New film 'Apparition Hill' plumbs a spiritual mystery
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MILFORD — Medjugorje, a tiny village in Bosnia-Herzgovina, is a place of miracles. In June 1981, the Blessed Virgin Mary is reported to have first appeared to six young people, to ask their help in spreading her messages to the world. She continues to appear until the present day.
A new documentary about the pilgrims who spread Mary's message of peace, "Apparition Hill," will be screened at the Milford Theatre, 114 East Catherine St., at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25. Award-winning director Sean Bloomfield ( The Triumph, If Only We Had Listened) and his team created this powerful cinematic experience that was among the 2017 Oscar contenders for Documentary Feature. The film follows an unlikely group of pilgrims who travel to Medjugorje to investigate the truth behind the greatest spiritual mystery of our time. Among the members of the group are two atheists, a skeptic, two terminally ill patients, a widower, and a recovering addict.
"Our Lady’s mission is one of peace," say Mary Anne Condit and Patrice Kealy, who are bringing the film to Milford. "She tells us that God has sent her to our world, to reeducate us and to help us reorient our lives back to God. In her own words, she tells us, 'I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God.'"
Since the apparitions began in 1981, more than 40 million people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left strengthened and renewed. Numerous charitable organizations, including Rachel’s Vineyard, Mary’s Meals, which feeds over a million children per day, and the Cenacolo community for healing addictions had their beginnings is Medjugorje.
"Our intent in screening this film in Milford is to offer the chance to be a pilgrim in Medjugorje for two hours, traveling with this group as they seek a sign of hope in a world that can seem hopeless," Condit and Kealy said.