Holy Face of Jesus Relic at Guardian Angel Church

It was a special evening at Guardian Angel Parish in Oran on Thursday, March 14. Friends of Father Joseph Kelly, Stan & Janet Schwent of Bloomsdale, brought the Holy Face of Jesus Relic to Oran for viewing and veneration . This picture has been touched to the Veil of St. Veronica, the True Cross, and to the lance that pierced Our Lord's side. There were over 100 people who came for the veneration and prayers before the Holy Face of Jesus.

The Veil of Veronica was preserved by Veronica herself until her death. It was next placed under the care of Pope Clement I where it was secretly stored in the catacombs by popes for the next centuries. In the 7th century, the Veil was placed in St. Mary of the Martyrs Church. Over time the Veil had faded to just a faint outline of Our Lord's face. There was much blasphemy committed against Our Lord, so in the mid 1800's the “Golden Arrow” prayer was given to Venerable Sr. Mary of St. Peter, a Carmelite nun, as a remedy to make reparation for these blasphemies. She received visions of Jesus and Our Lady about this devotion over a 3 year span. She died July 8, 1848. Not long after her death, Pope Pius IX fled from Rome. The Church was enduring the ravages of revolutions and many evils, so the Pope asked for special prayers from the people and publicly displayed the Veil of St. Veronica for 3 days. On the last day, January 6, 1849, a miracle occurred. The Veil glowed from noon to 3 pm. After the 3 hours passed, the image of Our Lord returned to being just a faint outline. Jesus' face was life-like, very distinct, and weeping and bleeding. Following this miracle, copies of the Veil, with the life-like face of Jesus, were made over a 75 year period. Once printed, they were each touched to the relic of Veronica's Veil, the True Cross of Jesus, and the lance that pierced Our Lord's side.

A friend of Sr. Mary, Venerable Leo DuPont, made the devotion even more well-known. He hung an image of the miraculous image in his house with an oil lamp burning in front. He would pray the Golden Arrow prayer and the Litany of the Holy Face with friends and miraculous healing began when people would place the oil on themselves. These miracles occurred for 30 years.

After the presentation was given by the Schwents and Father led the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, those in attendance were able to kneel before the relic, pray, and touch rosaries and medals to the relic. While the veneration was occurring, Father Kelly led the Chaplet of the Holy Face, the Golden Arrow prayer, and the Litany to the Holy Face.

This is the translation into English of the letter of authenticity that was found in the frame behind the Holy Face of Jesus relic.

The Schwents’ have a daughter who is a cloistered nun at the Poor Clare Monastery in St. Louis. The relic was given to them from the monastery. It was produced in 1893, made its way to Indiana and then on to St. Louis. There is a wax seal on the bottom right and the Vatican stamp on the bottom left of the picture. Behind the picture, they found a certificate of authenticity in Latin. The Schwents now give presentations to spread devotion to the Holy Face. This devotion is focused on making reparations to Our Lord for the many offenses committed against Him.

An interesting fact that the Schwents shared was that if you place the Veil of Veronica, the Shroud of Turin (the burial cloth the Body of Jesus was wrapped in), and the Veil of Manoppello (a miraculous cloth that bears the face of the resurrected Christ) on top of each other, the face of Jesus is the same, except that His eyes are open on the veil of Manoppello. These 3 relics are from the Passion, the Death, and the Resurrection of Our Lord.