Namesake

The woman of Jerusalem who is said to have been so moved by the suffering of Jesus as he carried his cross to Calvary that she rushed to wipe his face was actually named Bernice. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the ‘Veronica’ is a colloquial of the Latin word ‘Vera’ meaning ‘truth’ and Greek word ‘Icon’ meaning ‘image’. The name ‘Veronica’ – which most refer to as ‘Saint Veronica’ – actually pertains to the ‘Veil of Veronica’. It is the veil which Bernice is said to have removed from her person and used to wipe the face of the suffering Jesus.

Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ are thus compared to Saint Veronica wiping the face of Jesus. The Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus was eventually approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. St Veronica is commemorated on 12 July. She is the patron saint of Photographers and Laundry workers and is symbolized by holding a veil bearing the face of Christ and carrying the crown of thorns.