property owner Anita Hewgill perceived as one of the Virgin Mary, a Marian apparition. Anita wasn’t alone in this perception; hundreds of Sault citizens had visited the tree. People had travelled from California, Poland and even Australia to view or touch the Virgin Mary’s image on the tree.

In October 1987, Father Anton Szymychalski, rector at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, led a prayer service by the tree and close to 200 of his parishioners surrounded the image. While Father Anton stated that even though they were there and praying, it didn’t mean the image was authentic. He said though, that he himself did see the image of the Virgin Mary, and that it appeared more prominent to him with every visit.

A small altar was created and nailed to the tree under the image. It had been adorned by visitors with rosaries, coins, tokens and even gold necklaces. People from far away sent Anita letters and objects that they wished to have her place on the altar, say a prayer over, and then return to them.

Unfortunately, some days Anita would wake to find that some gifts left before the image had been stolen overnight. Upon noticing this she began bringing the most valuable items in her home at night and replacing them by the tree in the morning. When asked about the valuable items left by visitors, Anita said, “I felt the people gave those up in adoration and each item had its own reason to be there.” She was happy to do what she could to keep the items and the tree safe.

Theft wasn’t the only risk to the poplar with the Virgin Mary’s image on it. In August 1987, an attempt to destroy the image was made. Vandals had poured paint on the tree, covering the Virgin Mary. They left behind a note saying, “Praise Jesus, not Mary the tree.” Anita was able to remove most of the paint before too much damage was done.

Anita Hewgill’s overall feeling towards the tree was that it brought peace and happiness to some, and that was a good thing. She believed, “the tree is a living thing, so maybe the image shows that faith is a living thing too.”

Father Anton shared Anita’s belief that faith was individual, and anything that helped a person to believe couldn’t be bad. He said that people’s belief in the Virgin Mary’s image on the tree as a symbol of God’s existence demonstrated that a mystery was not always presented to us to be explained and that faith was what allows one to believe in the mystery.

“Perhaps it is a sign that we need a more child-like faith. Whenever Our Lady has appeared before, it was to children, because children don’t question, they just accept,” Father Anton had said.

As interest in the tree waned over the years the tree’s scar began to heal, as most do, by developing callus tissue that grows from the outside of the wound towards the middle. The healing process led to the gradual disappearance of the Virgin Mary’s image. The tree has since been removed from the property and only a short stump remains.

Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provide SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.

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