Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Lipa City

As promised, here’s another of Lipa’s famous churches. Carmel, as Batangueños refer to it, was founded on May 31, 1946, just a year after World War II left the town of Lipa in ruins (Lipa bounced back heavily and was made city in August 1947, after the Japanese killed more than 20,000 innocent Lipa natives, with more casualties resulting from massacres carried out by the Japanese when they were losing the war against the Americans in the ending years). This little tidbit of information is probably a little out of topic, but they were all mentioned in the book “The Roots of Teresa’s Nuns in the Philippines,” a copy of which a Carmelite Sister gave me that last week of November I was able to visit Carmel, again, this time in a different light.

The Carmel Church


Through the initiative of Bishop Alfredo Versoza and then auxilliary Bishop Alrfredo Ma. Obviar(who was the first father and chaplain of the monastery), the sisters from Carmel Manila left for their new monastery in Lipa on the same day Carmel Lipa was founded, which was the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace. This is primarily the reason why the Carmel has been associated with several forms of the Virgin Mary.

Mary Mediatrix of All Grace

Inside the Carmel Church

When I was taking this picture inside the church, an elderly Sister approached me and asked me to come with her. I immediately felt at ease with her vibrant voice, and she talked for an hour or so about the beginnings of the church and her admiration of Maria Bambina(picture below). I explained to her that I’ll be writing and posting my pictures of Carmel in the Internet, and she talked more animatedly and explained that this picture of Maria Bambina cannot be found anywhere else, even in the web. I promised to post it pursuant to her requests. (Thank you Sister, for your hospitality and the two books!)

Maria Bambina postlet

Here are other images I took while I was there.

Araw-araw Near the Front Wall of Carmel

Front Shot of The Church

Lit (and Unlit) Candles at the Offers Corner Outside The Church

It was a rather gloomy day when I went there, not to mention that it was a weekday. There weren’t the usual number of people that I was accustomed to seeing and rubbing shoulders with. On Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, Carmel brims with churchgoers coming from as far as Batangas City. Most people talk to the Sisters and ask for help in their prayers. Confessions are also held at various times of the day. Carmel, compared to Katedral, is not in the center of bustling city streets, and visiting the Carmel Sisters can mean an hour or two of retreat and recollection, a much needed pause in the never-stopping play of life.

At a Slanted Angle, Showing the Carmel Sister’s Monastery on the Left

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  • jeffrey M. Mayor

    May the grace of Our Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace continously touch our lives forever. God bless!

  • jeffrey M. Mayor

    Regular Mass Schedule (Daily including Weekends)
    6:00AM with Carmelite Cloistered Sisters
    First Saturday and Sundays
    8:00 AM
    11:00 AM
    4:00 PM (Anticipated on Saturday)
    Every 12th of the Month there is penitential procession at 3PM from the Lipa Cathedral to the Monestary 4PM mass immediately follows.

  • jojo

    The good LORD through the intercession of MAMA MARY, gave us a child after attending 9 consecutive HOLY MASSES in OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL CHURCH. We were married on December 21, 1987 and our child came upon us on May 1, 1998. Truly a blessing….

  • shane

    Good day Sir

    Pwede ko po bang malaman ang schedule ng mass sa Our Lady Of Mount Carmel.

    Salamat po at Godbless!

  • ajayne amante

    ask q lang po ung schedule ng masses every sunday wait ko po ung respond nyo kc bulacan pa po ang location namin….thanks and god bless po…..

  • Josie Gordola

    Dear Father & Sister,

    Good Day to all of you. My name is Josie. Immigrant po ako sa Canada. Nagemail po ako sa inyo kasi kailangan po ng pamangkin ko na makakuha ng scaptula ng Mahal na Birhen ng Mt. Carmel. Pano po sya magkakaroon noon at kelan po ang misa dyan. Kailangan din po ang pari ang magsusuot noon sa kanya. Antay ko po ang reply nyo para masabi ko po sa kapatid ko na nasa Batangas.

    Maraming salamat po. God Bless

  • bsj

    i would to ask if you have more pictures of Mt.Carmel church in LIpa? It was last year nang mapanaginipan ko ang isang simbahan.Weird sya kung tutuusin pero minsan na rin kasing nangyari ang makapanaginip din ako at nagulat akong totoo.kaya naman very anxious akong malaman kong ito nga ang simabahang matagal ko nang hinahanap.ang natatandaan ko lang sa panaginip ko may nagsabi sa akin na sa lipa batangas ko raw ito matatagpuan.I hope meron kang captured pictures nang papunta sa simbahan at ang itsura nang likod nito.sana nga ito na ang matagal ko nang hinahanap.thank you1

  • Sis. efhie Baltazar

    Kelan po ang feast dyan sa Mt. Carmel Cathedral is it on July 16, also? If not when?

  • Malou J. Isorena

    Kindly please give us the Sunday Mass schedules at Mt. Carmel Cathedral. Our intercessory ministry is going to visit your parish this coming Sunday, May 30, 2010. Thanks!

  • http://yahoo lorenz

    just want to know the regular schedule of the mass in Mt Carmel Cathedral

  • k

    @jason, ride a bus going to Batangas/Lemery. Be sure there’s a (Lipa-Tanauan) in the signboard. Tell the conductor to drop you off on Lipa Bus Stop. From there, you can ride a tricycle. Just tell the driver to bring you to Carmel. When going back to Makati, just ride a tricycle again from Carmel church gate and tell the driver to bring you to Lipa Bus Stop. You can ride a bus going to Cubao or LRT Buendia. Hope this helps.

  • a.sy

    Please pray for my husband Mark Eugene Ang Sy.He is a very religious and a devotee of Mama Mary but he is having a relationship with a fellow devotee. He regularly attends the cenacles but he is committing a mortal sin. He is with Ching Zapanta’s group. Just in case you know them or happen to see them around, please talk to them, they need guidance.

    Thanks and God Bless

  • http://kaisenjohn.blogspot.com Jason

    gud day po! ask ko po sana kung pano pumuta sa our lady of carmelite church sa lipa using public transportation. galing po ako sa makati. salamat po

  • Juris

    Msgr. Arguelles officially lifted the ban on the devotion to the Our Lady Mediatrix of All Graces. The ban was imposed ca. 1948 after a commission formed to investigate the alleged apparition and miracles reported that there was no supernatural intervention that happened there.

    He reasoned out that with or without Vatican approval, there is nothing wrong when we believe in miracles. This is a fallacy of the first kind; a non sequitur. Vatican approval is necessary because the declaration after investigation would guide the believers that indeed there was an apparition that occurred or the were authentic miracles made by God through the statue. Of course we believe in miracles, they do happen. Is the Lipa event a miracle or magic? Without a yes from the Vatican, we would be inserting something alien to our Catholic faith. More importantly, after the thorough investigation made by the 1948 Lipa commission declaring the phenomenon fraudulent, we do not have any basis for our belief. It would have been better had Msgr. Arguelles formed a new commission to re-investigate the matter, made new contrary findings and declared that the earlier finding was indeed erroneous.
    As it is, everything is now based on June Keithly’s book which is self-serving and not based on any verified scientific investigation. Without Vatican approval, the statue we are venerating is just a statue which is idolatry.

    The declaration by Msgr. Arguelles is dangerous, because anyone now can hype up any statue of any kind as miraculous and there is nothing wrong in that as long as we believe in miracles!

    Msgr. Arguelles, do you know where you are leading us to?

  • Juris

    In the court of law, a person interested in something is not allowed to prove the truth of an oral communication or transaction with a dead person. This is the Dead Man’s statute. The rationale for this rule is that it would be easy to attribute something to one who is dead who cannot confirm the truth of the statement.

    In the same manner, it would be easy for those interested in the miracle of Lipa to quote Sr. Alphonse that she requested that the image be displayed one more time, or to quote that bishops who signed the negative report on Lipa were coerced under the threat of excommunication. The question is to whom these statements were made? Were these statements written and sworn? Was a video recording done? Without these, the statements cannot be regarded as true.

    On the other hand, the half a century old negative report of the committee enjoys more credibility. First, it was conducted at the time when the miracles were still going on and the actors and actresses of the miracle were actually interviewed. Second, the committee witnessed the shower of rose petals and found the human reason behind the shower.

    Most importantly, their finding was a declaration against interest, rather than self-serving. Bishops want the propagation of faith and increased piety and conversion of people. Their confirmation of the miracle would certainly achieve this purpose. When they declared the miracle as fraudulent, it was because it was indeed fraudulent and nothing else.

    In the civil court, a matter already adjudged should not be revived. This is the res judicata rule, which is copied from canon law. Otherwise, cases would go on and on without any end in sight.

    Thus, the revived Lipa devotion has no basis as it does not pass even the human rules of evidence. One would expect a rule even more strict because the matter includes the divine.

  • Laudate

    How I wished that the Lipa Commission formed 40 years ago approved the apparition and the miracles as worthy of belief. Such approval would have confirmed the holiness and spirituality of the our country as the only catholic nation in the far east.It would have strengthened our Catholic faith. But their findings were negative.

    I have read decades ago these negative findings. Negative because: The novice visionary could not speak for herself. Her mother superior coached her and dictated to her the answers to questions about her own vision. The rose petals were shown to be made by the nuns themselves from the rose garden inside the monastery and were embossed with images and then showered from up the monastery walls. The commission was composed of priest-theologians who are experts in divine revelation.

    Now, you are reviving this again? Please don’t, your own Cardinal Vidal is in hot water in Cebu for his support of a group of monks of unknown order who is now exposed of making up miracles and creating mythical stories of a statue and for profiting from the commercialism spawned by curious and credulous Cebuanos. Part of mementos for sale in that monastery are rose petals resembling those at Lipa. This is not a coincidence!

    May the real Mama Mary guide you to the path of true faith, not superstition.

  • rosalie dragon

    kamusta po kayong lahat,kaibigan po ako ni Sister Bernadeth at ang family ko po ang mother ko po ang nabisita kay sister dahil siya po ang nandiyan,ako po ay malayo natawag lang ki sister nalulungkot po ako sa pagkawala niya marami po siyang nagawang miracle sa pagdarasal sa akin at hindi ko po yon malilimutan habang nabubuhay ako,nanghihinayang lang po ako ng huling tawag ko sa kanya ay hindi ko siya nakausap at si Sister Maria Fe po ang nakausap ko.Sana po alam ni Sister Bernadeth na nagpapasalamat ako ng labis-labis sa kanya at mahal ko po siya pati ng buong pamilya ko.Sana po may ipalit si sister Bernadeth sa buhay namin.Salamat po ng marami…

  • beth aragon

    May i request that you please send the Saturday and Sunday schedule of masses. I would like to attend the mass with my family. Salamat po

  • Nina Bautista

    Good day po sa lahat. Lipeno po ako at s ngayon Im working outside the country. Every time po na nagbabakasyon ako dyan sa atin, sumisimba po ako ng Sunday at 7:30am. One time po sa mga homily ni Father nasabi nya na maraming mga bata na me sakit na kanser ang inaalagaan ng mga madre sa monasteryo na nangangailangan ng tulong. Gusto ko po makatulong sa kanila. Andto po ang email ko. Salamat po.

  • belen prado

    goodafternoon! just want to inquire about the schedule of masses in our lady of lipa. il be coming from manila and would like to attend mass there. hope to hear from you. saturday or sunday schedule is okey.

    thanks a lot,

    Godbless,
    belen

  • Ms. kate

    Hi po! Sister’s and Father’s,

    Magandang araw po! nais ko lang po sana ibahagi senyo ang isang kwento na hanggang ngayon po ay dala ko. May isa po akong kwintas na graduation gift ko po sa sarili ko, na sacred heart po sa front ng pendant pero yung nasa likod po niya is Mt. carmel, nawala po siya sa hinde inaasahang pangyayari. Nasabi ko po nun sa sarili ko na hinde para sa akin ang kwintas na nabili ko. Lumipas ang mga buwan pero nabalik po sa akin ang kwintas na iyon, na sa tuwing magsisimba po ako ay pinapabless ko po ang kwintas kong iyon. Bumili po ulet ako ng kwintas na sacred heart para iregalo sa aking mama at sa hinde ko po inaasahan na mt. carmel pa ren po pala ang nasa likod ng nabili ko po na kwintas. Kaya po hinahanggad ko po na sana po makapunta po ako sa inyong simabahan.Masaya po ko talaga at pakiramdam ko po ay palagi po akong nasa mabuting kalagayan ganun din po sa magulang at kapatid ko. Maraming salamat po.

  • Senon M. Macasaet Jr.

    pace estara jesu cristo!

    I am a living testament to the countless miracles that our Lady of All Grace has bestowed on me and my family in Batangas, Lipa.Our Lady has been so caring to all his children that invoke her intercession.My heart is overflowing with joy and thanksgiving to all the pious camelite sisters and laymen especially the staff e.g. cooks and maintenance of the vicinity of the monastery.They are all the hanmaid of the lord to feel her precense in our daily exisence.

  • Mrs.Santiago

    gud day po! jz wnted 2 ask if my available priest po na pwede mgksal ulit sa amin ng husband ko this coming july 2009?we were married last may 2004 pero cvil wed lng po.& now,we are planning 2 get married again sa church nman po?simple weddng lng po sana,ung kmi lng & hw mny wtnesses are needed? hoping 4 ur immediate response.thank you very much po!

    Mrs.Santiago

  • ricky

    father,sister,

    good day po,nais ko po sana malaman yung schedule po ng mass nyo every 1st saturday chaka po yung every sunday,dito po kasi location namin sa manila,intayin ko po reply nyo para maka simba po kami dyan ng aking asawa,salamat po at more power.

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