ORLANDO, Fla. -- A statue of a "weeping" Virgin Mary in Orlando, Fla., that gained international attention after owners noticed it crying black tears will be auctioned off in an effort to raise $130,000 for a woman in the need of a kidney transplant.

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PHOTOS: Weeping Statue

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Castle Designs will auction the statue to benefit Daisy Morando, who is in need of a kidney transplant.

"We feel that this statue has been sent to us for a purpose," a posting from the company associated with the auction said.

Castle Designs recently received the marble statue, a reproduction of the Pieta -- one of Michelangelo's greatest works of art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Christ -- several weeks ago from overseas.

After owners of the statue noticed the tears apparently coming from inside the marble, thousands of people have traveled to the business to witness the phenomenon.

The Orlando Catholic Diocese met with the Castle Designs CEO Les Roberts to inspect the statue.

After conferring with Roberts, it is the position of the diocese that the black vein coming from Mary’s eye is a natural occurrence, a statement from the Orlando Diocese said. Even though the "weeping" can be explained in purely natural terms, the phenomenon is an occasion of some spiritual introspection, the statement said.

Since the discovery, the "weeping" statue has been featured on CNN, Fox, NBC and USA News as well as internationally in Tokyo and other locations.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.