I need help with a decision

[Mike_O]

Joysong:

I do not believe the church would have entered this into a devotion such as this if it were untrue.

newadvent.org/cathen/15362a.htm

“To distinguish at Rome the oldest and best known of these images it was called vera icon (true image), which ordinary language soon made veronica…By degrees, popular imagination mistook this word for the name of a person and attached thereto several legends which vary according to the country…These pious traditions cannot be documented…the name has found no place in the Hieronymian Martyrology or the oldest historical Martyrologies, and St. Charles Borromeo excluded the Office of St. Veronica from the Milan Missal where it had been introduced.”

 

[Joysong]

Thanks, Mike,

Why does the church keep it in the stations? I found this in your link:

… as one of the holy women who accompanied Him to Calvary, offered Him a towel on which he left the imprint of His face. She went to Rome, bringing with her this image of Christ, which was long exposed to public veneration.

My understanding is that the image itself is authentic, but the name of the woman is missing.

Carole

 

[Augustine]

Marilena:

Iam torn between picking Saint Bernadette, or Saint Veronica
as my patron saint at confirmantion.

I filled in a couple of months ago at a confirmation class for adolescents and my advise then was the same I give to you: try to get to know your patron saint. Get acquainted with him or her and get a new friend for life.

Having said this, it’s easier to get to know a saint closer to us in time or when he or she has left writings or witnesses behind. In this sense, St. Bernadette would be easier to get closer to.

Congratulations on completing your Christian initiation.

 

[dulcissima]

I like Veronica. She provided comfort and a human touch to our suffering Lord. True, Veronica may not have been her actual name, but she is a woman worthy of our honor and emulation.

Here is a little more on her from this site:

Q: Lately I have read some articles about the origins and authenticity of a woman named Veronica. This name has brought about curiosity because of how little information exists about her and because of her association with the Stations of the Cross. Why would the Church grant sainthood to someone without being certain of her existence?
A: In the early centuries of the Church, there was not a formal canonization process. Saints were declared or acclaimed by the people after death. Later on, the Church formalized the canonization process in order to prevent such abuses as venerating someone about whom little or nothing is known.

The name Veronica is Hebrew for “true face” and refers to the story that after a woman used her veil to wipe away the blood on Christ’s face during his carrying of the cross, her veil was imprinted with Christ’s image.

By giving the woman a name that symbolizes the story, the early Christians may have been giving a clue that this was a well-known story but that the person who assisted Christ was unknown. It would be similar to a hospital referring to an unknown accident victim as “John Doe,” a well-known medical pseudonym. The person exists but the hospital assigned him a generic identity until his true identity could be ascertained. In the same way, it is possible that an unknown woman gave practical assistance to Jesus during his journey to Calvary. The first Christians may have known only what she did, not who she was, and so assigned her a name that reflected the story of her encounter with Christ.

So is it possible to honor St. Veronica even though we have no knowledge of her beyond the fact that early Christians believed that a certain woman of Jerusalem helped Jesus during the Via Dolorosa? Of course. Even today, anonymous heroes are honored for their deeds even though nothing particular about their lives can now be known. Consider, for example, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.​

catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0409qq.asp

 

[Marilena]

There is a person on here who might be able to help even further,
I hope paramedicgirl sees this post, and can help me out as well
with my decision making process.

Paramedicgirl, if you see this post, can you tell me if I can have 2 saints when it comes to my confirmation? What do you know
about Veronica? I think every thing has been said here that can be
said about Veronica. Is she really a myth? Or is she real? I appreciate your help. Thank you.

 

[paramedicgirl]

Marilena:

There is a person on here who might be able to help even further,
I hope paramedicgirl sees this post, and can help me out as well
with my decision making process.

Paramedicgirl, if you see this post, can you tell me if I can have 2 saints when it comes to my confirmation? What do you know
about Veronica? I think every thing has been said here that can be
said about Veronica. Is she really a myth? Or is she real? I appreciate your help. Thank you.

I have never taught a Confirmation class, so I’m not sure on choosing 2 saints. (I seem to always get the grade 3,4, & 5 classes). Have you asked your priest about choosing 2 patron saints?

I think it’s safe to say that Veronica was a real person. The Church would not cannonize her otherwise. You must have a devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus to be thinking of Veronica.

You also mentioned parallels with St. Bernadette. That can be a powerful reason to choose her as your patron saint. How much time do you have to decide? I’ll update you after I find out more about having two patrons.

 

[Marilena]

paramedicgirl:

I have never taught a Confirmation class, so I’m not sure on choosing 2 saints. (I seem to always get the grade 3,4, & 5 classes). Have you asked your priest about choosing 2 patron saints?

I think it’s safe to say that Veronica was a real person. The Church would not cannonize her otherwise. You must have a devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus to be thinking of Veronica.

You also mentioned parallels with St. Bernadette. That can be a powerful reason to choose her as your patron saint. How much time do you have to decide? I’ll update you after I find out more about having two patrons.

I have a bit of time I will ask Father about having 2 patron saints for sure I most definitely have a devotion to the Holy Face, as well as the Passion of Christ.Thanks for your insight on Saint Veronica There are parallels with my life, and that of Bernadette.
But, as I have said before, I like them both

 

[paramedicgirl]

Marilena:

I have a bit of time I will ask Father about having 2 patron saints for sure I most definitely have a devotion to the Holy Face, as well as the Passion of Christ.Thanks for your insight on Saint Veronica There are parallels with my life, and that of Bernadette.
But, as I have said before, I like them both

Today I asked both my priest and the lady who teaches the Confirmation class about having 2 patron saints. Neither one had heard of it before. My priest said when you choose a patron saint, you choose one whose life you either want to imitate or feel you are close to through your own experiences. He said it’s hard enough to follow the life of one saint, never mind two!

I think you should choose between St Bernadette and St. Veronica. I’m not trying to influence you, but it sounds like St Bernadette and you have a lot in common. You can still venerate the saint you don’t choose, though.