Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich was born on September 8, 1774 in Westphalia, Germany to poor but pious parents. She suffered as a child with poor health. She worked on the family farm and as a seamstress and servant to an organist where she studied to play. She entered the Augustinian convent in 1802. Even though her health was poor, she had great enthusiasm for religious life and energized her sisters. Her convent closed by the government in 1812 and she moved in with a poor widow. As her health continued to fail, her visions increased and in 1813 she received the stigmata on her hands and feet and on her head the crown of thorns. She lived off nothing but Holy Communion for the rest of her life.
In 181 she was relieved of the stigmata and the following year the government opened their own investigation and she was imprisoned, threatened and kept until 24-hour-a-day surveillance. They found no evidence either way, so they gave up, and when they were forced to report they could not explain why they did not publish their findings.
She died on February 9, 1824. There were rumors that her body was stolen, so her grave was opened six weeks after hear death and her body was incorrupt.
Her cause for canonization was formally introduced in 1892, but due to accusations about her vow of chastity, the investigation was but on hold until 1928. They were proven false and the investigation resumed in 1973. She was beatified on October 3, 2004 and awaits canonization.
"The Church is the only one, the Roman Catholic! And if there were left upon earth but one Catholic, he would be the one, universal Church, the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ against which the gates of Hell shall never prevail."
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