Home Page  Works of Dr. Mark Miravalle   Cardinals Lead – Time for Us to Follow Dr. Mark Miravalle Over the course of the last few weeks, several events have taken place which one could rightly interpret as historic steps leading towards the solemn definition of the fifth Marian Dogma of Our Lady as the Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate: • On January 11, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI released his 2008 World Day of the Sick Address for February 11, in which he presented his strongest teaching to date on Our Lady’s coredemptive role with Jesus at Calvary.  The Holy Father states: Mary is a model of total self-abandonment to God's will: she received in her heart the eternal Word and she conceived it in her virginal womb; she trusted in God and, with her soul pierced by a sword (cf. Lk 2:35), she did not hesitate to share the Passion of her Son, renewing on Calvary at the foot of the Cross her "yes" of the Annunciation. … Associated with the Sacrifice of Christ, Mary, Mater Dolorosa, who at the foot of the Cross suffers with her divine Son, is felt to be especially near by the Christian community, which gathers around its suffering members who bear the signs of the passion of the Lord. Mary suffers with those who are in affliction, with them she hopes, and she is their comfort, supporting them with her maternal help. And is it not perhaps true that the spiritual experience of very many sick people leads us to understand increasingly that "the Divine Redeemer wishes to penetrate the soul of every sufferer through the heart of his holy Mother, the first and the most exalted of all the redeemed"? (John Paul II, Salvifici Doloris, n. 26) • On February 8, 2008, five cardinals release a press statement regarding their January 1, 2008, letter to every cardinal and bishop of the world, in which they invite the world’s prelates to join them in their petition to Pope Benedict XVI to solemnly define as dogma the role of the blessed Virgin Mary as the Spiritual Mother of humanity under its three essential roles as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces and Advocate.  These five cardinals—their Eminences Telesphore Cardinal Toppo, Luis Cardinal Aponte Martínez, Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, and Ernesto Cardinal Corripio Ahumada—enclosed a votum (or petition) and invited each cardinal and bishop to sign and to forward to the Holy Father (see enclosed press release and votum). • On February 11, 2008, His Eminence, Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragán, President of the Pontifical Council on Health Care Ministry presided over the official World Day of the Sick Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.  During his homily and in commenting on the Holy Father’s World Day of the Sick statement released earlier, Cardinal Lozano Barragán offered a profound teaching on Mary’s role as Co-redemptrix with Jesus at Calvary, referring to Our Lady as the “Co-redemptrix” with the Savior of humanity.  Excerpts from the cardinal’s homily were published in the Vatican Information Service Web site: "In order to respond to the full love of the cross," said Cardinal Lozano, we must pronounce "an unreserved 'yes' to the mysterious plan of the Redeemer, a 'yes' that means fullness of Love. This complete 'yes' of love is the Immaculate Conception of our dear Mother, Mary," who participated "on Calvary as the co-redemptrix (corredentrice) with the Savior. … Christ on the cross suffered all the pains that his Most Holy Mother suffered. And she in Christ suffers all our pains, she assumes them and knows how to commiserate with us. Out suffering is also her suffering." • In the week of February 11 to 18 and continuing at the present, a great number of Catholic and secular media sources throughout the world, from Zenit New Agency in Rome, to EIN News in Belgium, to the Catholic Bishops Conference Web site in the Philippines, to Catholic World News in the United States, to Catholic Exchange sites in several countries and languages, to the thousands of national, regional, and local media sites and Web logs the world over, are promulgating and commenting upon the cardinal initiative for the fifth Marian Dogma. What does this mean for those of us who have been praying and hoping for the proclamation of the fifth Marian Dogma for years?  What does this mean for those of us who believe that with the papal proclamation of this Marian truth will come a historic release of grace from the Holy Spirit through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, something like the “New Pentecost” prayed for by Bl. Pope John XXIII at the Second Vatican Council; or the “New Springtime” prayed for by Pope John Paul II; or the eventual “Era of Peace” promised by Our Lady of Fatima? It means this: Pray. Please pray for the fifth Marian Dogma like you’ve never prayed before. From this day forward, please keep Pope Benedict and the fifth Marian Dogma consistently in your daily Rosary intentions, your Mass intentions, and in your daily offerings and sacrifices. This year, the Feast of the Annunciation falls on March 31 (due to the early date of Easter).  We would like to establish this March 31 as the “World Rosary Crusade Day for the Fifth Marian Dogma.”  We ask each of you to consider praying the Rosary in your families, your prayer groups, and in your parishes for the fulfillment of the request of these five cardinals to Pope Benedict for the papal definition of Mary as the Spiritual Mother of Humanity, Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix of all graces, and Advocate. Beyond prayer, teach and spread the existing Church doctrine about Our Lady’s Spiritual Motherhood as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate in your homes, your schools, your workplaces when appropriate, and from the pulpit. Defend it as children should defend a truth about their true Mother—always with charity, but also with a holy boldness. The Cardinals are leading the way.  It is time for us to follow, to support, to do our share to bring forth the great historic fruit of the fifth Marian Dogma and its consequent paramount graces of peace and redemption for the Church and for the world, especially in our present situation of global crises: moral collapse; natural disaster; war and terrorism.  We each have a part to play in bringing to reality this dogmatic crown for our Immaculate Mother, the Co-redemptrix with the Savior.  One prayer, one conversation, one defense of this Marian truth continues the momentum which I believe eventually will lead to the coronation day for Our Lady through a papal proclamation of infallible truth. Out of love for our common Mother, consider participating by doing your part to fulfill these words of scripture like never before: “All generations will call me blessed” (Lk. 1:48). Pray for Pope Benedict and the Fifth Marian Dogma. Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D., President, Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici Professor of Theology and Mariology • 313 High Street, Hopedale, Ohio 43976, U.S.A. Phone: (740) 937-2277 • Fax: (740) 937-2634 Version: 3rd March 2008 Home Page  Works of Dr. Mark Miravalle