Lady Lourdes

December 30th, 2007

Lady Lourdes

The Lipa Apparitions: The Philippines' First Approved Apparition Of The Virgin Mary?

The country with Asia's largest Catholic population moved a step closer to a possible historic first Church-approved apparition of the Virgin Mary.

The possible first Church-approved Marian apparition in the Philippines refers to the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary to a Carmelite postulant, Teresita Castillo, way back in 1948 in the Carmelite convent grounds in Lipa, Batangas, Philippines. Thousands of miraculous rose petals reportedly materialized out of thin air in the convent grounds at the time of the reported apparitions. Numerous cures were reported and attributed to the petals. The Virgin Mary referred to herself as the "Mediatrix of All Grace" in the apparitions.

The title of "Mediatrix of All Grace" refers the Virgin Mary's acknowledged role as distributor of God's graces to human beings. Currently, there is a major movement led by bishops, cardinals, priests, and millions of faithful to petition the pope to declare a fifth Marian Dogma, that of Mary as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate. If declared, the fifth Dogma will be among the articles of the Catholic Faith that all Catholics will be obliged to believe in. The current Marian dogmas include: Mary as Mother of God, the bodily Assumption of Mary to heaven, the perpetual Virginity of Mary, and the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

The Lipa apparitions became the center of national attention in the Philippines. Throngs of Filipinos visited Lipa, hoping to catch a glimpse of the apparition, and praying to be blessed with receiving a miraculous petal. The euphoria did not last long. Three years after the reported apparitions, the Church issued an official verdict: the apparitions were "not supernatural in nature" - basically, a rejection of the apparitions. The statue of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace in the apparition site was ordered hidden; public veneration of the image was forbidden. The devotion to Mary Mediatrix, however, did not fade with the years. In 1991, 40 years after the initial negative ruling on the apparitions, then Lipa Archbishop Mariano Gaviola issued a decree, finally allowing the image to be taken out and exposed to the public in the Carmelite chapel in Lipa. Since then, thousands of pilgrims have continuously visited the statue.

On November 12, 2009, Archbishop Arguelles, D.D., bishop of Lipa, issued a major decree related to the apparitions. In this decree concerning the Lipa apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the Archbishop reinforced former Lipa Archbishop Mariano Gaviola's 1991 ruling that lifted the ban on the public veneration of the Lipa image in the Carmelite chapel. In the decree, the Archbishop ordered that "all bans written or unwritten to curtain or diminish the devotion to Mary Mediatrix of All Grace be lifted."

Likewise, the Archbishop ordered the formation of a theological commission that will conduct a thorough study and investigation of all documents and evidence related to the apparitions. In an interview that first appeared in Totus Tuus, Maria, a a website on the Virgin Mary, the Archbishop said: "I believe the Mediatrix phenomenon is the greatest thing that ever happened to the Church of Lipa in the last one hundred years and even from time immemorial. The lifting of the ban is intended to dispel any doubts that in 1991 Archbishop Mariano Gaviola already did so. The late Archbishop and I are deeply concerned about the faithful's great devotion to our Holy Mother. It must be encouraged and promoted..."

When asked why he issued a new decree regarding the Lipa apparitions, the Archbishop responded: "The faithful have the right to know whether the Lipa phenomenon was authentic or not. The attachment to Mary must be promoted in these times of trial for our country and the world."

Unfortunately, the Lipa apparitions still suffers the stigma of the 1951 negative Church verdict. Is it possible for the Catholic Church to change its mind with regard to the Lipa apparitions, and essentially reverse a previous negative ruling? The Archbishop thinks this is possible: "The Church reconsidered the Galileo pronouncements. The Lipa case is so insignificant compared to that of Galileo... The Lipa revocation will immensely benefit the multitude of true believers worldwide." Will Lipa soon become the Asian version of Lourdes? Filipino Catholics can only wait and pray that Lipa will soon join the ranks of Fatima and Lourdes - Church-approved apparition sites that are visited by millions of Catholics every year.

About the Author

Mr. Arthur Policarpio is the Editor of Totus Tuus, Maria, a website on the Blessed Virgin Mary.