A Tribute to Daisy Neves from the Official Publication of the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello

The Passing of Daisy Neves

The Missionary of the Holy Face

by Antonio Bini      from the June 2019 edition of  Il Volto Santo di Manoppello 

Last March 29th, Mrs. Daisy Neves, a devotee of the Holy Face and a great supporter of its  spread throughout the world, passed away in Bellevue, Washington, USA. She was born in the Philippines in 1938, but as a child emigrated with her family to the United States. She discovered the Holy Face by reading an article concerning Benedict XVI's visit to Manoppello. In 2011 she made her first pilgrimage to the Holy Face, after which she began to develop a program for promoting the Holy Face, proposing to Father Carmine Cucinelli, two international missions - in 2014 and 2015 - to various cities in the United States, Canada and the Philippines (including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Vancouver, Manila, etc.), with various initiatives that led to the enthronement of the Holy Face in local churches, in agreement with the dioceses and with the Shrine of Manoppello. 

Daisy with Paul Badde, Ethelyn David and Ellen Badde during the Mission to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The first enthronement took place on September 14, 2014 in a small town in the Philippines - Nampicuan - with the church elevated the following year to the Diocesan Shrine of the Holy Face, the first in Asia, now a destination for pilgrims from the Philippines and other Asian countries. When she started her mission- in which she involved various religious and laity, building a network of friends of the Holy Face - Mrs Neves was already suffering from cancer. At the beginning of 2015 she thought her time had come, yet continued to work tirelessly to spread the Holy Face, despite the suffering following the various cycles of chemotherapy.

Daisy, along with Raymond Frost, Fr. Lawrence Goode, Pastor, Augustine Pham and Deacon Christoph Sandoval on November 11, 2017 in the church of St. Francis of Assisi, East Palo Alto, California following the Enthronement of the Holy Face which Daisy donated to the church

She met His Holiness Bartholomew, Patriarch of Constantinople, to whom she gave a copy of 

the Holy Face, as well as leaders of the Lebanese Maronite Church, aware that the Holy Face was a spiritual patrimony of all of Christianity and not just of Catholics. She said that the Holy Face had prolonged her life.

Daisy presenting a book on the Holy Face to Patriarch Bartholomew

Last October she made a final trip to Manoppello, accompanied by her son Erwin, being able to stay in the hotel "La Casa del Pellegrino", (Pilgrim House) adjacent to her beloved shrine. A journey that coincided with the umpteenth enthronement of the Holy Face -- in the parish of Saints Elisabeth and Zacchariah in Rome --, whose pastor - Fr Bonifacio (Ted) Lopez - of Filipino origins, for years in Italy,  had accompanied Father Carmine on the mission of 2015. The photos of those days spent in her beloved Shrine show her enthusiasm and joy, despite the gradual deterioration of her health, which she tried to hide.

Daisy speaking in the Shrine in October 2018 to a group of pilgrims from California with her son Erwin and Fr. Carmine by her side

To understand her generous commitment and above all her faith, I would like to highlight a message she wrote to me on November 6, 2018, shortly after returning to the United States where she told me that she had just received in her home five ladies from Chile. and that the Holy Face was spreading to the remotest corners of the world.

An occasion to reiterate "that which had been my only intention: to share with others, and not just a few, that Jesus left us His beautiful Holy Face. This is important for me, so that they too ¬ (the Chilean ladies, Ed.) will share this with others one day."  She wrote to me that she was uneasy about her health, but that "it was a blessing to serve the Lord, especially in illness and physical weakness”. Testimonies that express how extraordinary this person has been: generous, very religious, but also practical and courageous in developing actions for the purpose of revealing the knowledge and devotion to the Holy Face. 

She was very attached to Father Carmine and to the Capuchins of Manoppello, to the priests involved in the missions and those leading parishes where devotion to the Holy Face was tangible, as well as to the Bishops, to Sister Blandina, Paul Badde (who was part of the 2015 mission), Sister Petra-Maria Steiner and also to this author. For each of my articles translated into English and published by Raymond Frost in San Francisco on the blog www.holyfaceofmanoppello.blogspot.com she sent me a message of appreciation, confident that during so many sleepless nights it was comforting to reread the old articles on the blog.

In the last hours of her life, although visibly weakened by the illness, she appeared serene, in prayer with several friends linked to the mission, such as Ethelyn David (from Vancouver), Corgie Bernardo, etc., preparing for death, taking in her hands the images of the Holy Face and of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Among the messages following her death I point to that of Bishop Victor Ocampo (Diocese of Gumaca, Philippines), in which while referring to the Shrine of Manoppello, he recalls having received a copy of the Holy Face from her as a gift, which was then solemnly enthroned by him - in her memory - on May 12 in the church of the Most Holy Rosary in Lopez, in the province of Quezon.

Daisy in front of the bulletin board of the Shrine pointing to an article and photo of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, regarding the Cardinal's visit to the Shrine for the Feast of the Holy Face in May 2017

Daisy will continue to be held up as an example for the continuation of the mission of the Holy Face, with horizons that previously seemed impossible and the effects of her mission are vast.

Father Carmine wanted to remember her with the following message - distributed in English - to her children and grandchildren, friends and religious linked to her activities - in which he gives her the title "Missionary of the Holy Face".

MESSAGE from Fr. Carmine Cucinelli, Rector of the Shrine of the Holy Face of Manoppello in memory of DAISY NEVES

Dear children, brother, sister, nephews and nieces and family whole, relatives and friends of DAISY,
I would like to express to you my so profound and cordial condolences.
On March 29 2019, the world has impoverished for the loss of a dear and marvelous person. We have lost a woman of profound faith, a holy mother, a wise guide, a benefactress, a person on sensible and delicate spirit; a great and in-loved devout of the Holy Face.
Last year month of October, feeling that horrendous sickness that was returning to threaten her, she wanted to spend a week in the contemplation of the face of Christ here in Manoppello, accompanied by her son Alfred, staying a few steps from the sanctuary.
She wanted to contemplate long that face before going to see him in heaven.
Back home, when her cancer became definitely acute, was been obedient to what the doctors said: she underwent harrowing treatment. She wrote me:
"my life is in God's hands. Terrible to say that I am plagued with 2 types of cancer. I will continue to pray for trust in the Lord who gives life and who takes it away as He pleases. I surrender my life to the divine will of God. Amen. I am really ready to see Jesus face to face. I just have to enjoy every day that the Lord has granted me in prayers, and to work at the Mission of the Holy Face, which is my joy and, if He gives me more time, I would like to continue spreading the devotion to Holy Face”.
Her pilgrimage to heaven is similar to that of a patriarch, surrounded by the love of the beloved, whom she had blessed one by one. She was so happy to have seen the Holy Face, her reliquary, enthroned in her parish church. Until a few hours before returning to the Lord she has contemplated in video, the Holy Face almost alive from Manoppello,
She has loved everyone, she has forgiven those who had hurt her and offered to the Lord all his sufferings for the spiritual good of family members, because they may live as true children of God. She asked many Holy Masses to be celebrated for every dear member of the family and for every friend so that their lives may be filled with many heavenly blessings.
While we blow off in tears over the loss of this dear sister, we want to thank God for the gift of giving us Daisy for over eighty years.
For being so grateful for all she has done for the diffusion of the DEVOTION TO THE HOLY FACE, we from the SANTUARY OF MANOPpELLO, entitle and attribute to Mrs. Daisy Neves the title "MISSIONARY OF THE HOLY FACE”.
God uses much mercy toward her and the rest in the eternal Kingdom.

Padre Carmine Cucinelli, Rettore della basilica del Volto Santo di Manoppello