St. Michael–his name was taken from his battlecry “Quit Ut Deus?!”–in answer to the rebellion of Satan, who attempted to make himself equal to God–St. Michael cried out “Who is like God?!” as he defeated Satan and other rebellious angels casting out of heaven.
“Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. Although the dragon and his angels fought back, they were overpowered and lost their place in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent known as the devil or Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was driven out; he was hurled down to earth and his minions with him” (Rev. 12)
The center of this battle raging between Angels and demons — heaven and earth — is the Incarnate Word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ. It is Jesus who is rejected, reviled and persecuted. The devil wants to obliterate the Face of God, not only in churches that have vandalized and desecrated, but most especially, in the souls of human beings. The battle lines have been drawn between the culture of life and the culture of death. The devil’s particular object of hatred is the woman and the unborn. Some can no longer recognize that a child in the womb is a human being. Many persons reject their God-given identity as male and female. Racial hatred is causing deeper and deeper division, and human trafficking increases as humanity is blinded to the Face of God in their neighbor made in His image and likeness.
“When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to a male child.” (Rev. 12:13)
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, the reign of our God and the authority of his Anointed One. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who night and day accused then before our God. They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. So rejoice, you heavens, and you the dwell therein! But woe to you, earth and sea, for the devil has come down upon you! His fury knows no limits, for he knows his time is short” (Rev 12). This battle has been fought since the beginning of Creation; between Christ’s Angels and the fallen angels or demons, with humanity at the center of the struggle. St. Michael and the Holy Angels have been given the authority from God by the power of the Holy Name of Jesus to protect and defend God’s people against both human and diabolical enemies.
Prayer to St. Michael:
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Holy Face surrounded by adoring Angels. (Photo: Mary Engler)
Devotion to the Face of Jesus is meant to repair mankind’s broken relationship with God, manifested in the world by the evil of blasphemy, sacrilege, and indifference. This work of reparation honoring His Holy Face and the Holy Name of Jesus–which is the concrete sign of God’s existence and our relationship with Him–has been given the protection and help of the Holy Angels. Sr. Marie St. Pierre was a French Discalced Carmelite nun to whom Our Lord gave revelations of the devotion to His Holy Face. She wrote on November 18, 1843…
Volto Santo in Sankt Michael (Photo: Paul Badde)
…“One day during prayer, our Lord warned me in advance about the fury of Satan against the holy devotion, but He also consoled me, saying: ‘I give you My Name to be your light in the darkness and your strength in battle. Satan will do all in his power to crush this Work at its roots. But I assure you that the Holy Name of God will triumph, and it will be the Holy Angels who will gain the victory in the conflict.”
“When Jesus is named, Satan is disarmed.” The victory will be won with devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus.
Pope Leo XIV invites us to contemplate the Face of Jesus, keeping in mind that human persons are made in the image and likeness of God:
“ I invite everyone to contemplate, in the Face of the Son of God, the grandeur of humanity that shines a light on the era of AI. In Christ, we are called to cooperate in the work of creation, rather than be disinterested observers of technological processes that limit our freedom and responsibility. The dignity inscribed in each of us by the Holy Spirit can also be seen in our capacity to reflect critically, choose and love freely, and form authentic relationships. No computational system, however sospisticated, can create a heart that gives itself, or a conscience that discerns good from evil. Even when machines excel in efficiency, a human face that asks to be gazed upon remains the center of our history. This human face is the fullness toward which history is moving. It is the mystery of “recapitulation”: the certainty that the Father has decreed to bring all things, those in heaven and those on earth back to Christ, the one Head (cf. Eph 1:10). In this plan, nothing will be lost that is authentically human. Indeed, everything will be purified and reunited in the One, who gathers every fragment of life, every tear and every authentically human achievement, rescuing them from nothingness and delivering then, redeemed, to the Father.” ~ Pope Leo XIV, Magnifica Humanitas #23
Prayer to Our Lady of the Angels, who in her humility, crushed the head of Satan:
Sublime Queen of Heaven, exalted Lady of the Angels, you have the power and commission given by God to crush the head of Satan. Therefore, we humbly beseech you to send to our aid your heavenly legions, so that, under your command and by your power, they may pursue the hellish spirits, fight them everywhere, ward off their impudent attacks, and fling them back into the abyss.
Who is like God? You holy angels and archangels, defend and protect us.
Good, kind mother, you remain always our love and our hope! Mother of God, send us the holy angels to defend us and keep the evil one far from us. Amen.
The Beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen will take place on Thursday, September 24, 2026. When Pope St. John Paul II embraced the suffering Archbishop Sheen in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on October 2nd, 1979, he told him, “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus. You are a loyal son of the Church!” Just two months later, on December 9th, Fulton Sheen entered into Eternal Life.
Beautiful mosaic of the Holy Face of Jesus in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, where Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen served for many years.
Those who have heard or read Archbishop Sheen will know of his deep devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. He has said that “The world’s greatest need is to rediscover the true image of Christ’s Face–a Face of mercy, not judgement; of tenderness, not wrath.” He knew from personal experience that devotion to the Holy Face is a powerful means of encounter and relationship with Jesus Christ.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen manifested his devotion by seeking His God’s Face through: Discipleship–to see Jesus in the Face of those in need; in the Passion of Jesus expressed in images of the wounded Face of Jesus; and through his life-long commitment to a daily “Holy Hour,” by contemplating the Face of Christ hidden in the Eucharist–where he learned to see the Face of God everywhere and in every person. These are the components of devotion to the Face of Jesus as characterized by Pope Benedict XVI, who also declared Archbishop Sheen “Venerable Servant of God,” in 2012; recognizing Sheen’s life of heroic Christian virtue. Archbishop Sheen has said, “We become what we adore.” In other words, as we contemplate the Face of Christ in these ways, we are transformed by the Holy Spirit into His Image.
Archbishop Sheen often wondered aloud if we could recognize Jesus in the many ways He comes to us? And if we did recognize Him, would we care? Would an encounter with Jesus change our life? We would have a choice to make in that moment: to either accept and embrace Him by accepting our crosses in this life, and all that it means to be a Christian; or to reject Him–or perhaps, to be indifferent. The most cruel choice of all is indifference to Him, Who died for us. Archbishop Sheen believed that indifference may have caused Christ even more pain than His suffering on Calvary.
A chilling warning to the indifferent is spoken of in the Book of Revelation when the Spirit speaks to the church in Laodicea…
“I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth…” (Rev. 3:14-22)
One of the most powerful talks that Archbishop Sheen had ever given was for a Good Friday sermon–in which he recited a portion of the poem “Indifference or When Jesus Came to Golgotha” by Geoffrey Stuart-Kennedy (1883-1929)
Indifference
When Jesus came to Golgotha
They hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet,
And made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns;
Red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days,
And human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham,
They simply passed Him by;
They never hurt a hair of Him,
They only let Him die.
For men had gown more tender,
And they would not give pain;
They only just passed down the street,
And left Him in the winter rain
That drenched Him through and through.
The crowds went home and left the streets
Without a soul to see;
And Jesus crouched against a wall
And cried for Calvary.
When Jesus came to Golgotha
They hanged Him on a tree,
They drove great nails through hands and feet,
and made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns;
Red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days,
And human life was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham,
They simply passed Him by;
They never hurt a hair of Him,
They only let Him die.
For men had grown more tender,
And they would not give Him pain;
They only just passed down the street,
And left Him in the winter rain
That drenched Him through and through.
The crowds went home and left the streets
Without a soul to see;
And Jesus crouched against a wall
And cried for Calvary.
Veronica’s Veil, Flemish 15th Century
Archbishop Sheen prophetically spoke against the dangers of the spread of Communism–an evil ideology which has increased in the world, in spite of its devastating harm to humanity. He proposed in its place, the Christian alternative embodied in the figure of the charitable woman, traditionally known as “Veronica” (True icon), who, in an act of love, took her veil and wiped the Face of the suffering Christ–covered with blood, sweat, dust, and spittle–on His way to Calvary. And in return for her love, He left on her veil–as well as on the veil of her soul–the imprint of His Holy Face.
“Human Beings were not all meant to carry either a sickle or a hammer. Some are meant to carry towels — to wipe away the beads on feverish brows, to stroke the aching head, and to touch the worn face as with healing wings. Such was the mission of Veronica, who dared brave a violent mob to refresh the Savior and in reward to receive on her towel the imprint of the Face that saved the world.
By that miracle, Thou didst testify, Divine Savior, that society has a place not only for toilers but also for mourners, whose delicate sympathies lighten the burden of those who must carry a cross. Grant unto the world, which is rapidly becoming so violent, an army of “Veronica’s” to wipe away the tears of the victims of violence; and do Thou also let them see that when they do it to the least of their brethren, they, like Veronica of old, do it unto Thee.” ~ Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
“And the King will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did it for me.” (Mt. 25:40)
Servant of God Padre Domenico da Cese (1915-1978) before the Veil of Manoppello
September 17th marks the anniversary of the death of the Holy Capuchin priest of Manoppello–the Servant of God, Padre Domenico da Cese.
“Il Volto Santo” The Holy Face of Manoppello. (Photo by the late Paul Badde, Author of many books about the “True Icon” of Holy Face.)
As a nine year old boy in 1915, Padre Domenico predicted the devastating Avenzzano earthquake in Italy. A 6.7 earthquake hit that region the next morning, killing more than 30,000 people, including two of his sisters and burying him and his father in the rubble of their church. A man he didn’t know pulled him from the rubble to safety, whose face he later recognized on his first visit as a friar to the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello. When Padre Domenico knelt before the “Il Volto Santo” or Face of Jesus, the miraculous veil, he exclaimed, “This is the man who saved me from the rubble!”
A short time after Padre Domenico arrived in Manoppello the people were saying, “We have received a Saint!”
In her book, Servant of God, Padre Domenico Da Cese, O.F.M. Capuchin, An Illustrated Biography Petra-Maria Steiner relates an example of Padre Domenico’s extraordinary gifts in the testimony of Giuseppe Orlando, whose fiancee, Anna Maria introduced him to the Padre. After spending nearly an hour in conversation, Padre Domenico suggested that Giuseppe have a mass said for his grandmother, Maria Grazia. “Giuseppe was astonished, ‘But who is she? I don’t have any grandmother by that name.’ Padre Domenico told him not to ask questions but to just say a mass for her.” So, Giuseppe had arranged for a mass for “Maria Grazia.” Still bothered and wanting to get to the bottom of the truth, he went home and researched, and to his surprise he discovered that his father’s mother, who died when his father was only five years old, was named Maria Grazia. His father had been so young when she died that he had forgotten her name.
Padre Pio called the Holy Veil of Manoppello the “greatest relic of the Church” (photo: Patricia Enk)
Like his friend and fellow Capuchin, St. Padre Pio, the humble Padre Domenico was also a mystic and stigmatist who had extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit; such as the gift of “reading souls” and bi-location. Penitents who traveled from Manoppello to go to confession with Padre Pio were admonished by him for traveling such a distance when they already had a holy priest in Manoppello. He told them, ” Why did you come all the way here, so far? You’ve got a priest there, my spiritual son, he’s like me!” St. Padre Pio’s last documented case of bi-location, just before he died, was before the relic of the Holy Face of Jesus at the shrine of “Il Volto Santo” in Manoppello, where Padre Domenico was the rector. Padre Pio had told his fellow Capuchins that the Holy Face of Manoppello was the greatest relic of the Church.
In September of 1968, as Padre Pio lay dying in San Giovanni Rotundo (which is about 200 km south of Manoppello in Italy), his friend Padre Domenico da Cese had just unlocked the doors of the shrine of the Holy Face one morning, and was astounded to find Padre Pio in prayer, in the choir behind the altar before the sacred image of the Face of Jesus. St. Padre Pio spoke then to Padre Domenico saying, “I do not trust myself any more. I am coming to an end. Pray for me. Good-bye until we meet in Paradise.” Twenty-four hours later St. Padre Pio died in his cell in San Giovanni on September 23, 1968. Testimony was later given by witnesses that Padre Domenico da Cese was seen at Padre Pio’s funeral (another case of bi-location). A film was even taken (here) which shows Padre Domenico walking slowly in Padre Pio’s funeral procession, even though Padre Domenico had never left the shrine in Manoppello.
Padre Domenico shared with everyone his ardent love and devotion for the Holy Face of Manoppello, also known as “Il Volto Santo” — a miraculous veil which transmits supernatural beauty, and at the same time indescribable suffering. It is the Face of Mercy, Love and Peace. He would tell pilgrims, “This face is that of Jesus, and it is a great miracle, always love him.” Padre Domenico had done much research on the sheer byssus veil, the image of which is not made with any paint or pigment, and compared the iridescent quality of the colors to the wings of butterflies which also reflect iridescent color naturally. He also made studies of the Face on the Shroud of Turin, and its similarities to the Holy Face of Manoppello. He believed with all his heart that it was the face of the same man, and he was convinced that, like the Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Manoppello was one of the many burial cloths in Jesus’s tomb–the holy sudarium which covered the Face of Jesus in death–and also miraculously bears witness to His Resurrection.
On September 13 of 1978 while visiting Turin to venerate the Holy Face on the Shroud during a rare exposition, Padre Domenico, who was a giant of a man, was hit by the smallest car, a Fiat, as he was stepping out into a street. After suffering for several days in a hospital, and forgiving the man who had hit him, he died on September 17th, offering his life for the Holy Face on the Veil–the Face of the man who saved him as a child.
The penetrating and gentle gaze of the Holy Face of Manoppello, Italy (Photo: Author Paul Badde/EWTN)
Sr. Petra-Maria gazes at the Veil of Manoppello above and behind the altar (Photo: Patricia Enk)
Sr. Petra-Maria Steiner has also written his biography, now in English, Servant of God, Padre Domenico Da Cese, O.F.M. Capuchin, An Illustrated Biography
