Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces

Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace (Spanish: Nuestra Senora Medianera de toda gracia; Italian: La Madonna Mediatrice di tutte le grazie; Tagalog: Aming Inang Tagapamagitan ng lahat ng Biyaya) is an alleged Marian apparition that took place in the Carmelite Monastery of Lipa, Batangas, Philippines, to a religious postulant, Teresita Castillo.^[1] The apparition is known in the Philippines for the rose petals which showered within the vicinity of the monastery, some bearing religious Catholic imagery which believers hold to be miraculous.

Initially declared by a local bishop as non-supernatural in 1951, the case was reopened in 1991 and is pending investigation by the Holy See while the Metropolitan Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Archdiocese of Lipa found "no objection in the veneration of Mary and its doctrine" under this title.^[2] Presently, the Marian veneration is tolerated by the Archdiocese of Lipa and the Archdiocese of Manila.^[2]

On March 3, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI was presented a Mediatrix statue by Bishop Guillermo Afable during the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Ad Limina visit. On March 9, 2011, a life-sized Mediatrix statue brought by Filipino bishops was publicly displayed in the general Wednesday papal audience at Pope Paul VI Audience Hall.^[3]

The 1948 Apparition

A wooden statue of Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces from the same sculptor and version given to Pope Benedict XVI.

On August 18, 1948, Teresita noticed a very heavenly fragrance, and upon entering her room she saw a beautiful Lady in white who spoke to her: "Do not fear my daughter, He who loves above all things has sent me. I come with a message…" The Lady asked Sister Teresita to wash the feet of the Mother Prioress, to kiss it and drink the water afterwards. The Lady said that the washing was a "sign of humility and obedience".^[4]

According to the account, on September 12, 1948, Sr. Teresita Castillo noticed a vine shaking without the presence of wind. Then she heard a woman's voice who told her to visit the garden for 19 consecutive days.^[4] The next day, September 13 at 5pm, Teresita came to the spot, knelt down and intended to say the Hail Mary. In the middle of the prayer, wind came, the garden vine moved and a beautiful lady appeared. She described the lady as having her hands clasped in prayer and holding a golden Rosary in her right hand. The lady asked her pray for priests and nuns.^[4] On September 14, rose petals began to shower within the monastery. Some of the religious sisters living in the convent began to notice rose petals outside their hallways.

Again at 5:00 pm, the lady appeared once more at the vine and said "I wish this place to be blessed tomorrow." "At what time, Mother?" asked Teresita. "Anytime your Mother Prioress wants, my child. I forbid you to forget the incidents of these fifteen days." Then the lady vanished. On the other hand, Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, the Mother Prioress, decided to consult His Excellency, the Most Reverend Alfredo Obviar, the auxiliary bishop of Lipa and spiritual director of Carmel, on what to do on the alleged apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The bishop instructed the Mother Prioress to demand from the lady a proof that she is from Heaven.

Days after the first shower of rose petals, total blindness affected Teresita. The Mother Prioress heard a woman's voice telling her to kiss the postulant's eyes will recover her sight. One day, in the presence of Bishop Obviar, the mother prioress lifted the veil of the postulant and imparted a kiss to Teresita's eyes. Immediately, the girl recovered her sight. Bishop Obviar no longer doubted the claims of her apparition.

According to an interview with the Prioress of the Carmelite Monastery, Mother Mary of the Sacred Heart and Sister Mary Balthazar were ordered to burn several boxes containing leaflefts, novena booklets, rose petals, and any religious paraphernalia pertaining to the apparition. The sisters were also ordered by their bishop to destroy the statue of the Virgin Mary but instead hid it out of religious devotion. The personal diary of Castillo was also consumed in the fire. According to an interview with Teresita Castillo, she had met Cardinal Egidio Vagnozzi in 1951 and expressed to him that she had left the Carmelite monastery to seek medical treatment. The papal nuncio strongly disapproved, called her the devil and asked her to leave his presence and tried to shove her out the door. Castillo cried tears and begged for his blessing, which he refused.^[5]

According to the Archbishop of Lipa, Ramon Arguelles, two of the bishops in the commission were forced to leave the investigation due to their lack of jurisdiction of Lipa, Bishop Versoza and Bishop Obviar. In a televised interview with ABS-CBN network communications, Arguelles noted no documents were compiled or even reached the Holy See in 1951, causing its immediate rejection.^[6][7] In 1991, a current petition to approve the apparition once again is currently went underaway in Rome.

Former Philippine president Corazon Aquino had a close religious affinity with the Carmelite Monastery in Lipa and visited often, as well as former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who on the Feast of the Assumption 2007, signed "Proclamation No: 1362" of September 12 as a "National Day of Prayer for Peace and Reconciliation"^[8] in honor of the alleged Marian apparitions.

Description of Mary

According to Castillo, Mary's hands clasped on her breast, a golden rosary hanging in her right hand, slightly stooping, her dress was simple and pure white held in the waist by a narrow cloth belt. Her feet were bare and resting on clouds about two feet above ground. Her face, indescribably beautiful, was radiant.

Ecclesiastical Investigation

An initial investigation report in 1951 was signed by six Roman Catholic bishops and declared the Lipa apparitions as a fraud and "non-supernatural". However, one bishop later recanted on his deathbed, and a new investigation was opened in 1991. The apparitions have to this date have not received approval from the Holy See and are still pending under investigation.^[9]

On April 17, 2005, Filipino Archbishop Ramon Arguelles issued a circular finding no objection to the devotion under this Marian title.^[10] The Archdiocese of Lipa, Batangas endorse Marian veneration under this title and are not expressly prohibited by the archdiocese in the Philippines as long as it does not counter the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Local bishops often tolerate the veneration of Mary under this title in Batangas province, at times even with the participation of local Filipino celebrities and politicians.

The religious image described and sculpted according to the vision of Teresita Castillo is licensed and approved by the Archdiocese of Manila for public veneration in various Filipino religious communities. Philippine Ambassador to the Holy See, Madam Mercedes Arrastia Tuason is a known devotee of the Marian title and displays a large statue in her consulate office in Rome.^[11]

Meaning

On the meaning of "Mediatrix" as the proposed dogma of the Blessed Virgin Mary, see the article Mediatrix.
On the meaning of "Mediatrix of all grace" as a Marian title, see the article Mediatrix of all graces.

References

External links

1. The Official Website of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace
2. Did Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, appeared in Lipa?

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