I am Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace

In a series of manifestations of initially sweet fragrance of lilies, and later physical apparitions, Mother Mary appeared and talked to postulant Teresita “Teresing” L. Castillo from August 7, 1948 – November 12, 1948. When Teresing asked who she was, the apparition said “B.V.M. (meaning Blessed Virgin Mary), and on Her last visit “I am MARY, MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACE.” Teresing was made to understand that “ALL GRACE” refers to Jesus.

In 1951, an episcopal commission of bishops gave a negative verdict on the Lipa apparitions, thus “pilgrimages to Carmel Lipa stopped, and widespread devotion to Mary Mediatrix disappeared, the messages of Our Lady at Lipa eclipsed into oblivion.” (The Mediatrix, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2016)

Curious as to the history of Mary Mediatrix of all Grace where he was appointed Co-Adjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Digos in 2002, Bishop Guillermo Afable made a personal quest to know the truth. This quest bore the fruit of the revival and relaunching of the Movement for a dogmatic definition of Mother Mary’s universal mediation of grace. The movement’s convenors were the late Cardinal Ricardo Vidal, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, Batanes Prelate Camilo Gregorio, Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Bagaforo, Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Antonio Ranola, and Bishop Guillermo Afable. Davao Auxiliary Bishop George Rimando, Surigao Del Norte Bishop Antonieto Cabahug, and Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles joined the movement also.

On the September 12, 2015 Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles “officially confirmed that the 1948 Lipa miracles, events, and apparition of the Blessed Virgin under the title Mediatrix of All Grace, are of supernatural character and worthy of belief.”

The 300 years Mediatrix history — from the prophecy of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort (1700), to the ascending and descending mediation of Mary of the Miraculous Medal (1830-1858), to Belgium’s Cardinal Mercier (1906), to the mediation through Her Immaculate Heart in Fatima (1917), to Sr. Marie Fidelia of the Holy Wounds in Carmel of Lons le Saunier (1931), and to our Carmel of Lipa (1948) — is summed up by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI that “There is no fruit of grace in the history of salvation that does not have as its necessary instrument the mediation of our Lady (The Mediatrix).”

“Little one, the word ‘fiat’ means a painful sacrifice, a detachment from what we like and all that it requires. ‘Be it done unto me’ is a complete surrender of myself also to what God wanted, a commitment to lovingly embrace and save the world. To help save souls was then my commitment, and this will remain forever. Little ones can only offer the most that they can do little, but when done with love, will be very pleasing to My Son.”

Only few people heeded Mother Mary’s call for conversion. She still asks that we pray the rosary, our instrument to salvation; to be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart that we may be protected as Her very own; to make sacrifices especially for our priests and nuns who are anointed to minister God’s sacraments; to be simple, humble, and obedient that as we are emptied of our self-importance, God’s grace may find its rightful place in our hearts.

Mother Mary’s mediation will not stop in Lipa. She will never tire of exhorting us to cooperate with GOD’s holy will, despite the shameless insults heaped on Her. Let us, with God’s grace, embrace the “holy slavery” She asked for in Lipa.

Mama Mary tells us to “not be afraid, for the love of My Son will soften the hardest of hearts, and My motherly love will be ‘your’ strength to crush the enemies of GOD.”

Mother Mary has never lost, nor will ever lose a battle; She has the full backing of Her Son Jesus. So we join Her in proclaiming “To God be all glory forever!” (Bella A. Sarenas)