Sister Saint-Pierre and the work of reparation : a brief history by the Very Rev. P. Janvier ... Translated by Miss Mary Hoffman Chapter 9. The Confraternity Of The Holy Face

AFTER the death of Sister Saint-Pierre two works, closely allied in spirit to the Reparation and the Adoration of the Holy Sacrament, came from her virginal tomb like two miraculous flowers — the Congregation devoted to Perpetual Adoration, founded by Mile. Dubouche, in religion Mother Mary Teresa ; and the Nocturnal Adoration by men, inaugurated by the celebrated Jew pianist, Hermann, later Father Marie-Augustine, of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. But it was M. Dupont who, in the designs of God, had the special mission to carry out and develop the work shown to the Carmelite of Tours for the salvation of France: the Work of Reparation for blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday by the cultus of the Holy Face.

Towards the close of the Lenten season of 1851 he exposed in his private oratory an engraving of the Sorrowful Face of our Lord, an authentic facsimile of the Veil of Veronica preserved in the Vatican Basilica. Miracles ere long became manifest. The man of God rejoiced, because he beheld in them a proof of the truth of the revelations made to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre. To the end he hoped the life and writings of the venerable Sister would be published. Understanding their worth, he knew how much good they would effect. His hope was realized. In 1876, before his earthly career ended, he learned that the Archbishop of Tours, Mgr. Colet, had issued orders that insured their being presented to the world. With a radiant face he blessed God, and, with his gaze turned towards the Carmelite convent, peaceably expired on the 18th of March. On his death his oratory, where for twenty-five years the Holy Face had been honored, was at once transformed into a public chapel. Mgr. Colet officiated on the occasion of its dedication. At the same time he established in this sanctuary the Confraternity of the Reparation for Blasphemy and for the Profanation of Sunday, affiliating it to that of St. Dizier already erected. Using his power as Ordinary, he gave to this Confraternity of Tours a distinct character, and made of it, properly speaking, a Confraternity of the Holy Face, which was really the embodiment of Sister Saint-Pierre's inspirations. Finally, to minister to the new chapel and attend to the spiritual wants of the pilgrims who flocked from all parts thither, the worthy successor of St. Martin instituted, under the title of " Priests of the Holy Face," a society of regular clergy living in community in the house formerly occupied by M. Dupont, and who, following in his footsteps and under his auspices, would devote themselves to all the Works of Reparation.

Since then the Oratory of the Holy Face has become a centre of prayers and expiations to which the gaze and hearts of numbers turn, not only from all parts of France, but, in truth, from all Christendom.

Nor was it long before other Confraternities of the Holy Face, similar to the one founded at Tours by Mgr. Colet, were established in many cities. Letters from all parts of the world are received soliciting pictures of the Holy Face like the one so long venerated by M. Dupont, which was an authentic facsimile of the Veil of Veronica. It would be impossible to calculate the number of the holy pictures exposed in various places (and nearly always with a lamp burning before them)—in cathedrals, parish churches, public chapels, private houses and oratories, in hospitals, and in the enclosure of religious communities. The Priests of the Holy Face at Tours have charged themselves with the pious duty of obtaining these pictures (the facsimile of Veronica's Veil) from Rome and facilitating their distribution, or rather, we should say, supplying the demand for them, which is a consequence of the recognition of the wants of our age; so natural is the idea of Reparation, so befitting and salutary, so powerful in attracting souls.

This need of Reparation is urgent; all Catholic hearts welcome its appearance, If it be true that France, God's privileged nation, the Eldest Daughter of the Church, be the most guilty, because " much shall be demanded from her to whom much has been given"; that blasphemy in her midst is more audacious, and profanations of God's Holy Days more perverse; should not every generous Christian soul feel called upon to labor zealously in establishing and propagating this Work of Reparation so urgently demanded, in our Lord's Name, by the Carmelite of Tours ? What is more natural and just than to unite our efforts in repairing what impiety and hatred of God have combined to corrupt and ruin? The Work revealed to the admirable virgin whose history has been related is at the same time, as she herself says, "a necessity of justice and a pledge of mercy." Let our efforts be in common, let us unite ourselves in striving fervently to appease Divine Justice; then it will be our consolation to experience , only the effects of mercy, which will be all the more abundant as our Reparation has been prompt and fervent.

CONDITIONS

For being Received into the Confraternity of 

the Reparation of the Holy Face.

1. To be inscribed on the Register of the Confraternity where it is canonically established.

2. To obtain a copy of the Regulations, wherewith will be found the ticket of admission.

3. To wear at all times the Cross of the Confraternity.

4. Never to blaspheme, and to do all one can to prevent blasphemy.

5. When not possible to prevent these crimes, to make, at least, an interior act of Reparation for them.

6. To recite daily a Pater, Ave, and Gloria Patri, " with the Act of Praise," in union with the Associates, in the spirit of Reparation.

Joining or Starting a Holy Face Confraternity

Sister Saint-Pierre and the work of reparation : a brief history by the Very Rev. P. Janvier ... Translated by Miss Mary Hoffman Chapter 3. Her Revelations On The Reparation.

ON" Christmas night of 1843, having obtained the permission of her Superiors, the Sister made, according to the reiterated demands of our Lord, "an act placing all her merits in the hands of the Most Holy Infant Jesus." As a reward she was favored with still more abundant lights and graces. " It seems," she says, " that I hear Jesus from the depths of the tabernacle addressing us these words: ' O ye my friends and faithful children, behold if there be any sorrow like unto mine! My Divine Father and my spouse, the holy Church, the delight of my Heart, are despised and outraged by my enemies. Will no one rise up . to console me by defending them against those who attack them? I can no longer remain in the midst of this ungrateful people. Behold the torrent of tears that flow from my eyes! Can I find none to wipe them away by making reparation to the glory of my Father and imploring the conversion of the guilty ?' Ah!" cries the pious Sister, "if a king, or even his ambassador, be treated with indignity by a foreign power, how quickly the whole nation rushes to arms to avenge the insult! Troops are mustered, and the death of numberless soldiers is accounted as nothing. And yet the holy and terrible Name of the God of hosts, of the King of kings, is despised and blasphemed, his day is profaned by sinners in infinite numbers, and no one is troubled thereat, no one thinks of Reparation. Behold, our Lord Jesus, the Envoy and Son of the God of armies, the Ambassador of the kingdom of heaven, demands a Reparation of honor to his Eternal Father, or war will be declared against us and France will suffer the chastisements of his wrath. "Will we pause to weigh the matter ? Will we hesitate in our choice ?" The Archbishop of Tours, who at that time was Mgr. Morlot, wished to see and examine the*writings of the Carmelite. We say her "writings," because the Mother-Prioress had required her to write all her revelations. The prelate approved in this regard the wisdom of her Superiors, and authorized Rev. Pierre Aileron, Superior of the Carmelites, and at the same time pastor of Notre Dame La Riche, to establish in his parish an Association for the Reparation of Blasphemy. This was on the model of the one in Rome, approved by Gregory XVI. August 8, 1843. Its members were thus enabled to gain the numerous spiritual advantages granted to the Roman association. The permission of Mgr. Morlot is dated March 15, 1844. The association, on being established, took for its patrons St. Michael the Archangel, St. Louis, King of France, and St. Martin. Those that belonged to it were to recite daily a Pater, Ave, Gloria, and the Golden Arrow before mentioned.

This, without doubt, was something— a first step towards the Work of Reparation. But more was required—namely, an archconfraternity similar to that of Our. Lady of Victory for the Conversion of Sinners. The Sister was very sorrowful. They saw her coming from her prayers pale, trembling, and bathed in tears. She continually offered herself in sacrifice to turn away the*divine scourges and obtain the salvation of her country. On learning that the usual prayer of St. Denis was " Give me souls!" she unceasingly repeated it, and begged the Sisters to do the same. In the meantime the Divine Master revealed to her more and more the enormity of blasphemy.

" You cannot understand," He said to her one day, "the malice and abomination of this sin. If my justice were not restrained by my mercy it would instantly crush the guilty, and all creatures, even inanimate ones, would rise up to avenge my outraged honor." " After this," the Sister adds, " he showed me the excellence of the Work of Reparation; how it surpasses all other devotions, is agreeable to God, to the angels, the saints, and is useful to the Church. Ah! if you knew the degree of glory you acquire in making but a single act of Reparation for blasphemy, in saying only once, in the spirit of Reparation, ' Admirable is the Name of God'!"
She again wrote: " This work is within me as a consuming fire. I continually beg our Lord to deign to save France; to establish in all her cities his "Work of Reparation, and to raise up apostolic men for this end. Thou seest, my sweet Jesus, that I, a poor unworthy creature,
can do nothing; vouchsafe, then, to enlighten the heart of him who can render thee this service with the knowledge of all that I suffer."

The Carmelites, forced to leave their monastery, lived for two years in a secular dwelling where cloister enclosure was almost impossible. Sister Saint-Pierre, still in her office . of portress of the interior, had much to suffer. But our Lord, in the very midst of the embarrassments and distractions of her charge, consoled her with new and consoling lights. In her great desire to comfort and strengthen those who came to her with their sorrows, she was inspired to communicate to them the devotion of the Gospel of the Circumcision, and of the Holy Name. Thus she writes of this devotion : " The demon uses all possible means to snatch from our Lord Jesus Christ the inheritance purchased by the cross, and he is ever seeking to rob this Good Shepherd of the lambs obtained at so great a price. To put this ravishing wolf to flight Jesus has made known to me that he wishes his sheep marked with his Holy Name, by bearing on their person the Gospel which announces to all nations that the Incarnate Word was named Jesus. This amiable Saviour has acquainted me with the virtue of his Sacred Name—that it would drive away the demon, and that all those placing themselves under its special protection would receive great graces." Her superiors permitted her to distribute printed sheets of this Gospel on which was stamped an image of the Infant Jesus. To this was added a piece of the palm blessed on Palm Sunday. These sheets were folded and enclosed in a little square sachet, marked upon the outside with the Sacred Heart and the instruments of the Passion. It was to be worn on the person in the same way as a medal attached to a scapular, etc. The pious Carmelite had thus in view the glorification of the Name of Jesus. Numerous graces came to confirm her faith and make her rejoice in the devotion. Every one wished to have these little sachets. On the sheets, beneath the Gospel, these words were inscribed :

" When Jesus was named, Satan, vanquished, was disarmed."

" Our Lord has revealed to me," says the Sister, "how glorious it is to him to have his victory celebrated by these words, for they make the demon tremble with rage; that he will bless all who wear this Gospel, and will defend them against the attacks of Satan. 55 (See p. 202.)
On the 17th of June, 1845, the Divine Master resumed his great design, and encouraged his servant to address the archbishop personally. The prelate very kindly visited the holy Carmelite, whose virtues he held in the highest esteem. Ushered into his presence, she knelt, kissed his feet, and humbly asked him to deign to accomplish the work he had so happily begun in authorizing the Association of Notre Dame La Riche; and she disclosed to him how strongly our Lord had urged her to request the official establishment of the Work of Reparation in the metropolis of Tours, formerly the centre of so many graces for France. In the kindest manner the prelate answered: "" My child, with all my heart I desire to establish the work and give it all necessary and well-deserved publicity; but there are obstacles in the way which are difficult to overcome. It is a hard task for us to incite our people to follow the ordinary practices of piety. Might not the proposal of new and additional devotions provoke the wicked to still greater blasphemy" Nevertheless he reassured her by declaring he saw in her revelations no stamp of illusion, but recognized in them the seal of God; and he exhorted her to still pray and solicit new light on the subject. He permitted her to recite the prayers of Reparation, and some time after accorded permission to have them printed. He also approved of a little book on blasphemy entitled Collection of Prayers, followed by " Little Office of the Holy Name of God," composed by M. Dupont.

"This little book," says the Sister, " authorized by the archbishop, at once became very popular, and by this means in a short time more than twenty-five thousand Prayers of the Reparation were distributed. Tours received numberless applications for them from persons in various cities who wished to propagate this devotion to the Holy Name of God, and everywhere they were recited with the greatest fervor. Our Lord revealed to me that this new harmony appeased his wrath, but that he still wished to have an association established such as he had demanded."

The Holy Face of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Part 3.

In the year 610, during the Pontificate of Boniface IV., the Holy Face was venerated in the church of St. Mary of the Martyrs, commonly called the Rotunda, by reason of its round form. This was the old Pantheon, built by Agrippa to Jupiter the Avenger, and later dedicated to all the Olympic deities. In the year of our Lord 608, Boniface IV., wishing to purify this temple, and to dedicate it to the Mother of God, went into the catacombs, and brought forth from their subterranean habitations a legion of Christian heroes, and sent them in twenty-eight magnificently decorated carriages, amidst the acclamations of all Rome, into the sanctuary of vanquished Paganism. The new church got the name of St. Mary of the Martyrs. Two centuries later, in 830, Gregory IV. consecrated it again to All the Saints, and commanded that, in memory of this consecration, there should be celebrated every year, and on the 1st November, in the entire Catholic world, the Feast of All Saints.

He wished to give St. Mary of the Martyrs the charge of the holy relic, being a place well fortified and very safe, and being likewise situated almost in the centre of the city, and at the same time sufficiently large to accommodate the multitudes of people who would go there to offer their adoration to our Saviour.

They have, even in our time, in this church, the case or shrine where the Holy Face was preserved. The urn which contained this case is placed in pieces on the table of the altar of the holy crucifix, with the following inscription: "Arca in qua sacrum sudarium, olim a diva Veronica delatum Romam ex Palestina, hac in Basilica, annis centum enituit"—" The case in which the Holy Towel brought from Palestine by Blessed Veronica, was kept with honour in this Basilica for a hundred years." This case or shrine had ten locks, the keys of which were entrusted to the care of the chiefs of the ten old Rioni, or Roman regions, so that' the holy Relic was committed to the care of the entire city, and its case could only be opened before its united representatives.

The holy Relic was exposed to the veneration of the faithful once a year, May 18, the anniversary of the first consecration of the church, as also in days of calamity to invoke the pardon and protection of God.

A century later the Holy Face was brought to St„ Peter's. Pope John VII., in the year 707, having built an oratory in the Vatican Basilica, which he dedicated to the Blessed Virgin "del Presepio" and in which he wished to have his- sepulchre, raised an altar in it in honour of the Holy Face, {quod vocatur Veronica) and placed it there in a beautiful, large, and ornamented tabernacle, with marble pillars, and the chapel took the name, and was called " Santa Maria del Sudario".

Grimaldi the notary and archivist of the Basilica, says that the altars of this Oratory were consecrated on the 24tb November, 707, and that Pope John VII. placed the Holy Relic there on the following day.

Torrigio, in a work of his called "Sagre Grotte Vaticane" assigns the same date for the replacing of the Holy Relic in St. Peter's, it having been for some time in the Rotunda or church of St. Mary of the Martyrs.

He also says that, under Adrian I., the tabernacle was enlarged, and surrounded by a balcony from which the Holy Face was exposed to the people for Veneration.

P. Mabillon, in his Museum Italicum, vol. ii., p. 122, inserts a Roman Ceremonial of 1130, dedicated to Cardinal Guy du Chata!, later Celestine II., where it is said, " afterwards the Pontiff goes to the Towel of Christ, which is called Veronica, and incenses it."

Alvieri affirms, with other anthers, that in the time of Innocent II. six noble Roman families were appointed to guard the Holy Face, and to take care of the ease or shrine in which it was enclosed.

Mallio, in his History of Remarkable Things in the Vatican Basilica, dedicated to Alexander III. in 1159, attests the remarkable veneration which was given to the Holy Face daring this epoch, before which burned day and night ten lamps. (Ante Veronicam decem lampades die noctuque.)

We have already spoken of the medals called Veronicas, which had impressed on them the likeness of the Holy Face, and the keys of St. Peter. The pilgrim's to the tombs of the apostles, Who had great confidence in the holy relic, attached them to their clothes.

Such was the veneration given to the Holy Image that it was often represented on the Pontifical coins. Scilla, in his treatise, Delle Monete Pontificie, shews different sorts of these coins, with the likeness of the Holy Face struck on them.

Cancellieri rays that Philip Augustus, King of France, being come to Homo in 1198, Pope Celestine III. showed him " The Veronica; that is to say, a certain linen which Jesus Christ applied to His Face, and which remains so manifestly imprinted even to this day, that you would believe you see the Face itself of Jesus Christ. They call it Veronica, from the name of the woman to whom the linen belonged, whose name was Veronica."

Innocent III., who filled the chair of St Peter in 1198, had a great veneration for the Holy Face; be composed some prayers in its honour, ordered them to be recited before it, and attached to them certain indulgences. Cancellieri, without specifying the date, says that the Holy Face was transferred to the hospital of the Holy Ghost; he mentions an old chronicle, from which it appears that the holy towel was at the house of S. Spirito in Sassia, in a little chamber entirely made of iron and marble, secured with six locks and keys, which were confided to six Roman families. It was exposed only once a year, and the gentlemen who had the honour of holding the keys, enjoyed the Franchise; they were not bound to do any civil service, and if one of them were appointed to to a senechal, &c, he was not obliged to do so. Each time that the holy relic was shown, they should be present, each with twenty companions, all armed around the holy image, to accompany it to the place appointed, and secure it. It was probably in memory of this temporary guard of the Holy Face in the church of the Holy Ghost, that Pope Innocent HI. instituted by a bull, in 1208, the procession which was usually made every year on the first Sunday after the Octave of the Epiphany, and in which was solemnly borne the Holy Face, from the Vatican Basilica to the church of the Holy Ghost. They likewise distributed a great amount of alms to poor strangers and to hospitals. The holy relic remained some time in the church of the Holy Ghost, and was afterwards brought back again to the Vatican Basilica, Later, about the year 1471, Sixtus IV., for just motives, abolished this procession, and decreed that instead the people should go every year, on the same day, to venerate the Relic in the Vatican Basilica.  The members of the Archconfraternity of St. Peter, in Sassia, which existed in 1198, and which had the honour to guard, for some time, the Holy Relic, having undoubtedly succeeded the six gentlemen already mentioned, now formed the procession to St. Peter's, on the second Sunday after the Epiphany, also on Whit-Monday, and, by a privilege, had an exposition of the Holy Face, which exposition was also made three times a year to the foundlings of both sexes, and to the ecclesiastics of the hospital of the Holy Ghost, in remembrance of the time it was formerly kept there. Boniface VIII. re-established in 1300, at Rome, the celebration of the " Holy Year," in the midst of an immense concourse of people, who came to Borne to gain the plenary indulgence. For the consolation of the pilgrims, he exposed the Holy Face every Friday and on solemn feasts. The same Pope exposed it to Charles II., King of Sicily, and James II, King of Aragon.

Rinaldi informs us, that in the year 1328, at the time when Louis of Bavaria, with his heretics and schismatics, and a number of courtiers, came to Rome, the city was interdicted, and many of the Faithful, as also many ecclesiastics and religious fled. The canon of St. Peter's, who had charge of the holy towel, concealed it, because this crowd of atheists were not worthy to behold it. , Clement VI., residing at Avignon, issued an order to celebrate at Borne, in 1350, the second General Jubilee. It is impossible to conceive the great concourse of pilgrims on this occasion; the crowd was so great, that, many times, numbers of the people died, as Matteo Villani, who was present, testifies. The Pope wrote to the canons of the Vatican, ordering them to have many expositions of the Holy Face, on account of the great devotion of the people for this Holy Relic.

Louis I., King of Hungary, asked, and obtained permission of the Sovereign Pontiff, to venerate it every day.

Cancellieri, in" his work, " Settimana Santa" says that the Holy Face was brought to the Castle of St. Angelo, as appears from an old journal, which says: "The 4th of October, 1409, the towel of St. Veronica was brought from the sacristy of St. Peter's to the Castle of St. Angelo, where it might be safe from the insults of the soldiers." 1

A contemporary journalist, Antonio de Pietri, adds: " January 1, 1410, at the hour of Tierce, Jacomo de Cafoi, canon, vicar and sacristan of the Basilica of St. Peter, accompanied by six other canons went to the castle of San-Angelo, and brought from it to St. Peter's the Veronica, or Holy Face."

Nicholas, in 1450, had three little bells made, with silvery and harmonious sounds, to announce the exposition of the Holy Relic, as is the practice at this present time. On the bells was the following inscription, " Nicolaus Papa V. fecit anno Jubilæi 1450."

During this "Holy Year,-" the multitudes of pilgrims, haying recourse to venerate the Holy Relic, were bo great that, in one day alone, eighty-seven persons fell from the bridge of San Angelo, into the Tiber, and were drowned.

We know from Torrigio, that Nicholas V., in 1452, after having crowned the Emperor, Frederic III., and created him Canon of the Vatican, as was customary, gave him the special power, in canonical costume, to expose in the tabernacle the Holy Face, and to venerate with awe and respect the Holy Relic, a favour not usually accorded even to the beneficed canons. It i& necessary here to remember that the emperors, after their coronation by the Pope, became canons of the chapters of the Lateran, and the Vatican, and wore the rochet, cope, and biretta. The emperors who wished to venerate the Holy Relic, through devotion, were obliged to do so in canonical costume.

The Emperor of Turkey having made a present to Innocent VIII., of the holy lance, which pierced the side of our Redeemer, the Pope kept it in his room, intending to build a sumptuous chapel for it, in the Basilica of St. Peter; but, finding his end approach, he ordered that the Relic should be placed in the chapel of the Holy Face.

It was during the pontificate of Urban VIII., in 1625, that the Holy Face was solemnly borne into the new Basilica of St. Peter, on its completion, and placed in the niche where it is venerated at the present day. For a long time, the old church, built by Constantino, threatening decay, Pope Nicholas V. the great protector of letters and of arts, conceived the design of raising around the old Basilica, a temple sufficiently large to represent by its form the universal Church. The labours commenced in 1450. Julius II, admirably assisted by Bramanta, forwarded the execution by the energy and ardour of his resolute character; after him, Leo X. and Raphael continued the work, without interruption. Michael Angelo laboured during seventeen years, under five successive Popes. This great man, in a moment of sublime inspiration, taking on the wings of his genius, the Pantheon, the greatest work of ancient art, had borne it into the air to the height of 300 feet, on four enormous pillars of pentagonal form, afterwards raising the crown-work of the papal altar, the cupola of St. Peter's, that sublime cupola which pilgrims hail in the distance, with tears in their eyes, and which cannot be thought of without emotion, by any one who has had the happiness to behold it.

Urban VIII., on his elevation to the papal throne, found this great work very near completion, and gave a great impetus to it. He ordered Bernin to make in the pillars of the admirable cupola the four niches, with places for the exposition of the holy relics, and, on the 23rd December, 1625, the Holy Face and the Holy Lance, which had been previously deposited in the archives of the Basilica, and enclosed in a case, or shrine, of iron, covered with rich cloth, were borne in a procession, under a canopy, to a niche, since called the "Holy Veronica" The canopy was carried on the occasion by the Archduke Leopold, son of the Emperor Ferdinand III, and by other great personages.

1 Ladislaus, King of Naples, taking advantage of the schism, occupied Rome, whence Paolo Orsini drove him to December 1407.

AN ACT OF REPARATION FOR ALL THE OUTRAGES JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED IN HIS HOLY FACE FOR OUR PERSONAL SINS

I adore and praise Thee, O Divine Jesus, Son of the Living God; I desire to make reparation for all the outrages Thou hast endured for me, the most miserable of Thy creatures, in all the members of Thy Blessed Body, and particularly in Thy adorable Face, disfigured by blows and defiled by spittle, and hardly to he recognised through the cruel treatment which Thou didst receive from the impious Jews. I salute Thee, O blessed Eyes, all bathed in tears for my salvation. I salute Thee, O blessed Ears, assailed by insults, blasphemies and cruel mockeries. I salute Thee, O blessed Mouth, filled with graces and tenderness for us sinners, but embittered with vinegar and gall by the monstrous ingratitude of that people, whom Thou didst choose, from among all others. In reparation for all these ignominies I offer Thee all the homage which is given Thee in that holy place, where Thou art pleased to be honoured with a special worship, uniting myself thereto Amen.

(Abridged from the History of the Holy Face of our Saviour preserved in the cathedral at Laon.)

O most Holy Face of God made Man, battered, bruised and defiled for my sins in Thy Passion. O Holy Face, which I myself have injured with more malice, more knowledge, more ingratitude than the soldiery of Pilate. Behold me kneeling before Thee in abject penitence and adoration, and by my veneration of Thy Holy Face and my faithful service, I desire to consecrate myself like Veronica to the work of repairing, as far as is in my power, the injuries beyond number which I and all mankind have inflicted on Thy Holy Face. Amen.

Blessed for ever be the holy Face of Jesus, our consolation on earth and our joy in heaven

Devotion To The Holy Face of Our Lord Jesus Christ compiled by a member of The Ursuline Community, Blackrock, Cork. Part 5.

INVOCATIONS TO THE HOLY FACE IN REPARATION FOR BLASPHEMIES AND FOR THE CONVERSION OF BLASPHEMERS

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us,

Christ, hear us.
Christ. graciously hear us.
Holy Mary pray for us.
O adorable Face, which was adored with profound respect by Mary and Joseph, when they saw Thee for the first time, pray for us

O adorable Face, which in the stable of Bethlehem didst ravish with joy the Angels, the Shepherds and the Magi, pray for us
O adorable Face, which in the Temple didst transpierce with a dart of love the saintly old man and the prophetess Anna, etc.
O adorable Face, which was bathed in tears in Thy holy Infancy,
O adorable Face, which, when Thou wert twelve years old, didst appear in the Temple, and fill the doctors of the Law with admiration,
O adorable Face, white with purity and ruddy with charity,
O adorable Face, more beautiful than the sun, lovelier than the moon, 

more brilliant than the stars,
O adorable Face, fresher than the roses of summer,
O adorable Face, more precious than gold, silver and diamonds,
O adorable Face, whose charms are so ravishing and whose grace is so attractive,
O adorable Face, whose every feature is marked by nobility, contemplated by the angels.
O adorable Face, sweet delectation of the saints.
O adorable Face, Masterpiece of the Holy Ghost, in which the Eternal Father is well pleased.
O adorable Face, delight of Mary and Joseph,

O adorable Face, ineffable mirror of the divine perfections,
O adorable Face, whose beauty is ever ancient and ever new,
O adorable Face, which appeaseth the wrath of God,
O adorable Face, which makest the devils tremble,
O adorable Face, treasure of all grace and blessing,
O adorable Face, exposed in the desert to the inclemency of the weather,
O adorable Face, scorched by the heat of the sun, and bathed in sweat on Thy journeys,
O adorable Face, whose expression is wholly divine, pray for us
O adorable Face, whose modesty and sweetness attracted both just and sinners, etc.
O adorable Face, which blessed and kissed the little children.
O adorable Face, troubled and weeping at the grave of Lazarus,
O adorable Face, brilliant as the sun and radiant with glory on Mount Thabor,
O adorable Face, sad at the sight of Jerusalem and shedding tears over the ungrateful city.
O adorable Face, bowed to the earth in the garden of Olives, 

and covered with shame at the sight of our sins,
O adorable Face, bathed in a bloody sweat.
O adorable Face, kissed by the traitor Judas,
O adorable Face, whose sanctity and majesty smote the soldiers with fear and cast them to the ground,
O adorable Face, struck by a vile servant, shamefully blind-folded and profaned by the sacrilegious hands of Thy enemies,
O adorable Face, defiled with spittle, and bruised with innumerable buffets and blows.
O adorable Face, whose divine look wounded Peter’s heart with a dart of sorrow and love.
O adorable Face, humbled for us at the tribunals of Jerusalem,
O adorable Face, which didst preserve Thy serenity when Pilate pronounced the fatal sentence.
O adorable Face, covered with sweat and blood, and falling in the mire under the weight of the Cross,
O adorable Face, worthy of our respect, veneration and devotion,
O adorable Face, wiped by a pious woman on the road to Calvary,
O adorable Face, raised up on the Cross.
O adorable Face, whose brow was crowned with thorns,
O adorable Face, whose Eyes were filled with blood,
O adorable Face, into whose Mouth was poured vinegar and gall, pray for us
O adorable Face, whose Hair and Beard were torn out by the executioners, etc.
O adorable Face, which was made to look like the face of a leper.
O adorable Face, whose incomparable beauty was obscured under the dreadful cloud of the sins of the world,
O adorable Face, covered with the shades of death.
O adorable Face, washed and anointed by Mary and the holy women and then wrapped in a shroud, enclosed in the sepulchre.
O adorable Face, all resplendent with glory and beauty on the day of the Resurrection,
O adorable Face, all dazzling with light at the moment of Ascension,
O adorable Face, hidden in the Blessed Sacrament,
O adorable Face, which will appear with great majesty in the clouds of heaven at the end of the world O adorable Face, which will cause sinners to tremble, which will fill the Just with joy for all eternity,
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, Have merry on us. O Lord.

I salute Thee, I adore Thee, and I love Thee, O adorable Face of Jesus, my Beloved, noble seal of the Divinity; with all the powers of my soul, I apply myself to Thee and most humbly pray Thee to imprint the features of Thy Divine likeness on my heart. Amen.

The Holy Man Of Tours Punches A Blasphemer.

Monsieur Dupont

Whenever a word which directly attacked the Divine Majesty fell upon his ear, he was moved by a virtuous indignation. He was restrained neither by personal considerations nor by human respect. Zeal for the outraged glory of God urged him to acts which none other would have dared to permit himself, but to which the efficacy of his prayers, and the benediction of heaven always attached a special grace of reparation, and, not infrequently, a striking conversion.
Once, when travelling, he took his seat beside the driver who uttered a blasphemous expression. Mr. Dupont instantly dealt him a heavy blow. Surprised and indignant, the driver stops his horses and demands an explanation of the insult offered him. ”Unhappy man,” replied Mr. Dupont, ” it is you who have insulted me. You have outraged my Father! Who gives you the right to insult my Father in this manner?” “Your Father,” said the blasphemer, astounded as much by the remark as by the blow. “Yes,” continued Mr. Dupont, ” God is my Father and your Father; why do you outrage Him?” And then with the eloquence of his heart and the vivacity of his faith, he endeavoured to make him comprehend how unworthy it was of a Christian to blaspheme the thrice holy God. The poor man, confused and ashamed, alleged as his excuse, his deplorable habit and promised to amend. By the time they had reached the end of the journey, they were good friends. Mr. Dupont, on parting, presented him a five-franc piece, and invited him to visit him at Tours. He had the gratification of learning later from the driver himself that he had corrected his bad habit and was leading a Christian life.
On another occasion, when he was going in a diligence from Saint-Malo to Rennes, the postilion scarcely spoke without an oath. Notwithstanding the presence of two or three travelling agents, at each oath, Mr. Dupont repeated aloud a Gloria Patri in reparation. At last, unable to endure it longer, he caught the postilion by the arm and said to him: “Friend, cease, I beg you, to blaspheme the holy name of God. Each time you wish to swear, give me a blow instead; that would please me much better.” We may judge of the impression made upon his auditors by the words of a man whose only thought was the glory of God. A good religious, who was once in the coup of a vehicle with him, relates that he paid the driver so much a league for refraining from blasphemy. As this practice was habitual with him, we shall know, only at the day of judgment, how many oaths he prevented.
When passing through the streets of a city he never failed to reprove blasphemers, although he was often repaid by insult and contempt. Once, however, he met an unfortunate man who was uttering terrible oaths. Mr. Dupont stopped and begged him earnestly either to be silent or give him a blow. “Why should I strike you, sir?” asked the man in astonishment. ” Because it would be far less painful to me to receive a blow from you, than to hear you outrage the holy name of God.” Impressed by his words, the blasphemer begged his pardon and promised amendment.
His zeal on this point suggested to him minute precautions which would hardly have occurred to another. One of his friends writes: ” I was walking, on one occasion, with Mr. Dupont. He saw lying on the pavement a small stone; he picked it up and placed it against the wall, remarking as he did so: “Whenever we find a stone lying in the way on a street or road, we should always remove it, because it might cause a man or beast to stumble, and besides the injury it would do to them, the man might be irritated and tempted to blaspheme the holy name of God.”

Venerable Leo Dupont (24 January 1797 – 18 March 1876), also known as "The Holy Man of Tours," or the "Apostle of the Holy Face", was a Catholic who helped spread various Catholic devotions such as that of the Holy Face of Jesus and nightly Eucharistic Adoration. He was declared Venerable by the Holy See during Pope Pius XII's Pontificate and currently awaits Beatification.[1]