St. Veronica is believed to be the pious matron of Jerusalem who, moved with Pity as Jesus carried the cross to Calvary, wiped His face with her handkerchief. The handkerchief or cloth was left with the clear and miraculous imprint of Jesus' face. In western tradition, Veronica was called to Rome by the Emperor Tiberius who was cured of his illness, when she touched him with the cloth, which at her death she left to Pope Clement.

The story of Veronica found in the apocryphal Acts of Pilate identifies her as the woman mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew whom Jesus healed of a blood issue.

The veil was seen in Rome in the 8th century and by the request of Pope Boniface VIII placed in St. Peter's in 1297. In popular speech of the time, the veil was referred to as the Veronica, a name made up of the latin word "vera" and the Greek word "icon", together meaning "True Image".

St. Veronica's single act of charity is commemorated in the 6th Station of the Cross and she is given a feast day (July 12). Veronica's veil bearing the face of Christ and the Crown of Thorns is one of the most cherished relics of the Church.

O My Jesus, Saint Veronica served You
on the way to Calvary by wiping Your
beloved face with a cloth on which
Your sacred image then appeared.
She protected this treasure,
and whenever people touched it,
they were miraculously healed.
I ask her to pray for the growth of my
ability to see Your sacred image in
others, to recognize their hurts,
to stop and join them on their difficult
journeys, and to feel the same
compassion for them as she did for You.
Show me how to wipe their faces, serve
their needs and heal their wounds,
reminding me that as I do this for them,
I also do this for You.
Saint Veronica, pray for me.
Amen.