Expert: Michael Clark, Ph.D. - 2/14/2004

Question
Dear Sir,
A prayer group in my parish is promoting devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus as explained by Mother Michael Pierina.
One of the prayer books associated with this cult, has the following commment at the beginning of the book.  "This book has not been recognised by the bishops but it contains nothing that is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic church."
There is no sign of an impprimature or bishops approval on this book.
I have been told by various people that it is a safe devotion to follow but am reluctant to do so
without further confirmation.

Can you possibly tell me anything about Mother Pierina,or if not, where I can find reliable information about her, other than the books and leaflets that are being distributed by our prayer group which is very pro Medjudgorje?
My reason for asking this is that I have been fooled by false visionaries before now, and do not wish to make the same mistake again.
Thanking you in anticipation of your answere.

yours faithfully

Pat  

Answer
Hi Pat.. this is an excellent question  because it touches on so many aspects of being a Catholic. I too have come across so many different people with different approaches to Christ that, at times, I've even wondered what the “true” faith is. By this I mean that everyone seems to have radically different personal interpretations--once you get to know them and their opinions come out. One wouldn't realize this if they merely went to Mass as an observer and never talked to the people who go there. We all stand and sit, pray and sing at the same time. So on the surface, things look much more homogenous than, I think, they really are. Some of my Catholic friends seem more like fundamentalist Christians (who take the Bible literally), while others dabble in the New Age, and even believe in things closer to Asian religions than Christian doctrine, as it appears today.

First, I think we have to be honest, and admit that things do change within the Church. Just a short while ago, in and around the 1950's, fraternizing with Protestants was frowned upon in certain Catholic circles. These days Catholics and Protestants are getting married!

Now the statement that was made by the Church means simply what it says. It means that the Church is aware of this devotion, and finds nothing in it which is contrary to the faith. It's sort of like a preliminary OK, before the Church checks it out entirely. The imprimature, as you've noted, means that a Bishop has formally declared that it's in line with the faith, usually after further investigation and careful discernment. Nihil obstat is latin for "no objection."

My own opinion is that we should be wary of the claims made by those caught up in the miraculous and devotional aspects of Catholicism. That does not mean that they are false, but a certain degree of gullibility and even fanaticism can sink in. Sometimes it's easier for people to blindly go overboard on a specific cause (or legend) than to look hard at their own problems. That does not mean that the legend is false or of no value. But it does mean that it must be kept in perspective. Christianity is about Christ. And Christ is present at the Mass. That's the central issue.

The other way to look at this, even if the legend were entirely cooked up (or unduly exaggerated), is that the devotion which comes from it could still be of value. If it helps to focus people on God, then even with some mythic elements, it could be pleasing to the Lord. This is just another “theory” on the whole thing.

I hope that you will follow the style of devotion that YOU are comfortable with. Keep your eyes open. If people start acting kooky and try to get you to do things that you are uncomfortable with, then politely say “no thanks” and go your own way. They may become insistent—either they want to “help you” or just want to convince themselves that their path is the “only” or “best” path. I feel that both of these approaches are foolish. At all times, go your own way!

The following link might be of help, although it's certainly a pro-devotional site about this figure.

http://www.holyface.org/pierina.htm

God Bless,

-- Michael Clark