Photos by Paul Badde from the Feast of the Holy Face of Manoppello

see also the report on the Feast of the Holy Face on Patricia Enk's beautiful website for the Holy Face https://illuminadomine.com/2021/05/20/manoppello-italy-celebrates-historic-anniversary/

 

News of the Feast of the Holy Face of Manoppello

(editor's note: Many thanks to Antonio Bini for this report and photos of this year's celebration of the Feast of the Holy Face of Manoppello.  Antonio promises that he will send more photos after overcoming some technical issues) 

I am sending you some photos taken today on the occasion of the traditional May festival - which falls on the third Sunday. Also this year the celebration , very emotional for the local populations, took place with the constraints imposed by national legislation to contain Covid-19. In place of the procession from the shrine to the parish church of San Nicola, the Holy Face was simply transported there on a Civil Protection van, at the end of the morning Mass at the Basilica. Few people were able to enter the church. Many - even more than last year - waited outside in the plaza.

In the village many people waited for the passage of the Holy Face throwing red rose petals from the balconies, on which their finely embroidered bedcoverings were displayed, as per tradition. Few people were also allowed to enter the church of San Nicola. It should be noted that the celebration was preceded by the significant visit of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State who wrote in the visitor's book of the shrine “Your face Lord do I seek, do not hide your Face from me! May this visit, so desired, revive in me the desire to contemplate that Face until the day when our eyes will fix themselves in the vision of glory ”signed card. Pietro Parolin, secretary of state - Manoppello, 11 May 2021".   I was not present, also because the visit was not announced in advance. The cardinal was particularly impressed. I remember that another cardinal secretary of state - Cardinal Angelo Sodano - visited the Holy Face in June 1999, after the press conference of Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer of May 31 in Rome. A curiosity: Cardinal Parolin was in the Basilica of Santo Spirito in Sassia on January 16, 2016 on the occasion of the re-institution of the Omnis Terra rite. The pilgrimage procession arrived at the church while the cardinal was completing his speech at the end of a celebration.  

Here is the photo I took then.

Cardinal Parolin at the Basilica of Santo Spirito in Sassia on January 16, 2016

 

 Today, in conjunction with the feast of the Holy Face, there was an important enthronement of the Holy Face at the oratory of San Francesco Saverio, in via Caravita, in the center of Rome just off the Via del Corso. The celebration was presided over by Cardinal Antonio Luis Tagle.  

(Here is a video of the Mass of Enthronement of the Holy Face at the oratory of San Francesco Saverio)

and also a video of the concluding Mass of the Holy Face on Monday May 17 at the parish church of San Nicola presided by Archbishop Bruno Forte and concelebrated by the provincial of the Capuchin Friars, Fr. Matteo Siro.  

 

 

New Prayer to the Holy Face of Manoppello by Archbishop Bruno Forte

 

Prayer to the Holy Face

Lord Jesus, Face of eternal love, in this holy place, guardian of the veil on which you reveal yourself in the signs of affliction and let shine through the infinite mercy of Your divine heart, grant that we may live a new beginning on our journey of faith, charity and hope that You call us to travel together with You. May Your gaze cover us with the light that comes from the Father to illuminate our footsteps, to lead us to the pastures of heaven, and to pour into our hearts the Holy Spirit, perfume of Your grace and imprint of Your beauty. May Mary, who first looked upon Your Face and kissed it with the tenderness of a Mother, who saw it  close its eyes on the arms of the Cross, contemplated it  arisen and now contemplates it  in glory, help us to seek, with a longing ever new, Your Face of  King, crucified out of love, victorious over evil and death, so that we might meet you in the embrace of your Church, recognize you in Your sacraments and bear witness to You in the works and days of our life. Amen!

+ Bruno Forte

Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto

Blessing Today with the Holy Face of Manoppello

 Thanks to Paul Badde for sending this video of the blessing with the Holy Face given earlier today at the Basilica of the Holy Face of Manoppello by the rector of the Shrine, Fr. Antonio Gentili, OFM, Cap.  Today is the beginning of the feast of the Holy Face.  The Holy Face is now at the Church of San Nicola where it will remain until tomorrow.  

To Remember the Message of Cardinal Tagle for Promoters of the Holy Face of Manoppello Recorded during the Feast of the Holy Face in 2017

May 2017 Message of encouragement to all who promote the devotion to the Holy Face of Manoppello given by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, former Archbishop of Manila and now Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples after the Cardinal presided at the celebration of the Mass and Procession for the Feast of the Holy Face in Manoppello. May we continue to take this to heart following the great example of Mrs. Daisy Neves, (1938-2019)
 

Feast of the Holy Face at Manoppello Sunday and Monday May 16 and 17

 

Religious celebrations in honor of the Holy Face May 16 and 17

Sunday May 16 

                  9am Holy Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Face

    11am   Holy Face arrives at the parish church of Manoppello followed by Holy Mass

                 5:30pm  Holy Mass

Monday May 17

                   6am  Holy Mass

                  11am   Holy Mass presided by the Father Provincial of the Capuchins 

Facebook page of the Basilica of the Holy Face:  https://www.facebook.com/basilicavoltosanto