Hail Mary! Some see sign in chocolate blob

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Kitchen worker Cruz Jacinto was the first to see the 2-inch-tall column of chocolate that had dripped under a vat.

She stopped when she saw it. The melted chocolate looked just like the Virgin Mary on the prayer card she always carries in her right pocket.

"When I come in, the first thing I do is look at the clock, but this time I didn't look at the clock. My eyes went directly to the chocolate," said Jacinto, dressed in a hairnet and apron as she paused from her work. "I thought, 'Am I the only one who can see this?' I picked it up and I felt emotion just come over me. For me, it was a sign."

The Virgin Mary chocolate was first noticed Monday at Bodega Chocolates, the premium chocolate company of Martucci Angiano.

"I was raised to believe in the Virgin Mary, but this still gives me the chills," Angiano said.

The chocolate was on display for most of the week in the front of the company gift shop, but it now rests in a plastic case in a back room and is brought out only for curious visitors.

For the record, Tuesday marked the Roman Catholic Church's feast day for the Virgin Mary.