The Holy Face in the Lily of a Chapel in Katowice

The first enthronement of the Holy Face of Manoppello in Poland was made in Katowice, in December 2015, by the hand of Archbishop S. E. Mgr. Wiktor Pawel Skworcè, in the church of the Immaculate Conception. Everything happened thanks to the interest and diligence of the parish priest Fr Andrea Suchoń and of an active parishioner, Mrs. Ewa Pasko.

The Holy Face was placed in the Adoration Chapel (the first on the left). A local architect designed it in a unique way. He set the case to display the Blessed Sacrament in a large flower-shaped monstrance. In front, just below, he placed the framed image of the Holy Face. He wanted to show that the faithful, while adoring the Blessed Sacrament, looking at the Face of Jesus, can be helped to contemplate also the human features of his Person and to make his adoration so fruitful. The chapel is very popular with young people (the university is only a few steps away) as well as the less young, who also are coming from other parishes.

On the occasion of the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, patron and titular of the parish, December 8, and on the occasion of the inauguration of the recent restoration of the church, the parish priest invited the rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello, Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, OFM, Cap.,  to Katowice to thank him for the copy of the Image of the Holy Face which he had given and to have him meet with the whole parish. It was a pastoral visit and a short mission.

The program of the mission began at 12.00 on the day of the Immaculate with the Hour of Grace, with the prayer before the Image of the Holy Face and the explanation of the Holy Relic. A Polish Capuchin, a university student in Rome, Father Pawel Paszko, who accompanied Father Carmine from Italy, acted as interpreter.

At 6 pm, after the singing of the Vespers, there was the solemn celebration of Holy Mass presided over by the Archbishop emeritus who had enthroned the sacred image, along with a dozen concelebrants.   A chasuble with the Holy Face was donated to the parish priest and a stole and a bronze medallion to the parish priest. The church was crowded with worshipers.

On December 9th, there was a visit to the Cultural and Spiritual Center of St. John Paul II in Krakow and a conference on the Holy Face which was broadcast on regional TV and radio. An interview was given to several journalists. Professor Zbigniev Treppa, a scientist from the University of Gdansk, author of articles and a book on the Holy Face was also present at the conference.

The following Sunday, again with the help of Father Pawel, the rector spoke of the Holy Face in all the Masses.On other days there was time also for devotion, visiting the Marian shrine of Czestochowa.

The last meeting took place in the convent of the Capuchin friars of Krakow, home to their theological house of studies.

The short week of visits to Katowice was very positive, receiving warm welcome from the faithful, who attended numerous meetings, and expressed their devotion and interest in knowing the Holy Face. Now Manoppello and Katowice are closer spiritually, because they venerate the same image of Jesus and have an equal mission, that of giving the possibility to the faithful to contemplate the "true image of Jesus" (Veronica) and bring souls to the person of Jesus .

Omnis Terra 2018 Homily by Mons. Americo Ciani

Msgr. Americo Ciani, Fr. Paolo Palombarini, OFM, Cap., Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, OFM, Cap.

In the Gospel of John the Evangelist we read: "John the Baptist saw Jesus pass, fixed his gaze on Him and said:" Behold the Lamb of God. "We are gathered here today in prayer, fixing our gaze precisely on the Holy Face of Jesus , it is the Face of the Son of God, made man.  So many things happened in that moment and now it is up to us today to ask ourselves whether we are also new disciples, if we are proclaimers of the same amazing things.

Among the disciples that John the Baptist had attracted there was Andrew, who immediately followed Jesus, but soon after his soul, filled with  the joy and enthusiasm of having met the Savior awaited for centuries, addressed his brother Simon and said to him: "We have found the Messiah, Christ" and led him to Jesus.

John the Evangelist tells us that one day two others met Jesus, they were James and John, Jesus passed by, he saw them arranging their nets with their father, he invited them and they left their father, boat and nets and immediately followed Jesus.

We find ourselves, then in front of another amazing episode: there is a man named Levi, who by now was subject to invaders, the Romans, stood at the tax stand when Jesus passed by, saw him and said: "follow me. And Levi abandoned everything and followed Jesus ".

 One day Jesus invited Philip and he immediately followed him and Philip met Nathaniel and said to him: "We have found the Messiah" and he invited him saying: "come and see". Another time Philip, one day was solicited by some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus and he led them to Jesus. "Come and see". Behold, my dear ones, the vocation is the vocation we all received with baptism, and we have been called to be part of the family of God. And therefore each of us is charged with responsibility among men.

If we were called by the Lord as Samuel was, he who replied: "Here am I, be it done to me according to your word" would we have responded with generosity and clarity as Samuel had anticipating Paradise on this earth. But let's look around: God is not known, Jesus Christ is not known or loved by so very  many. We are living in an increasingly distracted society, we are living in a society that claims to live without God. So we can ask ourselves: why so much violence? why so much corruption? why so much madness in our schools, where, for example, many teachers, male and female, have recently not allowed the manger scene to be set up in schools. How many have even taught  Christmas carols removing the name of Jesus and replacing it with "Peru"! During the recent Christmas holidays, there was a gruesome episode in the beautiful town of Carpi, already destroyed by the earthquake and rebuilt. About one hundred manger scenes had been set up and the head of the Child Jesus was cut off of the one in the cathedral!

My dear ones, never before has there been such a ruthless persecution against Jesus and against the Church! Never before have we had so many martyrs as today. The number of today's martyrs is surpassing those of the persecution of Nero, Diocletian and all the persecutions of the first centuries. So it is up to us to become aware of our vocation as Christians, it is up to each of us to examine our conscience and to ask ourselves: "do I know Jesus Christ?, do I know him well? , what can I do to get to know him better and to make him known to others?"  When the disciples asked Jesus, as in today's Gospel, "Master where do you live? Jesus answered them, "Come and see," it was four o'clock in the afternoon. "They went and stayed with Him." Can we say the same thing too?" "Come and see? "

When Jesus became known he did not give us lessons in high philosophy, he did not give us abstract lessons, he gave us only the example of a boundless love. He said: "Do as I have done, love one another as I have loved you". Therefore, we, today, fixing our gaze on His Holy Face, are filled with joy, we are admiring the superhuman beauty incarnate in our midst. He, God, became humble, became poor, became flesh among us and today he looks at us with that compassion full of love. And looking at us, we forget our sins, our failings; looking at us, He raises us to new life.

Today, contemplating His Holy Face with humility we can say: "Lord, forgive us, we have neglected you, forgive us, Lord, forgive us, we have given too much importance to what is worth little, we have even been taken by this anti-religious, anti-Christian mentality. We have given more space to politics instead of reconciling ourselves. Lord, forgive us, make us new creatures ...

Behold, my dear ones, the Lord today asks us to follow him and to give testimony: behold, today, after the examination of conscience there must pour from our heart a clear purpose, firm and courageous as true Christians, true witnesses of Jesus Christ, Son of God, born of the  Virgin Mary, he who accepted the passion, the humiliation of the tribunals, accepted death on the cross. And on the cross he said: "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing!"

He instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood precisely so that each one of us could feed on Him day by day. O my Lord, we ask you: Lord, take us with you. You repeat again: "try to know me more" and we will follow you, we seek your love, we want to be saturated, intoxicated by your word, we want to know more the Word of God which is the word of grace, we want to know the Holy Scriptures. So many times we learn by heart what happens in the world through strange and beastly information, we learn it by heart, but we do not know the Gospel. We do not know the Word of God!

Our task is not only to know Jesus Christ but to make Him known through our testimony. Can we say today with simplicity to those who are alone, lost, who no longer have hope, who are in the most bitter suffering, to those who do not have anyone to confide in, who are hungry for justice, can we say that we are brothers and sisters in solidarity with them?

 If we are true Christians we can simply say: "Come, I can help you know Jesus because I have found him, I have met him, I live with him, I live in communion with him, because He has transformed my life. Come and do the same too ".

 It is the prayer that I as a priest offer to the Lord for the whole community that today has come to venerate the Holy Face of Jesus, I pray to the Lord so that he can give us this aura of goodness in our lives, so that each of us can fix our gaze on Jesus Christ present here before us. It is the risen Christ, my dear ones, it is the Christ who bears within himself the signs of His passion, of the crucifixion, but He is the Risen Christ who wants each one of us to rise again to new life. During this Holy Mass we continue to pray invoking and proposing to be new creatures capable of testifying to this great and sublime truth.

Mons. Americo Ciani, Canon of the patriarchal basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican.

Omnis Terra 2018 at Manoppello

photo by Antonio Bini

OMNIS TERRA 2018

BE READY TO BE WITNESS OF JESUS ​​CHRIST

The appeal of Msgr. Americo Ciani, Canon of Saint Peter's Basilica, during the rite of Omnis Terra, celebrated in the Basilica of the Holy Face of Manoppello - January 14, 2018

by Antonio Bini

On the second Sunday after Epiphany, the ancient rite of Omnis Terra was celebrated at Manoppello, an event with a strong symbolic meaning, which follows in the footsteps of the centuries-old tradition begun by Pope Innocent III in the year 1208. The ancient rite in Rome included the procession of the Veronica, with the pope accompanied by the Canons of Saint Peter's, in the short journey that went from the Basilica of San Peter to the nearby church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, in the center of the historic hospital, probably the first founded in Europe.

During the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2016 , the ancient procession was re-enacted, in which a replica of the Holy Face was brought to Rome, then exhibited in the Basilica of Santo Spirito in Sassia on January 16 and 17, 2016, with Masses celebrated by Archbishop Georg Gänswein (January 16) and by the Lebanese Archbishop Edmond Farhat, Canon of Saint Peter's (January 17). Both prelates, during the homily, had pronounced themselves on the identification of the Holy Face as the veil of Veronica (vera-ikon). In particular, it was Msgr. Gänswein, prefect of the papal household, to claim that the Holy Veil brought to Rome was a copy of the ancient original that Pope Innocent III showed to the sick and pilgrims which is now kept in Manoppello.

This year the celebration in Manoppello - which occurred on January 14 - was presided over, as last year, by Msgr. Americo Ciani, Canon of the patriarchal basilica of St. Peter's in the Vatican, together with Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, Fr. Paolo Palombarini and other religious, including Fr. Pawel Paszko, Polish Capuchin who accompanied Fr. Carmine on the mission to Katowice and Krakow last December.

During the homily, Msgr. Ciani urged us to reflect on the anti-religious culture that spreads in today's society, inviting us to meditate on the authentic face of Christ, urging us - heartily and with his voice cracking at times with emotion - to "fix our gaze on Jesus Christ present here, in front of us. It is the Risen Christ, my dear ones. It is the Christ who bears the signs of passion, the signs of crucifixion. But it is the Risen Christ, who wants each one of us to rise again to new life. We continue to pray invoking and proposing to be new creatures capable of being witnesses of Jesus Christ ". 

During the Mass, Fr. Carmine, in thanking Msgr. Ciani for his presence, briefly explained the meaning of the rite, referring to the tradition initiated by Pope Innocent III, stating that its revival in Manoppello derives from the identification of the Holy Veil with the Veronica, according to a thesis supported, first by scholars (for example Fr Heinrich Pfeiffer, S.J. retired Professor at the Gregorian University of Rome) and subsequently considered valid by various religious authorities.


In this respect, the value of the participation of Msgr. Ciani, Canon of St. Peter, belonging to that small number of prelates, directly appointed by the Pope, who have historically been entrusted with the custody of the relics of St. Peter's Basilica. Mons. Ciani is, in particular, among the canons who in recent years exhibited in Saint Peter's the copy of the Veronica,which has a dark background whose outlines are perceived only thanks to the frame that reproduces the features of a human face (Mgr Ciani on the right in the photo below by Paul Badde, while showing the "Veronica" in St. Peter's).

photo by Paul Badde

  At the end of the solemn mass, a procession with the Holy Face unfolded inside the Manoppello basilica, with a brief exit onto the plaza in front of the church and the final blessing of Omnis Terra, with the sacred image made to turn toward the four cardinal points, in an ideal embrace with the world. 

photo by Antonio Bini

The celebration saw the presence of the choir of the Basilica directed by the maestro Nicola Costantini and a representation of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher. Among the many present, also were Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schloemer and Paul Badde.

On his return to the Vatican, Msgr. Americo Ciani, thanked Fr. Carmine for "the honor granted to me to live a very touching day close to the Holy Face".

How many things have changed during this first part of the third millennium, if one thinks that only a few years ago it was not easy for those who had care of the Holy Face to talk about the Veronica.

The First Exhibition of the Holy Face

Father Domenico da Cese and Prof. Bruno Sammaciccia at the entrance to the exhibit

THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF THE HOLY FACE

Strongly desired in 1977 by Father Domenico da Cese, it is to be considered at the origins of the modern history of the Holy Face

by Antonio Bini

On September 17, 1977, the participation of Pope Paul VI  in the 19th National Eucharistic Congress  taking place in Pescara with the theme "The Lord's Day" was greatly anticpated. With respect to more recent years, earlier popes had rarely left Rome. It was therefore an event of extraordinary importance, accompanied by publications and a dense program of conferences and exhibitions that animated the city for a whole week, from  September 11 to 18, 1977. A program with a lengthy period of preparation by the dioceses of Abruzzo but the Holy Face had been completely ignored and excluded from any event, exhibition or publication.

Logo of the Eucharistic Congress

Father Domenico da Cese found this situation unbearable, courageously deciding to set up an exhibition dedicated to his beloved Holy Face, using space on the ground floor of a small building that was fortunately available to the Capuchin Order, in the center of Pescara, a very short distance from the passage of the papal procession and from the square where the final Mass would take place. 

From the few images available, reproductions of the Holy Face, testimonies, holy cards and prayers are displayed on simple wooden stands, along with two large panels in the entrance courtyard of the exhibition resting on tripods and with light bulbs to illuminate them. 

Newspapers reported the presence of over 200 thousand people September 17,  also coming from foreign countries. In those days and for a whole week Pescara was inundated by many people from Italy and abroad,  to take part in events that saw the participation of well-known figures from the Catholic world, such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

The magazine of the Shrine of the Holy Face - Il Volto Santo di Manoppello - , in the issue following the event (n.2 / 1977), published only two photos of the exhibition, underlining that it had been visited by many people.

For this occasion, photographic reproductions, testimonies and publications were exhibited in a simple and basic setting. It should be remembered that it was only in those years that photographic prints began to be able to effectively reproduce the image of the Holy Face, also in color. Some enlargements, the first ones realized in 1971 by the photographer Gianni Cati, are still exhibited in the Manoppello Shrine's "Sala del Tesoro", in which the "ex voto" are displayed.

Father Domenico's first biographer, the scholar Bruno Sammaciccia, wrote regarding the exhibit "Father Domenico was enthusiastic for having achieved his noble desire "(1979).

The exhibition actually marked a new phase in the popularization of the Holy Face that expanded the traditional knowledge of the Shrine of Manoppello, with effects that would be progressively realized in the immediately following times.

 Renzo Allegri, the writer and famous biographer of Padre Pio, also heard about the Holy Face.  His biography of Padre Pio has been translated into various languages ​​(in the USA his book was published a few years ago under the title "Padre Pio, the man of hope").

The year after the Pescara exhibition, Allegri wanted to go to Manoppello, at the same time that Fr. Domenico had left for Turin to go and see the exposition of the Shroud. The writer was welcomed to the Shrine by the then superior, Fr. Luciano Antonelli, recently assigned to the friary, who did nothing else but describe the Holy Face, following the theses supported by Fr. Domenico.

This circumstance was confirmed to me by Fr. Luciano, currently in the Capuchin friary of L'Aquila, who confessed to me that he had repeatedly listened to the explanations that Fr. Domenico gave to groups of pilgrims visiting Manoppello. On the other hand, the explanation of what the Holy Face was and its authenticity were well explained on holy cards printed in his name by Fr. Domenico. 

Allegri wrote his article for the large circulation Italian weekly magazine Gente, with the title "A Little Shroud in Abruzzo: It is the Holy Face of  Manoppello", wanting to build on the attention which in that period was being given to the Shroud of Turin. 

The article was published in the September 30 issue, a few days after the funeral of Father Domenico, and then was translated and published in its entirety in the November 1978 issue of the Swiss Catholic magazine "Das Zeichen Mariens" (in English "The Sign of Mary"), published in German at St. Gallen, by Mr. Paul O. Schenker.

This magazine was then read by Sr. Blandina Paschalis Schloemer, who was intrigued by it, starting her studies on the Holy Face, subsequently involving Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, opening a period of research unprecedented in the history of Manoppello's image. 

In the autumn of 2014 I finally met Renzo Allegri, who had retired to a large isolated farm in northern Italy. He greeted me courteously, explaining that he did not remember exactly what were the origins of his knowledge of the Holy Face that had led him to Manoppello in September 1978, confirming however that he had heard talk of the extraordinary image in the months preceding his trip to Abruzzo. 

Antonio Bini and Renzo Allegri

During the meeting we talked about the Holy Face, the exhibit set up by Fr. Domenico, but also about Padre Pio, linked to the Holy Face and also to Fr. Domenico. Allegri was surprised to learn that his old article had been translated into German in the Swiss magazine, of which he knew nothing, showing however satisfaction with the interest that he had managed to arouse regarding the Holy Face. 

Father Domenico da Cese will die in Turin on September 17, 1978, exactly one year after Paul VI's visit to Pescara.   We like to think of Father Domenico's 1977 exhibition, simple and impromptu, with his passionate determination, as the first of many other exhibitions that, more than thirty years later, were dedicated to the Holy Face and which took place in Rimini, New York, Lourdes, Lucca, Lugano, Mantua, Perugia and many other cities.

A Decade On-line with the Holy Face of Manoppello

photo by Paul Badde

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St. Francis of Assisi Venerating the Holy Face of Jesus in a Roman painting of the 1700's

Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of the first postings of this blog on the Holy Face of Manoppello on January 23, 2008.  The inspiration for the blog came from my visit to the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello in November 2007.  For ten years I have been privileged to be able to publish many photos of the Holy Face and articles about the Holy Face from experts on the Holy Face such as Paul Badde, Sr. Blandina Schloemer, Antonio Bini, Saverio Gaeta, Fr. Heinrich Pfeiffer, S.J., and Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, OFM, Cap . There is a treasure trove of material on the Holy Face available to everyone throughout the world on this blog because of them! Thanks be to God and all these and others such as Fr. Germano Di Pietro, OFM, Cap., Daisy Neves, Augustine Pham, Fr. Lawrence Goode,  Patricia Enk and Deacon Christoph Sandoval who have helped me! 

When I began this blog there was very little information available in English on the world wide web.  Thankfully this is no longer the case.  The word and image of the Holy Face has spread to peoples throughout the world by other websites and on social media such as Facebook.  

Even more importantly  --- copies of the Holy Face coming from Manoppello have been enshrined in churches  in Rome, Poland, the United States, Canada and above all in the Philippines where a diocesan shrine of the Holy Face has been inaugurated at Nampicuan.

Here are several recent examples of Facebook postings on the Holy Face.

Every Third Friday of the month after the 8AM mass at St Sharbel Maronite Catholic Church in Las Vegas a Novena Devotion to the Holy Face is prayed. Fr Nadim Abou Zeid , Maronite Missionary and also Pastor for 10 yrs now welcomed the Holy Face since September 2014 when Fr Carmine, Rector of the Holy Face of Manoppello , brought the copy of the Holy Face . On September 11, 2016 the Holy Face copy was officially Enthroned by Fr Nadim and Fr Danny, Canon and civil lawyer from the Diocese of Rome. When you come to Las Vegas.. the church in 10 miles from the strip. Daily Maronite liturgy at 8am. And visit the Holy Face here which is venerated. So far, there are three other churches in the USA that have welcomed the image of the Holy Face. At Our Lady of Angel in San Diego ; St Francis of Assisi at E Palo Alto, San Francisco Bay Area; St Bede the Venerable at Flintridge, Los Angeles county. Visit them ... if you cannot go to Manoppello or the Philippines yet.  --- from Daisy Neves.

Diocesan Shrine at Immaculate Conception Church, Nampicuan, Philippines photo from Facebook by Liezel Jakosalem

Here is a link to a video from the Facebook page of the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello with the blessing at the Shrine on the feast of Omnis Terra January 14, 2018 which connects the shrine to the ancient rite celebrated in Rome during the 13th and 14th centuries at St. Peter's and Santo Spirito Churches.  Someday this rite will be celebrated

in churches throughout the world 

https://www.facebook.com/basilicavoltosanto/videos/855504621301441/https://www.facebook.com/basilicavoltosanto/videos/855504621301441/  

The Holy Face venerated in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel of  the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, San Diego, CA

More Photos from Enthronement of Holy Face at St. Francis of Assisi Church in East Palo Alto, California

Fr. Lawrence Goode, Pastor of St. Francis of Asissi Church, giving spanish language commentary for Power Point slide presentation before the Mass, Procession and Enthronement Ceremony.  The Power Point presentation was prepared by Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, O.F.M., Cap., Rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello, with technical assistance from Sr. Petra-Maria Steiner.  This presentation is a great help in understanding in a short time the story of the Holy Face of Manoppello.  We are very grateful to Fr. Carmine and Sr. Petra-Maria for allowing us to use it.  

Here it can be seen how the church of St. Francis has tried to emulate the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello in displaying the Holy Face in a prominent place above the tabernacle where it can be seen at all Masses and whenever private visits are made to the Blessed Sacrament.



The joy of all during the procession after Mass and blessing by Fr. Goode with the Holy Face of the four directions around the parish and  all of the San Francisco Bay Area,

The sacred dance of joy and devotion before the Holy Face.

Thanks to Hanna Hoang for these photos.

Enthronement of the Holy Face in St. Francis of Assisi Church, East Palo Alto, California November 11, 2017

A church filled with parishioners and pilgrims both young and old joyfully celebrated the Enthronement of the Holy Face in the parish church of St. Francis of Assisi of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.  A special framed image of the Holy Face, a replica of the image in Manoppello, donated by Mrs. Daisy Neves, was installed above the tabernacle of the church.  

After presiding at the Votive Mass of the Holy Face the pastor, Fr. Lawrence Goode, led a procession with the Holy Face around the grounds of the parish, blessing the area and the streets in four directions with the image of the Holy Face.   

Returning to the church, Fr. Goode read the prayer of Enthronement in English and Spanish, as well as the prayer of Pope Benedict XVI to the Holy Face.  All parish associations participated in the event.  The parish is known for having many different ethnic groups including Mexican, Filipino, Tongan, and African American and all were represented at the Mass, procession and Enthronement. 

Prior to the Mass a presentation on the Holy Face of Manoppello was given in the Church in English and Spanish by Fr. Goode and Raymond Frost.  Promoters of the devotion to the Holy Face who were present at the celebration included Mrs. Daisy Neves, Mrs. Augustine Pham and Deacon Christoph Sandoval of St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.  

Raymond Frost, Daisy Neves, Fr. Lawrence Goode, Augstine Pham, Deacon Christoph Sandoval

St. Francis Church is centrally located near Stanford University about 20 miles distant from both San Francisco and San Jose. The Holy Face has been venerated in the church of St. Francis in East Palo Alto since 2008.  Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, Rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello, visited the church in 2014, celebrating Mass and giving a talk on the Holy Face.  Fr. Cucinelli sent a special letter to mark the Enthronement of the Holy Face at St. Francis.