(LifeSiteNews) — A Catholic production company is making a documentary on Our Lady of Guadalupe to evangelize the culture.
“As we approach the 500th anniversary of Guadalupe’s apparition, we believe she is calling us once again,” executive producer Whitney Hetzel told LifeSiteNews.
On December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Good Catholic, which is the digital content wing of The Catholic Company, will release Not Made by Human Hands: The Miracle of Guadalupe.
“The film explores the scientific mysteries of the tilma, the theological significance of the apparition, and the cultural transformation it sparked in post-conquest Mexico,” Zac Brakefield of Good Catholic told LifeSite.
“Featuring Catholic scholars, scientists, and priests, this series is both an evangelistic tool and a work of beauty meant to inspire deeper devotion to the Mother of God,” he continued.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to peasant Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in 1531, miraculously imprinting her radiant image on his tilma. The miracle sparked millions of conversions and transformed Mexican culture.
READ: The astonishing ‘sad’ and ‘happy’ face of Our Lady of Guadalupe
In an interview with LifeSite, Whitney Hetzel, the documentary’s executive producer, recalled that Our Lady appeared while many souls were leaving the Catholic Church in Europe due to heresy.
“In 1531, the world was in tremendous upheaval: the Protestant Reformation had drawn millions away from the Church, yet through her apparition to St. Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe brought back some nine million souls into the fold,” she said.
Hetzel further explained that, “today we face our own kind of turmoil — widespread secularism, a crisis of faith, and families torn apart by loss of belief.”
It is therefore “a time of renewal, a beautiful moment to stand firm in our identity as Catholics, draw near to her Son, and entrust our hopes to her maternal care.”
Not Made by Human Hands was made possible thanks in part to a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $70,000. More than 500 Catholics donated to the project.
READ: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Tender mother of the Church, patroness of the unborn
Hetzel explained to LifeSite that Our Lady has helped with the documentary’s production.
“We’ve faced discouragement and delays, yet at unexpected moments, doors have opened in unmistakable ways,” she said. “One of our priest collaborators reminded us early on: ‘Don’t expect this to be easy. Our Lady doesn’t promise ease — but when she whispers ‘¡Rápido!,’ you know it’s her urging you forward in peace.’”
“We’ve lived that promise,” Hetzel declared. “We’ve also been blessed to work with scholars and witnesses like Fr. Robert Spitzer and Jorge Sevilla, whose insights on the science, history, and cultural impact of the tilma lend our film both credibility and depth.”
“We pray that through their contributions and through Mary’s own story, many more hearts will encounter her Son in a life-changing way!”
Per Good Catholic’s website, the film will be released in both English and Spanish. Churches, schools, and other organizations are encouraged to host screenings for their supporters. To learn more about Not Made by Human Hands: The Miracle of Guadalupe click here.
