Chapter I:

To the Lord I cry aloud and He answers me from His Holy Hill

Throughout sacred history, mountains and hills have held great significance as places of encounters with God. To test his faith, Yahweh commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah - a sacrifice Yahweh spared Abraham. On Mt. Horeb, Moses saw a burnning bush and from it heard the voice of the Lord. It was there that he received his commission as deliverer of the Hebrew people. Later in sacred history, Moses was called by the Holy Spirit to Mt. Sinai where he received the tablets of testimony (law) written by the finger of God. Mt. Carmel was the site where Elijah was fed by an angel of the Lord. Both Elijah and Moses appeared with the Lord Jesus Christ on a mountain when he was transfigured and glorified before the eyes of Peter, James and John.

The Lord often calls His followers to come to a high place for prayer. Jesus frequently prayed on the Mount of Olives. So it is that many pilgrims, as if to follow in His footsteps, have come to climb the steep path through the woods to the top of Holy Hill. They have come broken in body and broken in spirit. They have cried out to the Lord and he has answered them from His Holy Hill. It is an echo to the psalmist prayer quoted above. It is my testimony and that of the thousands who come here to pray each year.

Healings occur when and wherever the Lord is encountered. Some healings are gradual while others are dramatic and instant. Even before the building of the first log chapel, pilgrims left crutches, leg braces and canes at Holy Hill as wittness to answered prayer. This practice continues today by pilgrims who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has healed them through the powerful intecessory prayer of Mary His mother.

Visitors come to Holy Hill for a variety of reasons. Many ethnic groups continue a tradition of yearly pilgrimages that can be traced to Holy Hill's earliest beginnings. Others come as sightseers or hikers. Families frequently come to participate in Sunday liturgy and remain to picnic on the wooded grounds.

Holy Hill is an easy drive from several urban and suburban areas and yet is very isolated (especially in winter). This makes it an ideal place for a private or group retreat. If making an overnight retreat is not possible, just to come and spend the day at rest in the presence of the Lord can be a very healing experience. One lone pilgrim came to Holy Hill and remained as a hermit for many years. Our history begins with his story.