Holy Face of Jesus novena begins Feb. 23 and will end with Mass on March 4 at cathedral

COLORADO SPRINGS.  Bishop James Golka will celebrate a Votive Mass for the Feast of the Holy Face on March 4 at 12:10 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Following the Mass, there will be veneration of an image of the Veil of Veronica and other prayers. 

Veneration of the image of Christ’s face stretches back to the earliest years of the Church. In modern times, Venerable Leo Dupont promoted devotion to the Holy Face in the mid-19th century in Tours, France. Many miracles were attributed to the devotion. The Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established by Pope Leo XIII in 1885, and the devotion was said to be a favorite of the family of St. Therese of Lisieux.  

The annual  Novena to the Holy Face of Jesus begins Feb. 23 and can be found at holyfacedevotion.org or theholyface.com.  If you would like to participate in a weekly devotion for the Holy Face Hour at Corpus Christi Parish or are interested in starting one at your parish, contact Amy Surofchek at amyjbosso@yahoo.com.  

If you would like to be an intercessor in the statewide Jesus’ 300 Holy Face Army, contact Jule Lane at puzzleoverme@mac.com. There will also be a France Holy Face Marian Reparation Pilgrimage this year from Sept. 28-Oct. 11, visiting the sites of Tours, Mont Saint Michel, Lisieux, Paris, La Salette, Marseille, Ars and many others, with an additional visit to Lourdes. Contact Select International Tours at 800-842-4842 or selectinternationaltours.com, or Lane for more information.