The Apparition Hill

From the time of Adam, God has spoken to his saints and prophets through visions, dreams, and inner voices ...

Miraculous events are common in the worlds of the Old and New Testaments, and the lives of the saints are marked by supernatural intervention. In our time, the Eternal Father seems to also be grabbing ordinary people from our midst to use as His mouthpieces. He is calling us to honor the covenant He made with us so that His "will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."

The last century-and-a-half has seen numerous accounts of appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Jesus, Himself, is said to speak to a few of the seers. Some of the apparitions have received official approval by the Roman Catholic Church. Common threads running through all the messages are: Jesus has been offended by the multiplication of against His Sacred Heart; and Mary exhorts humanity to prayer and repentance and an increased devotion to the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. A simple message, but the alternative, we are warned, is a great chastisement which will befall mankind.

On 29th March 1939, evening around 6.30 pm, Mary appeared on a hill near to the church. She appeared in the middle of bright white light. She wore a veil and looked towards the church and worshiped with folded hands. A water fall was falling down from her feet. Six young people (Gnana Athikkam, S.P.John, M.G.Thomas, D.Thasan, R.Thasan, M.A.Thasan) saw that apparition. They saw that apparition for few seconds and after that it disappeared. Next day morning they went to the apparition hill and found a pair of human foot print on the rock at the apparition site. They marked the foot print and informed that apparition to parish priest Rev. Father Marianoos, school head master Laxmana Iyer and the village people. Rev. Father Marianoos and the people were uncertain about that apparition.

It was a drought time and for 13 years there was no rain in the arid zone Kallikulam. The school head master told them that he would believe that apparition only if he saw the waterfall on the hill. That day after noon around 3 pm there was a heavy rainfall for one and half an hour time in and around of Kallikulam. A waterfall formed on the hill top at the apparition site. After that signs, they believed the apparition, and setup a Pandal (temporary structure) with coconut leaves on the apparition site.

Every night a Hurricane lamp was lit up at that place. One day the Hurricane lamp fell down and it rolled over the hill and reached down to the foot of the hill. There people found that the Hurricane lamp was not damaged, straight and lit. That is the first miracle at the apparition hill.

After some time a young boy from Singamparai village came to the hill to get cured from his disability. All his hand fingers were folded and he was not able to do any work. One day he poured oil on the foot print at the apparition site and rubbed it with his palm and fingers. At once his fingers were unfolded. He was very happy and with great gratitude he told the miracle to village people and showed his fingers. That is the second miracle at the apparition hill.

On 1940, construction of steps to apparition site was started. That time Rs. 2.5 was the labour charge to carve a step on the Apparition hill. So many people sent money to build steps to the Apparition site by Money Order. It was during the World War II. Most of the Money order came from military people. From that donation and other offerings the village people built steps and side support pillars to the Apparition site on the hill.

On 1941, Tuticorin bishop Roch Victoria came to this hill and blessed it and confirmed it and laid a commemorative plaque. One Grotto was constructed on the hill in the commemoration of Our Lady's apparition.

Since then, people from the parish and from the surrounding areas gathering there every Saturday. Thousands of people of all faiths have visited this Apparition Hill and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed. Countless physically or mentally afflicted have been healed. Throughout the year, not only do multitudes of Catholic travel there but many non-Christians visit as well. Hundreds of miraculous cures are reported every year.