an aid to english speaking people to come to know the Holy Face of Manoppello. Religious articles of the Holy Face (prayer cards, images, books and leaflets) can be requested by sending an email to the editor at randlfrost@gmail.com
"We see the face of Jesus because He reveals His face to us, the face of the loving God. His is the face of God turned towards us and not centered on himself. His is the face of the One who fulfilled the commandment of love. As we see and hear His face may our faces be transformed into his holy face. Through the testimony of our faces, may the suffering people of the world know that Jesus sees them, listens to them, cares for them and loves them. Amen."
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Manoppello, Feast of the Holy Face, May 21 2017
The spread of the Holy Face devotion in the Philippines
and among Catholics of other Asian countries in the testimony of Cardinal Luis
Antonio Tagle
by Antonio Bini
Only a few years ago, the centuries-old May feast of the
Holy Face in Manoppello saw the exclusive participation of devotees from the town and from some of the region's localities who, until the nineteen sixties,
walked to the sanctuary, organized into pilgrim companies, which carried before them a crucifix or the
sign of the Holy Face, which in the remaining days of the year was kept in their
respective churches.
This year the celebration saw the extraordinary
participation of the cardinal from Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle, who presided over the
celebration of the Mass and then participated in the procession leading the
sacred image from the Shrine to the parish church of St. Nicholas, in the
historic center of Manoppello, that is, to the place where a mysterious pilgrim had brought it in the sixteenth century.
photo by Antonio Bini
In continuity with the popular devotion of the past,
this year there came the pilgrim companies of Vacri and Contrada Santa Giusta in Lanciano,
while there were many other pilgrims who reached the sanctuary from all over
Italy and abroad. Among these were also a group of Russian Orthodox. All
together, sharing the desire to participate in a ritual that has very
suggestive and absolutely unique aspects. A sign of how much the Holy Face, which for centuries had been hidden from the world, has now been opened to the world.
In his introduction to the Mass, the Rector of the
Shrine thanked the Cardinal for accepting the invitation, despite
his many international commitments, being also responsible for Caritas
International. Fr. Carmine Cucinelli wanted to remember how in August 2015, just prior to the second international mission of the Holy Face in the
Philippines, Canada and the USA, the cardinal of Manila had wanted to address a
greeting to the bishops, religious and devotees of the Philippines and to Fr. Carmine, for his presence at the anniversary of the enthronement of the Holy Face
at Nampicuan, in the church now the first sanctuary of the Holy Face in Asia.
The cardinal, welcomed by a spontaneous and prolonged applause, wished to
become a personal interpreter and witness to the growing worship of the Holy
Face in the Philippines and, consequently, also among the Catholics of other
Asian countries, bringing "his greetings and wishes for peace from the Philippines, where devotion to the Holy Face is alive, vibrant and widespread."
Beginning his homily, he said that "he was
joyfully attending the Feast of the Holy Face". In developing theological
reflections on Christ's human face, Tagle - in front of the sacred image -
stated that it represents "a great blessing given to us all."
photo by Antonio Bini
video of beginning of Holy Face procession with statue of Saint Pancratius May 2011
The
procession began as always following the traditional ritual. At the end of Mass, there arrived at the shrine the patron saint of
Manoppello, Saint Pancratius, who came "to take" the Holy Face,
stopping in wait in front of the church door. (see video above taken in 2011) An example which has been followed in the past by
several neighboring towns, with entire communities in procession to the
Holy Face together with their holy patrons, in witness to the importance that
popular devotion attributes to the image of Christ even before studies and
research in recent years revealed its uniqueness and authenticity, finally
recognizing in it the legendary Veronica (vera-ikon) for years enveloped and
perhaps protected by oblivion.
Then the chorus of the basilica, directed by Maestro Nicola
Costantini, followed by the band, a double row of children dressed in angels and then the
cardinal, along with Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, Fr. Paolo Palombarini, and other
religious, including Don Bonifacio (Ted) Lopez, a Filipino priest of the
Diocese of Rome, who preceded the Holy Face, followed by the mayor of
Manoppello along with other mayors of neighboring municipalities wearing the
tricolor band and then by a long crowd of participants. During the
journey are visible the posters of greeting and welcome that the Commune has hung on the walls of the town.
"Cardinal Tagle, Manoppello Welcomes You!" photo by Antonio Bini
At the end of the descent the bearers of the Holy Face
stop, rotating the throne on which is set the monstrance for blessing, the blessing which once was directed to the surrounding populations and territories, but which today Cardinal
Tagle imparts to the world.
The procession then slowly takes up its course once again, including
songs, prayers, pauses for meditation, and the sound of the band. Approaching the town vibrant and prolonged fireworks begin -- the so-called "Greetings to the Holy
Face." The procession reaches the old town between two rows of the crowd, while from the
balconies upon which handmade blankets are hung, flowers petals rain upon the passage of the Holy Face.
video of Holy Face Procession entering walls of Manoppello May 2011
photo by Antonio Bini
At the beginning of the main course, the
procession stops at the beginning of Via Santarelli, to allow the return of
the statue of Saint Pancratiu to the church of the same name, saluted by the applause of all present. The Holy Face resumes the journey, reaching the church
of St. Nicholas, where a vigil will be kept all night, and then return to the
shrine the next morning.
Meeting so many people, including writer Paul Badde,
German scholars.Sr. Blandina Paschalis Scloemer and Sr. Petra-Maria Stainer. I
stop to greet Sr. Laura. When the elderly nun see me she is quite moved and begins to
cry. She was and is very close to the Holy Face and has returned to Manoppello for
the feast, after her convent of the Alcantarine Sisters, adjacent to the church of St.
Nicholas, was closed last December, after more than a century of life.
The Mayor, Giorgio De Luca, invites the cardinal to
the headquarters of the Commune, a short distance away, for a formal greeting
in the presence of other councilors. Many people follow him.
In the course of an interview, responding to the question of what his first
impressions were when he first encountered the Holy Face, Cardinal Tagle confessed to
having a reproduction of the image received as a gift from the Philippine
Ambassador to the Holy See, Mercedes A. Tuason. He then added that upon entering
the church and stopping to pray in the front pew near the altar, he "felt embraced, welcomed by a gaze of tenderness from that face that speaks, who lives
and does not instill fear. A face of Truth. " His testimony leads us to reflect on the words of John Paul II"Christianity is not a form of culture, or an ideology,or
a system of lofty principlesof values.
Christianity is a Face: Jesus
Christ” (June 4, 2004)
Turning to the knowledge and worship of the Holy
Face, the Cardinal has not forgotten to recall the role played by Daisy Neves,
a devout American of Filipino origins, who for some years has been committed with extraordinary
generosity and tireless dedication to the devulgation of the sacred image by means of numerous initiatives in various countries, including the Philippines, Canada,
the United States, Italy, and Lebanon. While leafing through the pages of the volume "The
Holy Face, from Manoppello to the World," published by me last year - Tagle
wanted to thank, from the Shrine of the Holy Face, Madam Neves and the growing network of friends and
religious spread across various countries of the world, along with all those who are
engaged in sharing the knowledge of the Holy Face. The Cardinal returned to elaborate on some specific aspects of the theology of the Holy
Face during an interview with Vittoria Biancardi of TV2000.
Before leaving Manoppello, the cardinal thanked the
Capuchins for their fraternal and warm welcome, affirming that for him it was a
grace to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Face in the presence of so many
pilgrims, finally inviting them to pray - from Manoppello - for peace in Syria
and Venezuela and for the populations in Africa suffering from hunger.
Finally a little curiosity. In recent years, there
have been many cardinals visiting the Holy Face before and after Benedict XVI's
arrival at the shrine in 2006 yet Luis Antonio Tagle is the first cardinal to attend the feast of
the Holy Face, leading and participating in the entire course of the procession,
which measures more than two kilometers. To record the presence of a cardinal
at the feast of the Holy Face, it is necessary to go back in time, to May 18,
1947, when Cardinal Benedetto Aloisi Masella arrived in Manoppello in to bless the new precious reliquary that the population and the
emigrants wanted to create in thanksgiving to the Holy Face for their having been spared from
the destruction of the war. On that occasion the cardinal took part in the
procession, but only on the final part, traveling only about a hundred meters.
Sixth Sunday of Easter [Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; I
Peter 3:15-18, John 14:15-21]
+ Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We thank our God who, always filled with love and
benevolence towards us, has gathered us as one family of faith for this solemn
celebration of the Holy Face of Manoppello. I bring you warm greetings and
wishes of peace from the Philippines, where the devotion to the Holy Face is alive,
vibrant and widespread. Celebrating the Eucharist with you on this sixth Sunday of
Easter gives me great joy.
In the Gospel that we just listened to, Jesus told his
disciples, “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see
me, because I live and you will live.” These words are fulfilled now in our assembly,
in our hearing. We see Jesus´ face now. We can see him because he is alive, he
is in our midst now. And seeing his face, we do not die, contrary to the fear
of the people of old that seeing the face of God would mean death for them. On
the contrary, seeing Jesus´s holy face we draw the life and energy which comes from
him. This is a profound blessing granted to us, now. This gives us a foretaste of eternal life,
where we hope to behold the face of God in eternal contemplation and adoration.
Seeing Jesus, we live! Seeing Jesus, we
live!
photo courtesy of Paul Badde/EWTN
How could it be possible for us to see Jesus? As
sinners, we do not have the merit nor the right to see his face. But we see him
and we live! How could this happen? The answer comes from Jesus in the Gospel
of today, “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and
reveal myself to him.” Strictly speaking, we do not see the face of Jesus. It
is more accurate to say that he reveals his face to us. He shows his face, and
so we see. This is pure grace. This is pure and total love on the part of
Jesus. He manifests his face, his true self, for no other reason than for the
love he has for us. Allow me to share with you three points useful for
reflection.
First, when Jesus shows his face to us, he does not
look at his own face. He looks at us. Even in our daily experience, when we
show our face to other people, we look at them, not at ourselves. This is love:
in showing my face I become someone who sees others, who hears others, who
understands others, who feels for others. Showing one´s face means that I spend
less time looking at my own face, my activities, my needs, my comfort or
well-being, my interests and instead that I devote more time to looking at the
face of others, of those who suffer. This is the love that the holy face of
Jesus shows us. He is interested in us, he is for us, he looks at us more than he
looks at himself. The devotees of the Holy Face must be like him. Is our gaze
directed only at ourselves, our immediate group, those closest to us or are we
learning from Jesus who penetrates the hearts of others with his loving gaze?
photo courtesy of Paul Badde/EWTN
Second, the face of Jesus, a loving and other-centered
face is also a face that speaks. Even when our lips do not utter “audible”
words, our face can speak “visible” words. He said in the Gospel, “If you love
me, you will keep my commandments.” His face is not only seen but heard. Jesus´
face is the human face of the Word of God, now heard and seen especially in his
commandments. In our time, people look at rules as something negative. But the commandments
of the Lord are not burdens to make our life more difficult, not tools to destroy
our freedom, not mechanisms of condemnation of our weak and fragile persona.
His commandments are paths to peace, liberty and forgiveness. In Jesus´ face we
see the person who fulfilled the commandment to love God above all and one’s
neighbor as oneself. His commandments are visible in him who told us, “Come to
me...Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke, in face, is easy and my burden light”
(Matthew 11:28-30). The devotees of the Holy Face are called to listen
attentively to Jesus who is the visible word of peace, of freedom, of forgiveness
and of love.
Finally, what we have seen and heard, we must share
with others. In the first reading, Philip proclaimed in Samaria the Jesus that
he had seen and heard. His preaching was accompanied by visible signs of
healing and liberation. The face of Jesus was seen and heard in Philip´s
testimony. In the second reading, Peter tells those who are undergoing trials
and persecution to be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks for a reason
for the hope that is in them. The answer is simple: Jesus! He is our sure hope.
His love for us and triumph over death is the reason why we have hope. But
Peter reminds us to proclaim our hope with gentleness and respect, with a clear
conscience and integrity of life, with readiness to suffer for doing good
rather than for doing evil. In other words, we best proclaim Jesus if others
see and hear Jesus in us.
photo courtesy of Paul Badde/EWTN
We see the face of Jesus because He reveals His face
to us, the face of the loving God. His is the face of God turned towards us and
not centered on himself. His is the face of the One who fulfilled the
commandment of love. As we see and hear His face may our faces be transformed
into his holy face. Through the testimony of our faces, may the suffering
people of the world know that Jesus sees them, listens to them, cares for them
and loves them. Amen.
"With Mary’s protection,” Pope Francis concluded, praying, “may we be for
our world sentinels of the dawn, contemplating the true face of Jesus
the Savior, resplendent at Easter."
This video by Paul Badde for EWTN on the life of Padre Domenico da Cese, the Apostle of the Holy Face, wonderfully illustrates the spirit and soul of this great Capuchin Franciscan saint of the twentieth century, .
Starting at 23:40 of the most recent episode of Vaticano, EWTN's weekly television program originating in Rome there is a most beautiful segment on the Holy Face of Manoppello as one of the "clues" which demonstrates the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus.
As has taken place for a number of years, the pastoral region of Scafa, on one of the last Fridays of Lent, celebrated on March 31, with the participation of Archbishop Bruno Forte, the Lenten outdoor Way of the Cross according to the ancient tradition of the Roman church.
At 4pm the sizeable procession from various parishes comprising: Scafa, Manoppello, Serramonacesca, Lettomanoppello, Turrivalignani, Tocco da Casauria, Roccamorice, Caramanico Bolognano met at the foot of the ascent to the Sanctuary, called "Fonte Leone", moving towards the Shrine, with stops at the individual stations.
With devotion, the religious and lay faithful prayed and sang, arriving at the Holy Face Basilica where Mass was celebrated, presided over by Archbishop Forte, assisted by several priests. Some priests were available for confession.
After the Mass the Archbishop, in reiterating his personal connection to the Sanctuary, recalled the tradition of the Way of the Cross which he began several years ago, wishing everyone a good journey together towards Easter.
