The Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady was celebrated with great joy at St. Stanislaus as, for the first time, the beautiful relic of the Veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary was solemnly processed throughout the church after the evening High Mass.
According to tradition, the Veil of the Blessed Virgin Mary was transferred in the early years of Christianity from Jerusalem to Constantinople when it was presented by the Byzantine Empress Irene to the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. Charlemagne received three veils which he kept in Aachen. His grandson, Charles the Bald, sent two of them to France, including a silk veil which has been at the Chartres cathedral in the year 876. In 1793, a second veil was cut up and smaller relics sent to other cathedrals.
The relic of Mary’s veil at St. Stanislaus has been fully authenticated and documented. The veil is made of silk. Scientific studies have shown that it is of Syrian design, of fine quality, and can be traced to the first century.
Every year on the 15th of August, the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, the precious relic of Mary’s Veil is solemnly processed through the town of Chartres. Many miracles have been associated with the veneration of the Veil. We pray that those who were able to participate in this solemn procession and veneration will be greatly blessed.
Sancta Maria, Ora Pro Nobis!