Thanks to a Virgin Mary image, several members at St. Dominic's Catholic Church are now receiving affirmation there.

The image, which appears annually on the church's stained-glass window from late October through early February, is seen between approximately 9:30 and 11 each morning.

Several Colfax church representatives I spoke to this week agree that the image depicts the Virgin Mary. After that common ground, though, they're divided in what it signifies.

Father William Kinane, the church's religious leader for the last two years, says his congregation knows the vision is "just a reflection of light on the wall." Furthermore, Ki-nane asserts that it could happen in any church or anywhere for that matter where sun shines through stained glass.

Although Charlene McShane states that the church is blessed with "a beautiful image of Our Lady," she accepts Kinane's explanation.

"The church thinks it's a natural phenomenon. Miracles are unexplained phenomenon. But it's very extraordinary," said McShane, a church member for 39 years, who frequently visits the image.

For church "gopher" Edmund Rauh, "the image is what it is. I see an image of a woman and the crucifixion scene."

I'm thrilled for these church members. Even though I'm not Catholic, I like knowing that their beliefs are validated.

And I like the fact that some of these Colfax Catholics have viewed the image for 15 years, ever since Nov. 22, 1990, according to church member Bob Stanley. To me, that means their conversations shouldn't be taken lightly.

Stanley, belonging to the church for 38 years, said the late Father Dermot J. Dwyer, St. Dominic's religious leader from the late 1980s to 2003, often told him it was the Virgin Mary.

To those who question the vision's authenticity, Stanley offers a challenge.

"Why does the image look so much like the Blessed Virgin Mary and the crucifixion of Jesus when there are literally trillions of possibilities of what we could see on the wall," he asks, "if it were a mere reflection? And where was she when the church opened in 1951 up to 1990?"

While members currently celebrate the vision, I hope nonmembers will respect the church.

That unfortunately wasn't the case for 18 days in 1990 when the vision first appeared at the Oak Street church. According to a story in the Dec. 12, 1990 Colfax Record, Colfax's population temporarily quadrupled as visitors flocked to the downtown church.

The majority of visitors traveled here to experience what they considered a miracle. Others, however, were attracted to what quickly became a carnival atmosphere.

During those 18 days, visitors camped out in cars along Oak Street and vendors sold T-shirts, videos, hats, bumper stickers and refrigerator magnets, the Colfax Record stated. And newspapers and TV stations throughout the country covered the story.

As a result, three Colfax Police Department officers, two California Highway Patrol officers and Caltrans crews were assigned to crowd control.

"The crowds 15 years ago were very much unruly. They forced themselves around. It was a fiasco," Rauh said.

For the last 14 years, there hasn't been any media coverage about the image.

That doesn't mean the church is immune to an influx of well-wishers wanting to observe the religious icon. Especially since hundreds of spectators traveled to the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church off Jackson Road in Sacramento this weekend after media reports of a Virgin Mary statute displaying tears of blood.

Hopefully, St. Dominic's Church won't attract similar visitors. But, Rauh graciously said, anyone is welcome inside.

Perhaps only the serious, and not any thrill-seekers, will visit the church. That way, St. Dominic's members can continue to quietly pray at their venue, drawing strength from their annual visitor.

Carol Feineman can be reached at carolf@foothill.net.