In 2021, during the post-pandemic period, a statue of the Virgin Mary arrived in Zaragoza, Spain. From May 1 to October 12, it traveled throughout Spain beginning at the Basilica del Pilar and ending at the Cerro de los Ángeles in Getafe.
The pilgrimage covered over 6,700 miles, stopping at shrines, churches, hospitals and prisons. Those who saw the statue said that they really felt the presence of the Virgin Mary.
One of these people was Ale. Her mother became ill with ALS when she was 6 years old and she has been afraid of losing her ever since. When the Virgin arrived in a nearby town, a friend took Ale to the church. She approached the statue, expecting to touch stone. But when she touched it, it was flesh.
ALE RODRIGUEZ
Testimony in Madre Ven
I touched it and it was alive and warm. It was like touching the foot of a living person. I don't remember much of what happened around me because it was all very amazing. But, I felt that the Virgin was with me, and that I had another mother. It gave me a lot of hope to say, 'Yes, your mother is sick. Yes, anything can happen, but you have another mother who is always with you, and who loves you and takes care of you every day.'
When Ale returned home, she told her mother what happened with the statue. Her mother was very emotional. However, Ale explains that it wasn't until the film preview that her mother understood what that moment had meant to Ale.
MARIA DÍAZ
Testimony in Madre Ven
I always say that, in Ale, I saw a kind of hope, a light that enables me to say: 'Well, no matter what happens, I will get through it because I know that I am being taken care of from Heaven.'
Madre Ven is a film made in a documentary format, set 30 years in the future. It tells the story of a man who discovers old photos of a Marian pilgrimage on his 80th birthday that will change the course of his family's life.
JOSEPMARIA ANGLÈS
Co-writer, Madre Ven
The documentary is partly intertwined with a fictional story with actors and another director to make it more enjoyable. Sometimes a very long documentary with many testimonies can end up being a bit too long or a bit tiresome. There are light and funny moments but also emotional parts in this story.
The original Marian statue is in Toledo. Throughout the pilgrimage, a copy traveled through several places in Spain, such as the Picos de Europa and the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
CA
TR: MG/KG
