Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, Visionary of the Lives of Jesus and Mary

Today (Feb. 9) is the feast of Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, a truly remarkable woman.

Born in 1774 to peasants in Westphalia, Germany, Anne Catherine Emmerich suffered from bad health her whole life, but was also always very pious. Her visions were likewise lifelong, and she received so many as a child that she assumed all children could see Jesus and the souls in Purgatory. She could diagnose illnesses and recommend their cures, and she was also able to see people’s sins.

Her convent was closed and she became bed-ridden. She continued to suffer greatly the rest of her life, including from the stigmata (the wounds Jesus had on his hands, feet, and head during His Passion) and a cross on her chest, and she lived on inedia (no food but the Holy Eucharist). She was what the Church calls a “suffering soul,” who suffered for the expiation of sins and the salvation of others in unity with Christ. She was also harassed and threatened by the government. But her visions also continued, more frequently than ever, and she had seen visions of the entire lives of Jesus and Mary by the time she died in 1824. Clemens Brentano‘s works are said to be Anne Catherine’s dictation.