"I wish you all to consecrate yourselves to me on October 7 and be my slaves..."
Among us, both clergy, religious, and laity, we have our own special devotions to Our Lady. Some may have been handed down through family or regional traditions; others perhaps through a particular personal and life-changing experience.
And these are all laudable and praise-worthy, however, what really constitutes a true devotion to the Mother of God?
I. False and True Devotees of Our Lady
According to the great Marian saint St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, false devotees are characterized as:
1. Critical
2. Scrupulous
3. Superficial
4. Presumptuous
5. Inconstant
6. Hypocritical
7. Self-interested.
On the other hand, the devotion of true devotees are:
1. Trustful
2. Interior
3. Holy
4. Constant
5. Disinterested
Now, which ones are we?
II. A call to a more perfect devotion
Make our Marian devotion more meaningful and relevant. JOIN The Confraternity of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace and learn St. Louis Grignion de Montfort's method of true devotion to Our Lady by reading his book and eventually consecrating yourselves to Her through a holy slavery of love. Now, slavery may sound too harsh to modern ears and yet this most singular slavery frees and unshackles one from sin and vice. But this consecration is not a mere recitation of a formula. It far transcends that. It is a state of mind and soul. It is a way of life, a real and lasting true devotion. Learn more!
III. Christ must be the ultimate end of all devotions
Let us read what St. Louis Griginion de Montfort wrote in his book, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin , the must-read manual of a sincere and real devotee of Our Lady,
"....If devotion to the Blessed Virgin is necessary for all men simply to work out their salvation, it is even more necessary for those who are called to a special perfection. I do not believe that anyone can acquire intimate union with our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the most Blessed Virgin and an absolute dependence on her support."
".... Since she is the sure means, the direct and immaculate way to Jesus and the perfect guide to Him , it is through her that souls who are to shine forth in sanctity must find Him. He who finds Mary finds life, that is, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. But no one can find Mary who does not look for her. No one can look for her who does not know her, for no one seeks or desires something unknown. Mary then must be better known than ever for the deeper understanding and the greater glory of the Blessed Trinity."
"....Following therefore the teaching of the saints and of the popes, especially Pope John Paul II and many great men we too can call ourselves, and become, the loving slaves of our Blessed Lady in order to become more perfect slaves of Jesus. Mary is the means our Lord chose to come to us and she is also the means we should choose to go to Him , for she is not like other creatures who tend rather to lead us away from God than towards Him, if we are over-attached to them. Mary's strongest inclination is to unite us to Jesus, her Son, and her Son's strongest wish is that we come to Him through His Blessed Mother. He is pleased and honored just as a king would be pleased and honored if a citizen, wanting to become a better subject and slave of the king, made himself the slave of the queen. That is why the Fathers of the Church, and St. Bonaventure after them, assert that the Blessed Virgin is the way which leads to our Lord."
IV. Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace
Thus, summarizing the above passages, we arrive at the conclusion that Mary is the Mediatrix of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is through Mary Most Holy that we reach Our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the concept of Mediatrix of All Grace (Jesus), is then readily understood. The core doctrine of Montfortian True Devotion therefore coincides perfectly with Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, the title by which the Blessed Virgin identified herself at Lipa.
To establish another link of True Devotion to the Lipa apparition, one ought to recall that in Mother Cecilia of Jesus' (Prioress of Lipa Carmel in 1948) official account of the apparitions she wrote, "On the 25 th (Sept. 1948) the Lady told the following, 'I wish you all to consecrate yourselves to me on October 7 and be my slaves'..."
In Dr. Francisco Villanueva's book, "The Wonders of Lipa" (1949), he adds, "One day the Apparition asked the Community an individual consecration of its members to herself according to the spirit of St. Grignion de Monfort."
And from Teresing Castillo's own words, the 7 October 1948 entry of her Life and Testimony: "The much awaited day finally came. A Mass was celebrated at the hermitage by our beloved Msgr. Obviar...As soon as Mass was over, the whole community consecrated itself to Mama Mary following the devotion of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort."
V. A Nation of True Devotees
Imagine the abundance of blessings and graces the Filipino nation would receive if its citizens follow Our Lady's wise counsel to the Carmelite nuns of Lipa in 1948. In fact, it is our lofty goal. We desire the greatest number of souls to consecrate themselves to Our Lady and be her slaves of love. This is the main reason why we are forming The Confraternity of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace.
We call upon the countless children of Mary to forge ahead and make the necessary step to perfect their devotion. Read St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort's timeless masterpiece, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 1 for it is the key to a new level of Marian spirituality and interior life. Let us, Filipinos, take the lead and set the world on the fire of true Marian devotion!
VI. Membership
Membership is open to both Catholic clergy, religious and laity. Realizing that different people have varying degrees of understanding and spirituality and thus may take some time to fully grasp the real and profound meaning of this devotion, we propose the following different levels of membership:
Among us, both clergy, religious, and laity, we have our own special devotions to Our Lady. Some may have been handed down through family or regional traditions; others perhaps through a particular personal and life-changing experience.
And these are all laudable and praise-worthy, however, what really constitutes a true devotion to the Mother of God?
I. False and True Devotees of Our Lady
According to the great Marian saint St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, false devotees are characterized as:
1. Critical
2. Scrupulous
3. Superficial
4. Presumptuous
5. Inconstant
6. Hypocritical
7. Self-interested.
On the other hand, the devotion of true devotees are:
1. Trustful
2. Interior
3. Holy
4. Constant
5. Disinterested
Now, which ones are we?
II. A call to a more perfect devotion
Make our Marian devotion more meaningful and relevant. JOIN The Confraternity of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace and learn St. Louis Grignion de Montfort's method of true devotion to Our Lady by reading his book and eventually consecrating yourselves to Her through a holy slavery of love. Now, slavery may sound too harsh to modern ears and yet this most singular slavery frees and unshackles one from sin and vice. But this consecration is not a mere recitation of a formula. It far transcends that. It is a state of mind and soul. It is a way of life, a real and lasting true devotion. Learn more!
III. Christ must be the ultimate end of all devotions
Let us read what St. Louis Griginion de Montfort wrote in his book, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin , the must-read manual of a sincere and real devotee of Our Lady,
"....If devotion to the Blessed Virgin is necessary for all men simply to work out their salvation, it is even more necessary for those who are called to a special perfection. I do not believe that anyone can acquire intimate union with our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the most Blessed Virgin and an absolute dependence on her support."
".... Since she is the sure means, the direct and immaculate way to Jesus and the perfect guide to Him , it is through her that souls who are to shine forth in sanctity must find Him. He who finds Mary finds life, that is, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. But no one can find Mary who does not look for her. No one can look for her who does not know her, for no one seeks or desires something unknown. Mary then must be better known than ever for the deeper understanding and the greater glory of the Blessed Trinity."
"....Following therefore the teaching of the saints and of the popes, especially Pope John Paul II and many great men we too can call ourselves, and become, the loving slaves of our Blessed Lady in order to become more perfect slaves of Jesus. Mary is the means our Lord chose to come to us and she is also the means we should choose to go to Him , for she is not like other creatures who tend rather to lead us away from God than towards Him, if we are over-attached to them. Mary's strongest inclination is to unite us to Jesus, her Son, and her Son's strongest wish is that we come to Him through His Blessed Mother. He is pleased and honored just as a king would be pleased and honored if a citizen, wanting to become a better subject and slave of the king, made himself the slave of the queen. That is why the Fathers of the Church, and St. Bonaventure after them, assert that the Blessed Virgin is the way which leads to our Lord."
IV. Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace
Thus, summarizing the above passages, we arrive at the conclusion that Mary is the Mediatrix of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, it is through Mary Most Holy that we reach Our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, the concept of Mediatrix of All Grace (Jesus), is then readily understood. The core doctrine of Montfortian True Devotion therefore coincides perfectly with Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace, the title by which the Blessed Virgin identified herself at Lipa.
To establish another link of True Devotion to the Lipa apparition, one ought to recall that in Mother Cecilia of Jesus' (Prioress of Lipa Carmel in 1948) official account of the apparitions she wrote, "On the 25 th (Sept. 1948) the Lady told the following, 'I wish you all to consecrate yourselves to me on October 7 and be my slaves'..."
In Dr. Francisco Villanueva's book, "The Wonders of Lipa" (1949), he adds, "One day the Apparition asked the Community an individual consecration of its members to herself according to the spirit of St. Grignion de Monfort."
And from Teresing Castillo's own words, the 7 October 1948 entry of her Life and Testimony: "The much awaited day finally came. A Mass was celebrated at the hermitage by our beloved Msgr. Obviar...As soon as Mass was over, the whole community consecrated itself to Mama Mary following the devotion of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort."
V. A Nation of True Devotees
Imagine the abundance of blessings and graces the Filipino nation would receive if its citizens follow Our Lady's wise counsel to the Carmelite nuns of Lipa in 1948. In fact, it is our lofty goal. We desire the greatest number of souls to consecrate themselves to Our Lady and be her slaves of love. This is the main reason why we are forming The Confraternity of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace.
We call upon the countless children of Mary to forge ahead and make the necessary step to perfect their devotion. Read St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort's timeless masterpiece, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 1 for it is the key to a new level of Marian spirituality and interior life. Let us, Filipinos, take the lead and set the world on the fire of true Marian devotion!
VI. Membership
Membership is open to both Catholic clergy, religious and laity. Realizing that different people have varying degrees of understanding and spirituality and thus may take some time to fully grasp the real and profound meaning of this devotion, we propose the following different levels of membership:
- Full-pledged Confraternity Member : an individual who agrees to read True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and afterwards go through the 33 days preparatory period prior to consecrating himself or herself to Our Lady as a slave of love.
- Associate Member : an individual who may not be ready to do the consecration yet but believes in the benefits of this apostolate and agrees to help in the confraternity's various tasks and projects.
- Patrons of the Confraternity : Donors and supporters--those individuals who believe and support the Confraternity's cause through donations, both in cash and kind.