Posted in MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Notre-Dame -de- lure / Our Lady of Lure, Avignon, France (1110) and Memorials of the Saints – 12 July

Notre-Dame -de- lure / Our Lady of Lure, Avignon, France (1110) – 12 July:
HERE:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/12/notre-dame-de-lure-our-lady-of-lure-avignon-france-1110-and-memorials-of-the-saints-12-july/

St John Gualbert (c 985-1073) Abbot, Founder of the Vallumbrosan Order and many Monasteries. “The Merciful Knight.”
Biography:

https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-john-gualbert-c-985-1073-the-merciful-knight/

St Veronica – The woman who who wiped the Face of Jesus on the way to His Crucifixion. The cloth is believed to exist today in the Vatican and is considered one of the most treasured relics of the Church.
St Veronica:

https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-veonica/

St Agnes De
St Andreas the Soldier
St Ansbald of Prum
St Balay
St Clement Ignatius Delgado Cebrian

St Colmán of Cloyne (c 522-600) Irish Priest, (possibly Bishop), Monk, Founder, Poet, known as the Royal Poet of Munster.
Biography:

https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-saint-colman-of-cloyne-522-600/

Bl Conrad of Maleville
Bl David Gonson
St Epiphana
St Faustus the Soldier
St Felix of Milan * Commemorated with St Nabor
St Fortunatus of Aquileia (1st Century – Died c 66) Deacon
St Hermagorus of Aquileia (1st Century – Died c 66) Bishop, Disciple of St Mark the Evangelist
Bl Guy Vignotelli
St Hilarion of Ancyra
St Jason of Tarsus
Bl Jeanne-Marie de Romillon

St John Jones OFM (c 1574 – 1598) Priest and Martyr, Franciscan Friar, Missionary.
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-saint-john-jones-ofm-c-1574-1598-priest-and-martyr/

St John the Georgian
Bl Lambert of Cîteaux
Bl Madeleine-Thérèse Talieu
Bl Marguerite-Eléonore de Justamond
Bl Marie Cluse
St Menas the Soldier
St Menulphus of Quimper
St Nabor of Milan * Commemorated with St Felix
St Paternian of Bologna
St Paulinus of Antioch
St Phêrô Khan
St Proclus of Ancyra
St Proculus of Bologna
St Uguzo of Carvagna
St Ultán

St Viventiolus of Lyons

Three Holy Exiles: Three Christian men who became Benedictine Monks at the Saint James Abbey in Regensburg, Germany, then Hermits at Griestatten and whose lives and piety are celebrated together. – Marinus, Vimius and Zimius.

Martyrs of Rome – Four members of the Imperial Roman nobility. They were all soldiers, one or more may have been officers, and all were Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian – Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor and Nazarius.
Died in c 304 outside Rome, Italy and were buried there along the Aurelian Way.

Martyrs of Nagasaki – 8 Beati: Additional Memorial – 10 September as one of the 205 Martyrs of Japan
Eight lay people, many them related to each other, who were martyred together:
• Catharina Tanaka
• Ioannes Onizuka Naizen
• Ioannes Tanaka
• Ludovicus Onizuka
• Matthias Araki Hyozaemon
• Monica Onizuka
• Petrus Araki Chobyoe
• Susanna Chobyoe
12 July 1626 in Nagasaki, Japan
Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Blessed Pius IX.

Advertisement
Posted in MARIAN TITLES, MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY

Notre-Dame -de- lure / Our Lady of Lure, Avignon, France (1110) and Memorials of the Saints – 12 July

Notre-Dame -de- lure / Our Lady of Lure, Avignon, France (1110) – 12 July:

At the beginning of the 6th century, a Priest from Orleans, France, named Saint Donat du Val, in search of solitude, made his way into the Alps. The mountain of Lure seemed to be the kind of place he was looking for and with the approval of the Bishop of Sisteron, he settled there.
On the side of the mountain he built an oratory for which he himself made the Statue of Our Lady, carving it from native stone. When after 32 years he died, having spent these years in penance and apostolic work, he was replaced by the Benedictines of Val-Benoit.
A Chapel was built to replace the oratory which proved too small to accommodate the many pilgrims. When the Saracens invaded Provence, the religious had to flee and so they hid the Statue. Barbarians ravaged the country several times and the Convent was destroyed.
In 1110, the Countess Adelaide, to whom the land of Lure belonged, gave the place of the original oratory to the Bishop of Sisteron. Several nobles aided in the work of restoring the Monastery of Our Lady of Lure. The ancient sSatue was found and placed above the tomb of Saint Donat. The Church became well known and pilgrimages were well attended. In 1318, Pope John XXII attached the Shrine of Our Lady of Lure, to the metropolitan area or See of Avignon. In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV called back to Avignon the 12 canons at the Shrine. The Church fell into disrepair. For 80 years the place remained desolate. One day a shepherd, who was resting near the ruins, heard a voice saying, “Oh, how many graces I would give to men in this place, if my Sanctuary were rebuilt.”
The ecclesiastics to whom he told his story took the shepherd seriously. The Shrine was rebuilt and the Statue rescued from the debris, was placed on a new Altar which was Consecrated in 1637. Pilgrimages again flourished. During the French Revolution the Chapel was pillaged and the Statue mutilated.
With the return of peace, pilgrims again came. On a number of occasions, Mary granted the miracle of an abundant rain to pilgrims that had come to seek this favour. The largest number of pilgrims were wont to come on Pentecost, the Feast of the Assumption and the Nativity of Our Lord.

St Agnes De
St Andreas the Soldier
St Ansbald of Prum
St Balay
St Clement Ignatius Delgado Cebrian
St Colmán of Cloyne (c 522-600) Priest, Monk
Bl David Gonson
St Epiphana
St Faustus the Soldier
St Felix of Milan
St Fortunatus of Aquileia (1st Century – Died c 66) Deacon
St Hermagorus of Aquileia (1st Century – Died c 66) Bishop, Disciple of St Mark the Evangelist
St Hilarion of Ancyra
St Jason of Tarsus
Bl Jeanne-Marie de Romillon

St John Gualbert (c 985-1073) Abbot, Founder of the Vallumbrosan Order and many Monasteries. “The Merciful Knight.”
His Life:

https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-john-gualbert-c-985-1073-the-merciful-knight/

St John Jones OFM (c 1574 – 1598) Priest and Martyr, Franciscan Friar, Missionary.
His Life and Death:

https://anastpaul.com/2020/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-saint-john-jones-ofm-c-1574-1598-priest-and-martyr/
St John the Georgian
Bl Lambert of Cîteaux

St Louis Martin (18231894) Parents of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus/of Lisieux (1873-1897.
St Marie-Azélie Guérin / ZELIE Martin (1831 –1877)
Biography:

https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/12/saints-of-the-day-sts-louis-zelie-martin-parents-of-st-therese-of-the-child-jesus-of-lisieux-1873-1897-doctor-of-the-church/

Bl Madeleine-Thérèse Talieu
Bl Marguerite-Eléonore de Justamond
Bl Marie Cluse
St Menas the Soldier
St Menulphus of Quimper
St Nabor of Milan
St Paternian of Bologna
St Paulinus of Antioch
St Phêrô Khan
St Proclus of Ancyra
St Proculus of Bologna
St Uguzo of Carvagna
St Ultán

St Veronica – The woman who who wiped the Face of Jesus on the way to His Crucifixion. The cloth is believed to exist today in the Vatican and is considered one of the most treasured relics of the Church.
St Veronicay:

https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-veonica/

St Viventiolus of Lyons

Martyrs of Nagasaki – 8 beati: Additional Memorial – 10 September as one of the 205 Martyrs of Japan
Eight lay people, many them related to each other, who were martyred together:
• Catharina Tanaka
• Ioannes Onizuka Naizen
• Ioannes Tanaka
• Ludovicus Onizuka
• Matthias Araki Hyozaemon
• Monica Onizuka
• Petrus Araki Chobyoe
• Susanna Chobyoe
12 July 1626 in Nagasaki, Japan
Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Blessed Pius IX.

Posted in MARTYRS, SAINT of the DAY, Uncategorized

The Fifteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year A +2020 and Memorials of the Saints – 12 July

The Fifteenth Sunday of the Year in Ordinary Time, Year A +2020
__
St Agnes De
St Andreas the Soldier
St Ansbald of Prum
St Balay
St Clement Ignatius Delgado Cebrian
Bl David Gonson
St Epiphana
St Faustus the Soldier
St Felix of Milan
St Fortunatus of Aquileia
St Hermagorus of Aquileia
St Hilarion of Ancyra
St Jason of Tarsus
Bl Jeanne-Marie de Romillon
St John Gualbert (c 985-1073)
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-john-gualbert-c-985-1073-the-merciful-knight/
St John Jones OFM (c 1574 – 1598) Priest and Martyr

St John the Georgian
Bl Lambert of Cîteaux

St Louis Martin (18231894)
St Marie-Azélie Guérin / ZELIE Martin (1831 –1877)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/12/saints-of-the-day-sts-louis-zelie-martin-parents-of-st-therese-of-the-child-jesus-of-lisieux-1873-1897-doctor-of-the-church/

Bl Madeleine-Thérèse Talieu
Bl Marguerite-Eléonore de Justamond
Bl Marie Cluse
St Menas the Soldier
St Menulphus of Quimper
St Nabor of Milan
St Paternian of Bologna
St Paulinus of Antioch
St Phêrô Khan
St Proclus of Ancyra
St Proculus of Bologna
St Uguzo of Carvagna
St Veronica
St Veronica’s Story:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-veonica/

St Viventiolus of Lyons

Martyrs of Nagasaki – 8 beati: Additional Memorial – 10 September as one of the 205 Martyrs of Japan
Eight lay people, many them related to each other, who were martyred together:
• Catharina Tanaka
• Ioannes Onizuka Naizen
• Ioannes Tanaka
• Ludovicus Onizuka
• Matthias Araki Hyozaemon
• Monica Onizuka
• Petrus Araki Chobyoe
• Susanna Chobyoe
12 July 1626 in Nagasaki, Japan
Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Blessed Pius IX.

Posted in LENTEN PRAYERS & NOVENAS, NOVENAS, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY FACE

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face Third Day – 19 February

Lenten Preparation Novena to the Holy Face
Third Day – 19 February

LENTEN NOVENA TO THE HOLY FACE DAY THREE - 19 FEB 2020

DAILY PREPARATORY PRAYER

O Most Holy and Blessed Trinity,
through the intercession of Holy Mary,
whose soul was pierced through
by a sword of sorrow
at the sight of the passion of her Divine Son,
we ask Your help,
in making a perfect Novena of Reparation with Jesus,
united with all His sorrows, love and total abandonment.
We now implore all the Angels and Saints
to intercede for us as we pray this Holy Novena
to the Most Holy Face of Jesus
and for the glory of the most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen

THIRD DAY

(Console Holy Face and recite Daily Preparatory Prayer)

Psalm 51,6b-7
You are just when you pass sentence on me,
blameless when you give judgement.
You know I was born guilty,
a sinner from the moment of conception.st-veronica

Prayer of Pope Pius IX

O Jesus!
Cast upon us a look of mercy,
turn Your Face towards each of us
as You did to Veronica,
not that we may see it with our bodily eyes,
for this we do not deserve
but turn it towards our hearts,
so that, remembering You,
we may ever draw from this fountain of strength,
the vigour necessary to
sustain the combats of life.
Amen.cast upon us alook of mercy pope pius IX - stations meeting veronica 19 feb 2020

Mary, our Mother and Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Through the merits of your precious blood and Your Holy Face,
O Jesus, grant us our petition………………
Pardon and mercy.

Prayer of Saint Francis

All highest, glorious God,
cast Your light into the darkness of our hearts,
give us true faith, firm hope,
perfect charity and profound humility,
so that with wisdom,
courage and perception, O Lord,
we may do what is truly your holy will.
Amen.

To the Angels and Saints
We salute you,
through the Holy Face and Sacred Heart of Jesus,
O all you Holy Angels and Saints of God.
We rejoice in your glory
and we give thanks to our Lord
or all the benefits which He has
showered upon you,
we praise Him and glorify Him
and for an increase of your joy and honour,
we offer Him the most Holy Face
and gentle Heart of Jesus.
Pray that we may become formed
according to the heart of God.
Amen.

Pray (1) Our Father, three (3) Hail Marys, one (1) Glory Be.

O Bleeding Face, O Face Divine, be every adoration Thine (Three times)

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, YouTube VIDEOS

Memorials of the Saints – 12 July

St Agnes De
St Andreas the Soldier
St Ansbald of Prum
St Balay
St Clement Ignatius Delgado Cebrian
Bl David Gonson
St Epiphana
St Faustus the Soldier
St Felix of Milan
St Fortunatus of Aquileia
St Hermagorus of Aquileia
St Hilarion of Ancyra
St Jason of Tarsus
Bl Jeanne-Marie de Romillon
St John Gualbert (c 985-1073)
St John Jones
St John the Georgian
Bl Lambert of Cîteaux

St Louis Martin (18231894)
St Marie-Azélie Guérin / ZELIE Martin (1831 –1877)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/12/saints-of-the-day-sts-louis-zelie-martin-parents-of-st-therese-of-the-child-jesus-of-lisieux-1873-1897-doctor-of-the-church/

Bl Madeleine-Thérèse Talieu
Bl Marguerite-Eléonore de Justamond
Bl Marie Cluse
St Menas the Soldier
St Menulphus of Quimper
St Nabor of Milan
St Paternian of Bologna
St Paulinus of Antioch
St Phêrô Khan
St Proclus of Ancyra
St Proculus of Bologna
St Uguzo of Carvagna
St Veronica
St Veronica’s Story:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/saint-of-the-day-12-july-st-veonica/

St Viventiolus of Lyons

Martyrs of Nagasaki – 8 beati: Additional Memorial – 10 September as one of the 205 Martyrs of Japan
Eight lay people, many them related to each other, who were martyred together:
• Catharina Tanaka
• Ioannes Onizuka Naizen
• Ioannes Tanaka
• Ludovicus Onizuka
• Matthias Araki Hyozaemon
• Monica Onizuka
• Petrus Araki Chobyoe
• Susanna Chobyoe
12 July 1626 in Nagasaki, Japan
Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Blessed Pius IX.

Posted in MORNING Prayers, POETRY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY FACE

Thought for the Day – 12 July – The Memorial of St Veronica

“Veronica?”

“Bernice Veronica” – both names referring to the Woman who wiped the Face of Jesus, commonly depicted in every Catholic church, at the Sixth Station of the Cross.

Did she exist?   And what does it mean to be “a Veronica?”

The Catholic Church tells us that a veil bearing a miraculous image of the Face of Jesus has existed since the earliest centuries, recorded in history and in art.   About the time this miraculous veil first appeared in Rome, in the Middle Ages, the name “Veronica” referred to the veil itself–“Veronica” meaning “vera” or true, and “icon” meaning image, or even more precisely, “to be present.”   Those who gazed upon the veil bearing the true Face of Jesus stood in God’s presence.   They were turned toward His Face.
Legends sprang up sometime later about a woman named “Veronica,” who was sometimes associated with the woman “Berenice” or “Bernice,” the bleeding woman who touches the hem of Jesus’s garment in the Gospel.
“These pious traditions cannot be documented but there is no reason why the belief that such an act of compassion did occur should not find expression in the veneration paid to one called Veronica.” —The Catholic Encyclopedia.
St Pope John Paul II expressed the answer to the question of Veronica most beautifully in his poem,

“Name”

In the crowd walking towards the place

[of the Agony]–

did you open up a gap at some point or were you

[opening it] from the beginning?

And since when? You tell me, Veronica.

Your name was born in the very instant

in which your heart

became an effigy:  the effigy of truth.

Your name was born from what you gazed upon.

–Karol Wojtylaname - st veronica - karol wotyla - st john paul - 12 july 2018

When a soul performs an “act of compassion,” Jesus leaves His image on the “veil” of the soul.   In other words, while contemplating the Face of Jesus in an image, in the Word of God in the Scriptures, in a person made in the image and likeness of God, or above all, in the Eucharist, the soul places itself in the Presence of God.   When we are turned completely toward the Face of God, through a daily face-to-face encounter in prayer–by the power of the Holy Spirit–God gradually transforms the soul into the “True Image” of His Son, Jesus Christ.   As Pope St. John Paul II says, our hearts must become an “effigy of truth,” a “true icon.”   

Then our name too will be born from what we gaze upon.  It will be “Veronica.”

St Veronica pray for us!st-veronica-pray-for-us-21 - 12 JULY 2017

Posted in MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY FACE, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – The Memorial of St Veronica

One Minute Reflection – 12 July – The Memorial of St Veronica

You have said, “Seek my face”.   My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek”.   Hide not your face from me.   Turn not your servant away in anger, you who have been my help.   Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation………Psalm 27:8-9

REFLECTION – “Veronica- ‘Bernice’ in the Greek tradition, embodies the universal yearning of the devout men and women of the Old Testament, the yearning of all believers to see the Face of God.   On Jesus’ Way of the Cross, though, she at first did nothing more than perform an act of womanly kindness – she held out a facecloth to Jesus.   She did not let herself be deterred by the brutality of the soldiers or the fear which gripped the disciples.   She is the image of that good woman, who, amid turmoil and dismay, shows the courage born of goodness and does not allow her heart to be bewildered.   “Blessed are the pure in heart”, the Lord had said in his Sermon on the Mount, “for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).   At first, Veronica saw only a buffeted and pain-filled Face.   Yet her act of love impressed the true image of Jesus on her heart: on His human Face, bloodied and bruised, she saw the Face of God and His goodness, which accompanies us even in our deepest sorrows.   Only with the heart can we see Jesus.  Only love purifies us and gives us the ability to see.   Only love enables us to recognise the God who is love itself.”…………..Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (24 March 2005)at-first-veronica-saw-only-a-joseph-card-ratzinger-24-march-2005- 12 july 2017

PRAYER – Lord God, grant us restless hearts, hearts which seek Your Face.   Keep us from the blindness of heart which sees only the surface of things.   Give us the simplicity and purity which allow us to recognise Your presence in the world.   When we are not able to accomplish great things, grant us the courage which is born of humility and goodness. Impress Your Face on our hearts.   May we encounter You along the way and show Your image to the world.   St Veronica, Pray for us! Amen.st veronica - pray for us - 12 july 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DEVOTIO, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST

Thought for the Day – 12 July

Thought for the Day – 12 July

“Veronica?”

“Bernice Veronica” – both names referring to the Woman who wiped the Face of Jesus, commonly depicted in every Catholic church, at the Sixth Station of the Cross.
Did she exist?   And what does it mean to be “a Veronica?”   The Catholic Church tells us that a veil bearing a miraculous image of the Face of Jesus has existed since the earliest centuries, recorded in history and in art.   About the time this miraculous veil first appeared in Rome, in the Middle Ages, the name “Veronica” referred to the veil itself–“Veronica” meaning “vera” or true, and “icon” meaning image, or even more precisely, “to be present.”   Those who gazed upon the veil bearing the true Face of Jesus stood in God’s presence.   They were turned toward His Face.
Legends sprang up sometime later about a woman named “Veronica,” who was sometimes associated with the woman “Berenice” or “Bernice,” the bleeding woman who touches the hem of Jesus’s garment in the Gospel.
“These pious traditions cannot be documented, but there is no reason why the belief that such an act of compassion did occur should not find expression in the veneration paid to one called Veronica.” —The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Pope St. John Paul II expressed the answer to the question of Veronica most beautifully in his poem,

“Name”

In the crowd walking towards the place

[of the Agony]–

did you open up a gap at some point or were you

[opening it] from the beginning?

And since when? You tell me, Veronica.

Your name was born in the very instant

in which your heart

became an effigy: the effigy of truth.

Your name was born from what you gazed upon.

–Karol Wojtyla

name by karol wojtyla-st john paul

When a soul performs an “act of compassion,” Jesus leaves His image on the “veil” of the soul.   In other words, while contemplating the Face of Jesus in an image, in the Word of God in the Scriptures, in a person made in the image and likeness of God, or above all, in the Eucharist, the soul places itself in the Presence of God.   When we are turned completely toward the Face of God, through a daily face-to-face encounter in prayer–by the power of the Holy Spirit–God gradually transforms the soul into the “True Image” of His Son, Jesus Christ.   As Pope St. John Paul II says, our hearts must become an “effigy of truth,” a “true icon.”   Then our name too will be born from what we gaze upon. It will be “Veronica.”

St Veronica pray for us!

st veronica pray for us.2

Posted in CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS of the Month, DOCTORS of the Church, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 12 July

One Minute Reflection – 12 July

You have said, “Seek my face”. My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek”.   Hide not your face from me.  Turn not your servant away in anger, you who have been my help.   Cast me not off, forsake me not, O God of my salvation………Psalm 27:8-9

REFLECTION – “Veronica- ‘Bernice’ in the Greek tradition, embodies the universal yearning of the devout men and women of the Old Testament, the yearning of all believers to see the Face of God.   On Jesus’ Way of the Cross, though, she at first did nothing more than perform an act of womanly kindness: she held out a facecloth to Jesus.   She did not let herself be deterred by the brutality of the soldiers or the fear which gripped the disciples.   She is the image of that good woman, who, amid turmoil and dismay, shows the courage born of goodness and does not allow her heart to be bewildered. “Blessed are the pure in heart”, the Lord had said in his Sermon on the Mount, “for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8).   At first, Veronica saw only a buffeted and pain-filled Face.   Yet her act of love impressed the true image of Jesus on her heart: on His human Face, bloodied and bruised, she saw the Face of God and His goodness, which accompanies us even in our deepest sorrows.  Only with the heart can we see Jesus. Only love purifies us and gives us the ability to see.   Only love enables us to recognize the God who is love itself.”…………..Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (24 March 2005)

at first, veronica saw only a ...- joseph card ratzinger 24 march 2005

PRAYER – Lord God, grant us restless hearts, hearts which seek Your Face. Keep us from the blindness of heart which sees only the surface of things.   Give us the simplicity and purity which allow us to recognise Your presence in the world.   When we are not able to accomplish great things, grant us the courage which is born of humility and goodness. Impress Your Face on our hearts.   May we encounter You along the way and show Your image to the world. St Veronica, Pray for us! Amen.

st veronica pray for us

Posted in SAINT of the DAY, STATIONS of the CROSS

Saint of the Day – 12 July – St Veronica

Saint of the Day – 12 July – St Veronica (1st Century) – Patronages:  against bleeding or haemorrhages, domestic workers, dying people, laundry workers, linen weavers, maids, parsonage or rectory housekeepers, photographers, seamstresses, washerwomen.

Saint Veronica is known as the woman who offered a cloth to Jesus so He could wipe His face on the way to His crucifixion.   The cloth is believed to exist today in the Vatican and is considered one of the most treasured relics of the Church.

Sainte Véronique (Costa Lorenzo)
Costa Lorenzo

Saint Veronica is not mentioned in the Bible but is known to us by Catholic tradition and in the Sixth Station of the Cross, “Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus.”

Christ was carrying the cross to Calvary, His face dripping with sweat and blood, Saint Veronica, a bystander, was moved with compassion.   She approached Jesus and offered Him a cloth, likely her veil, which He accepted and used to wipe His face.

The image of his face was miraculously imprinted on the cloth.

martin-schongauer-christ-and-saint-veronica-on-the-way-to-calvaryst veronica 5 - El Greco3st veronica 6 - El Greco3st veronica 7 - Flemalle Detail Veil

There are no legends from the period which speak of Veronica either before or after her act of compassion.   We do not know when she was born or when she died.   She is literally lost to history.   However, the cloth may still exist today, kept safe at St. Peter’s in Rome.   This particular cloth bearing the likeness of Christ’s face, although ancient and difficult to distinguish, is considered one of the most treasured relics in the Vatican. According to legend, it is the original relic, although throughout the ages many copies were created and some were passed along as genuine.

Most of what we know about the veil was recorded in the medieval period, although it was first mentioned as being in the hands of Pope John VII in the early eighth century. The veil and the legend surrounding it became very popular in the thirteenth though fifteenth centuries when the veil was on public display.   Indulgences were granted for people who performed devotions before it.

The fate of the veil was obscured by violence in 1527 by the Sack of Rome in which it may have been destroyed.   Many reproductions were created at this time and it is unfortunately unclear if the veil still kept by the Vatican is the original or a reproduction. In 1616, Pope Paul V banned the production of all copies of the veil, which has become popular.   In 1629, Pope Urban VIII went a step further and ordered the destruction of all copies, or that existing copies should be delivered to the Vatican.   Anyone who disobeyed this order was to be excommunicated.

st veronica 2st veronicaSt. Veronica by Jacques BlanchardSaint Veronica. Hans Memling

The Veil of Veronica has since been kept at St Peter’s Basilica and is shown to the public, on the fifth Sunday of Lent each year.