On March 15, 2024, we sisters of the new General Leadership of our Congregation, together with the sisters of the Generalate Convent in Rome, went on pilgrimage to Manoppello in Abruzzo to invoke God’s blessing and the assistance of the Holy Spirit for the next 6 years ahead of us.
Manoppello is home to the shrine of the Holy Face of Jesus, which is run by Capuchin friars. A relic has been kept here for centuries, showing the face of Jesus on a wafer-thin fabric with clear signs of his passion. The image was not painted by human hands and it is not scientifically possible to explain how this image came to be on the cloth.
We were all very touched by this face. The prayer of Pope Benedict XVI, who himself was in Manoppello in 2006 and elevated the pilgrimage church to basilica status, should be a source of strength for us in our service to the Congregation, in the certainty that each of us is infinitely loved and that we can always trust in this love and His mercy:
…Your eyes rest on us with tenderness and mercy.
Let us draw from them the strength of love and peace,
that shows us the way of life, and that courage,
to follow You without fear and without compromise,
to become witnesses of your gospel
with active signs of devotion, love and forgiveness…. Amen.
After praying the Way of the Cross, whose stations are located on the way to the shrine, we returned to Rome in the afternoon full of gratitude and joy.