Southern Nebraska Register
A celebration will be held Tuesday, Feb. 17, at St. Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha, to mark the feast of the Holy Face of Jesus.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. with confessions, followed by Mass at 6 p.m. celebrated by Father Ben Boyd. A Holy Face relic will be available for veneration. After Mass, participants will recite the Holy Face prayers in front of the Blessed Sacrament and relic effigy.
The feast of the Holy Face of Jesus was approved in 1958 by Pope Pius XII. Sister Maria Pierina de Micheli, an Italian nun, received visions from Jesus asking her to spread devotion to his Holy Face on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI recognized a miracle attributed to the intercession of Sister Maria, and she was beatified in 2010.
In one of the visions, Jesus said: “Every time My Face is contemplated I will pour out My Love into the hearts of those persons, and by means of My Holy Face the salvation of many souls will be obtained.”
The feast day is preceded by a novena, a nine-day period of prayer beginning Feb. 8. For the novena, other prayers and more information, visit https://hisholyface.com.
