Mary Cecilia of Jesus

Mother Mary Cecilia of Jesus, O.C.D., (7 September 1908 – 13 December 1982) is a noted Discalced Carmelite Nun and Prioress of the Carmelite Monastery in Lipa during the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace (1948). She was also the confidante of the visionary postulant, Teresita Castillo.^[1][2][3]

Establishment of the Carmel of Lipa

When the Carmel of Gilmore was founded in 1926, and Bishop Verzosa learned about it, he began appealing to the nuns to give him a Carmel in Lipa. After 20 years of perseverance and the end of the 2nd World War, the Carmelites finally responded to the invitation of the Bishop. The place given to them was the seminary, where plenty of Lipeno people were massacred, and because it was the only property of the diocese at that time. So, the construction of the Carmelite Monastery underwent and was founded in 1946, electing Mary Cecilia of Jesus as Prioress.

The Apparitions

Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace

By the time, Teresita Castillo,^[4] daughter of a former Governor of Lipa, entered the Carmel of Lipa, many mystical and unexplained occurrences already began. Mother Cecilia, as what she is called, eventually encountered and heard Sis. Teresing's reports and events, such as that she was being visited by a devil and the apparition and requests of a beautiful lady in her cell, which later revealed herself as Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace. After a long observance and doubts of these mysterious events, she later then believed in the visions of Sis. Teresing and confided everything to their Spiritual Director, the Auxiliary Bishop Alfredo Maria Obviar. She also became a recipient of interior locutions from the Blessed Virgin Mary who instructed her how to assist Sis. Teresing in order to fulfill Her requests.^[5][6]

The Verdict in 1951

The Apparitions became later known in public through news about miraculous healings, heavy fragrance of roses, the shower of rose petals that bore images of Jesus, Mary and religious scenes, the appearance of the blue bird and the spinning sun like what happened in Fatima, Portugal.^[6] An investigation of the alleged apparition in Lipa was done by Church leaders in the year 1951 and issued a decree that would change Lipa. The verdict was signed by the Commission composed of one archbishop and five bishops, namely: Archbp. Gabriel Reyes of Manila, Bp. Cesar Maria Guerrero of San Fernando, Bp. Mariano Madriaga of Lingayen, Bp. Rufino Santos, the newly assigned Apostolic Administrator of Lipa, Bp. Vicente Reyes, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila and Bp. Juan Sison, Auxiliary Bishop of Nueva Segovia.

Expulsion and Silence

Mother Cecilia was then banished from Lipa along with Sister Mary Anne, the Sub-Prioress of the Carmel of Lipa, after the negative verdict was issued by the Church authorities, and she was reduced to the status of as scullery maid.

The Carmel in Lipa suffered greatly of the many controversies, punishments and orders given to them that brought them deep sorrows and sadness, while being ridiculed and insulted from the blames, jeers, and malicious comments that were aimed at them. It made a huge effect to their spiritual and monastical life, where it resulted that some of the Carmelite Nuns, left the Order, but only faithfully remained.

Mother Cecilia endured all this simply and quietly, despite being removed from her positions, with all the Carmelite Nuns at Lipa. Sister Teresing, whom was a novice at that year was then requested to leave the Carmel of Lipa, for not fulfilling her requirements necessary for her admissions, due to the interruptions of the investigations and being brought to Manila for several times for questioning, to her formations.

She offered herself as a victim soul and a holocaust for the cause of Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace.

Later life and death

In February 1982, the Jesuit Bp. Federico Escalar of Ipil gave them a retreat, during which she was released from the ban of silence that had been imposed to her as well as to other witnesses of the apparitions in 1948 by the Apostolic Nunciature Egidio Vagnozzi.

On 13 December 1982, heaven accepted her long life offerings when she fell from the stairs of Carmel. She suffered tremendously due to head injury she sustained and later on she died the night. Many who knew her well acknowledged her as indeed a holy woman of such obedience and trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary.

References