Join Us In Creating A Life-Changing Docu-Series on Our Lady of Guadalupe!

What if a film could be the doorway to something eternal? This one just might be. And I’d love for you to be part of it!

It’s a story that speaks across centuries. We’ve titled it Not Made By Human Hands– because at its very center is a miracle that still defies explanation, a message not born from man, but given by God.

This story is deeply personal to me, but I believe it’s meant for all of us.

As we approach the 500th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance, I sense a growing urgency; a conviction that now is the time to tell her story, the way it deserves to be told. But we can’t do it alone.

We believe this docu-series can change lives. But to make it all it’s meant to be, we need to step beyond what we can do alone. This week, we’re launching our Kickstarter campaign to take that next step. This is how we’ll finish the film, reach more people, and release it in English and Spanish.

To understand why we’re so passionate about this project, you have to know how it all began.

The Miracle

Nearly 500 years ago, on the cold morning of December 12, 1531, an indigenous man named Juan Diego opened his tilma before the bishop of Mexico City. Out spilled a cascade of Castilian roses—blooms that should not have existed on that barren hill in winter.

But what truly astonished everyone was not the roses. It was the image imprinted on his tilma: a radiant woman, her mantle full of stars, her head bowed in prayer. 

That tilma still hangs in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
(I stood before it with my family, and it took my breath away.) 

Despite being made from cactus fiber that should have disintegrated within 20 years, it has endured five centuries. Scientists have found no brushstrokes. The pigments are of no known origin. And in the reflection of her eyes, smaller than a grain of rice, are what appear to be tiny human figures: those who were present at the moment the image was revealed.

Is this hard to believe? Perhaps so, yet this image, like the Shroud of Turin, defies human explanation. And it points to something much greater. 

Mary, Our Mother

When I became Catholic in 1991, I respected Mary. I accepted what the Church taught. But I didn’t yet know her. Growing up Episcopalian, I saw her as beloved and holy, but distant.

That changed during a silent retreat, when a priest reminded those present: Mary was given to us from the Cross. She is not only the Mother of God. She is our mother, too. 

That priest introduced me to the Memorare prayer which I have loved ever since: “I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother…” The idea of flying to our Mother for her unconditional love, assistance, and protection is a comfort to me when I feel especially overwhelmed and burdened.

As a mother myself (of nine, and now with grandchildren), I’ve come to know Mary not just as a model of faith, but as a companion—someone who understands suffering, stands with us in sorrow, and always leads us to Jesus.

Why We Had to Make This Film

This project began at Good Catholic years ago, when a member of our team suggested we do a series on Our Lady of Guadalupe. I wanted to. But I was intimidated because I knew we had to do it right.

That meant telling the story in English and Spanish. It meant going to Mexico. It meant basing it in real history and research, not just pious legend.

So we waited. And we prayed. And years passed.  Then, about 14 months ago, doors began opening—you could even say miraculously.

A friend introduced us to Fr. Dan Leary, who had recently returned from serving the Sisters of Mary in Mexico. When I told him about our dream, he didn’t hesitate: “You will go.”

Fr. Dan connected us with Susan Driscoll, who organizes pilgrimages and visits to the Sisters of Mary in Chalco, Mexico. She arranged our stay with the Conceptionistas, a cloistered order of nuns just two blocks from the Basilica.

Around this same time, through a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Mexico, we found a professional videographer in Guadalajara who was “coincidentally” available to join us with very short notice.

Everything was falling into place—there was even space for my husband and four of our children to join the trip.

So, last June we traveled to Mexico. We stayed with the nuns a few blocks from the Basilica. We stood before the tilma. Our film crew captured amazing footage. 

Why It Matters Now

While in Mexico, we spoke with priests and laypeople about Our Lady of Guadalupe, listening to how her message has shaped their lives and deepened their faith.  And since returning, we’ve continued to pour ourselves into this film with rigorous research and interviews.

We sat down with Fr. Robert Spitzer, Catholic priest, scientist, and theologian, to talk about the scientific and theological mysteries of the tilma. We met with Fr. Miguel Sánchez, of the Diocese of Charlotte, NC, who grew up in Guadalajara, for his insight and pastoral witness. We spent time with Fr. Tim Oudenhoven who is the founder and director of the Marian Messengers, an apostolate dedicated to spreading devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe through missions and retreats.

Many others - from all walks of life - have shared powerful stories of personal encounters with Our Lady of Guadalupe.

We’re grounding the film in rich and reliable sources: The Nican Mopohua, Fr. Spitzer’s Science, Reason, and Faith, and historical works like Conquest by Hugh Thomas, Conquest of Darkness by Warren Carroll, and The Historiography of the Apparition of Guadalupe.

We are creating this docu-series with depth, reverence, and truth, as best we can.

Not Made By Human Hands

The image on the tilma wasn’t painted. It wasn’t invented. It wasn’t the work of any artist.

It was placed by the hand of God…and it still speaks.

That’s why this is more than a documentary. It’s a wake-up call. A reminder that God is still preparing His people.What happened in 1531 wasn’t an ending. It was the beginning of a story that’s still unfolding.

A story for us. A story for now.

Why You Matter

We are closing in on the 500th anniversary of Our Lady’s appearance in Mexico.

We believe this project is part of Mary’s ongoing invitation.

Just as she met Juan Diego where he was, Our Lady of Guadalupe, who was named "Patroness of the Americas" by Pope Pius XII in 1945, meets us here, right now.

As always, she leads us not to herself, but to her Son.

What YOU can do!

Before anything else, we’re asking for your prayers. Please pray that this project will bear fruit and that it will reach the hearts it’s meant to reach.

If you feel moved to do more, we would be very grateful for your support.

Your generosity will help us complete this work and bring it to those who might never otherwise encounter the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Even if you can’t give financially, you can still be part of the mission. Please share the campaign with your family, friends, and parish! Help us shine a light on what God has done—and what He is still doing.

Because the tilma is real. The story is true. And the time is now.