St. Mary's Church

St. Mary's Church in West Warwick, Rhode Island is included on ODDKNOWN because a source-recorded haunting or paranormal story is tied to the location. Source-reported background: This is the first Catholic church built in Rhode Island. The builder and his wife Mary completed the church anyway despite warnings that if the ground was broken for the church, the person who dug the first shovel of earth would lie beneath it. Reported activity: It is her spirit who supposedly haunts the church. Lights have been turned on and off, candles have inexplicably gone out and items have been moved from various areas of the church. She seems to be a benevolent spirit and the priests at the church accept her as part of the parish. The Shadowlands/TidyTuesday entry is a compiled report, so the paranormal claims are presented as folklore or witness reports rather than verified supernatural evidence.

What ODDKNOWN records

St. Mary's Church in West Warwick, Rhode Island is included on ODDKNOWN because a source-recorded haunting or paranormal story is tied to the location. Source-reported background: This is the first Catholic church built in Rhode Island. The builder and his wife Mary completed the church anyway despite warnings that if the ground was broken for the church, the person who dug the first shovel of earth would lie beneath it. Reported activity: It is her spirit who supposedly haunts the church. Lights have been turned on and off, candles have inexplicably gone out and items have been moved from various areas of the church. She seems to be a benevolent spirit and the priests at the church accept her as part of the parish. The Shadowlands/TidyTuesday entry is a compiled report, so the paranormal claims are presented as folklore or witness reports rather than verified supernatural evidence.

Source classification: database · Status: reported.

Sources & references

1. https://github.com/rfordatascience/tidytuesday/tree/main/data/2023/2023-10-10