AN IMAGE OF THE Holy Face of Jesus, similar to the Veil of Veronica housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, was displayed in the St. Callistus Chapel and
Crypts on the campus of Christ Cathedral on April 14.
THE FAITHFUL LINE UP TO VENERATE THE HOLY IMAGE AT ST. CALLISTUS CHAPEL AND CRYPTS. PHOTOS BY LOU PONSI
Created in 1905, the Holy Face Image is believed to have been laid upon the true image of the Veil of Veronica, which was touched to the True Cross of Christ and the point of the spear that was gored into Jesus’ side.
The Holy Image, which received a papal certificate of authenticity from Pope St. Pius X in 1905, is safeguarded by Vicki Schreiner of Oklahoma City, whose family has had it for more than a century.
After being displayed alongside the altar during the chapel’s 8 a.m. Mass, the Holy Image was placed in the aisle directly in front of the altar, where dozens of worshipers stood in line to venerate the image.
Many softly touched the Holy Image or gently pressed items such as Rosary Beads, Mass cards and photos to the image.
In her presentation, Schreiner chronicled the origins of the Holy Face devotion, telling the story of St. Veronica’s act of wiping the blood and tears from Jesus’ face as he carried his cross — depicted in the sixth of the 14 Stations of the Cross.
VICKI SCHREINER SPEAKS ABOUT THE HOLY FACE OF JESUS IMAGE ON APRIL 12.
“Try to imagine the look of love in our Lord’s eyes in thanksgiving for the grace that she had given Him by wiping his face,” Schreiner said. “She had to push through the crowd, through the chaos, through the cursing and the screaming, through the soldiers that were beating our Lord. She pushed through.”
Schreiner also described a miracle that occurred in 1849 when the image became lifelike, with visible tears and blood, lasting for three hours.
“It became three dimensional,” she said. “You could see the tears and the blood on our Lord’s face. His eyes were deep, sunken and full of pain. The image had a glowing aura around it.”
The Veil of Veronica is significant because it represents the love and compassion shown by Saint Veronica to Jesus during his suffering, Schreiner said.
Schreiner emphasized the need to make continuous reparations, saying that, yes, we make Jesus proud today, but we continue to hurt him.
“At times, the task of reparations seems overwhelming,” she said. “It’s like a huge mountain. How are we going to make up for all this sin, but we have to start somewhere, one moment at a time. Think about what you say before you talk to someone, especially when you’re angry. Think first before you do. For myself, I look at our Lord’s face before I pray every night.”
The chapel display, presentation and veneration culminated a three day tour of the Holy Image through the Diocese of Orange, featuring venerations at St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon and Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra.
The tour was organized by Cynthia and Gary Micaletti, owners of JMJ Catholic Store in Placentia. The image was also displayed at the Micaletti’s store during the tour through the Diocese.