A powerful Catholic devotion that has remained hidden is reigniting hearts and reviving in the public sphere.
On June 26, 2025, “The Face of Jesus,” a documentary unveiling the Holy Face Devotion, will return to U.S. theaters for one day only through Fathom Events.
ChurchPOP editor Jacqueline Burkepile recently interviewed League of St. Martin founder Father Lawrence Carney of the Diocese of Wichita. He is featured in the film’s bonus material and considers his participation "Divine Providence."
“Well, Oscar [Delgado] was a big part of it,” Father Carney says, referring to the film’s U.S. producer, whom ChurchPOP also interviewed. “I like to rely on Divine Providence. So God just gave this opportunity to me, and I saw that it was from his hand.”
Watch the full interview with Father Lawrence Carney below:
The film uncovers the once-popular but forgotten Holy Face Devotion, which stems from private revelations given to Carmelite nun Sr. Mary of St. Peter in 1843.
“It was popular a long time ago, but it has gone through an eclipse,” Father Carney explains. “Jesus began to speak to a Carmelite nun...and revealed to her for five years how he wanted an association of Catholics to rise up and fight against blasphemy.”
Father Carney says that this devotion is a timely remedy for the crises in today’s culture.
“God's the one that's punishing us with the scourge of revolutionary men,” Father Carney says. “And so he gave us the devotion as the remedy for that.”
The documentary reveals not only the origin of the devotion but also its spiritual richness in the lives of the saints.
Father Carney explains that Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was deeply devoted to the Holy Face.
“Her devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus, according to the Veil of Veronica, was a hallmark of her spirituality. But how many people know that?”
In terms of spiritual practice, the devotion includes unique prayers such as the Chaplet of the Holy Face, which honors Jesus' five senses.
He also highlights the transformative fruit of this devotion in his own life: “A bitter zeal, which I used to have, I was always angry, has changed into heroic fraternal charity.”
The devotion inspired his founding of the League of St. Martin, with over 100 prayer groups worldwide.
“There’s a small army of Gideon,” he says. “We are like the remnant in the Catholic Church... devoted to the holy face of Jesus.”
For Father Carney, participating in this film made it clear to him that “God wants this message to spread like wildfire.”
Father Carney then concludes by encouraging Catholics to enroll in both the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face and the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary.
“Saint Louis de Montfort speaks about that in his book called ‘The Secret of the Rosary,’ how when people pray individually, it's great, but if they sign up, then they receive the spiritual benefits of the others.”