Description

Oil Dedicated to Blessed Imelda

The patroness of fervent first communion, Blessed Imelda, came from one of the oldest families in Bologna; her father was Count Igano Lambertini and her mother was Castora Galuzzi. Even as a tiny child she showed an unusual piety, taking delight in prayer and slipping off to a quiet corner of the house, which she adorned with flowers and pictures to make it a little oratory.

Imelda enters the Dominican convent
When she was nine, she was at her own wish, in the Dominican convent in Val di Pietra. Her disposition soon endeared her to all, while the zeal with which she entered all the religious life of the house greatly edified the nuns. Her special devotion was to the Eucharistic presence of Our Lord at Mass and in the tabernacle. To receive Our Lord in became the consuming desire of her heart, but the custom of the place and time had fixed twelve as the earliest age for the first communion. She would sometimes exclaim: “Tell me, can anyone receive Jesus into his heart and not die? ”

When she was eleven years old she was present with the rest of the community at the Ascension Day Mass.

Imelda receives Holy Communion
The nuns were preparing to leave the church when some of them were startled to see what appeared to be a Sacred Host hovering in the air above Imelda. Quickly they attracted the attention of the priest who hurried forward with a paten on which to receive It. In the face of such a miracle, he could not do otherwise than give to Imelda her first communion, which was also her last.

Tradition of oils
The tradition of anointing with oil is very old indeed. The sick person applies the oil and blesses themselves. The Irish blessings oils do not have miraculous power. It is God who has the power to heal. Applying the oil while praying is an important way for us to express our faith in God’s power. Moreover, by doing so we place our trust in God.

The Irish Blessings oils are dedicated to the Holy Spirit, Our Lady, and the saints. The oils come through prayer. The oils are of therapeutic grade. The small card goes out with the larger card that has the prayer for healing on the inside.