St. Veronica’s is a neighborhood church located in the southwest part of the working class community of Eastpointe. Apparently, there is not much known about the churches patron saint; in fact there is no record of where or when St. Veronica was actually born.
According to tradition when St Veronica (actually Bernice) saw Jesus fall beneath the weight of the cross he carried to his crucifixion she was so moved with pity that she used her veil to wipe the blood and sweat from his face. Later, when she returned home the veil was imprinted with an image of Christ’s face.
This scene is depicted at St. Veronica’s church with a painting over the altar of the church that shows her holding a veil with the image of Jesus on it. As you walk down the center aisle of the church that leads up to the altar a large crucifixion hangs from the rafters of the church. These images help to convey the message that Jesus suffered and died so that our sins may be forgiven.
We arrived early for our mass at St. Veronica’s and thus were able to participate in the Rosary service that took place before the mass. This was a great way to help us feel closer to God and to share our faith with the people of St. Veronica’s.
Fr. Stanley Pachla, the pastor, at St. Veronica’s used references to current events in his homily to compare them to the story of Noah and the 40 days and nights of rain and flooding. The comparisons helped to bring meaning and understanding to the story and to his homily.
St. Veronica’s was founded in 1926, it’ congregation is mostly made up of seniors, many of whom have been a part of the Eastpointe community their entire lives. There were also several families at the mass many of them carrying on family traditions of attending St. Veronica’s. St. Veronica’s also has an active youth group and men’s club that helps give the church a youthful vibrancy and makes it a lively and essential part it’s community.
During our visit to St. Veronica’s we met many wonderful people who shared our faith in God’s goodness and blessings. This helped make our visit to St. Veronica’s special and memorable.
St. Veronica's in Eastpointe
Patron Saint of St. Veronica's on church grounds
Front of Church
Painting of St. Veronica holding veil with image of
Jesus
Crucifixion that hangs from rafters. In the background
is painting of St. Veronica with veil of Jesus
Statute of St. Veronica
We enjoyed our visit to St. Veronica's
