The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ | Page 4

Catherine, whom they loved and respected, on
account of the singular graces with which God had favoured her. The
editor of this book received equal encouragement, and met with no less
sympathy in his labours, from the late Bishop of Ratisbonne, Mgr.
Wittman. (Mgr. Wittman was the worthy successor of Sailer, and a man
of eminent sanctity, whose memory is held in veneration by all the
Catholics of the south of Germany.) This holy Bishop, who was so
deeply versed in the ways of Divine grace, and so well acquainted with
its effects on certain souls, both from his private investigations of the
subject, and his own experience, took the most lively interest in all that
concerned Anne Catherine, and on hearing of the work in which the
editor of this book was engaged, he strongly exhorted him to publish it.
'These things have not been communicated to you for nothing,' would
he often say; 'God had his views in all. Publish something at least of
what you know, for you will thereby benefit many souls.' He at the
same time brought forward various instances from his own experience
and that of others, showing the benefit which had been derived from the
study of works of a similar character. He delighted in calling such
privileged souls as Anne Catherine the marrow of the bones of the
Church, according to the expression of St. John Chrysostom, medulla
enim hujus mundi sunt, and he encouraged the publication of their lives
and writings as far as lay in his power.
The editor of this book being taken by a kind friend to the dying bed of
the holy Bishop, had no reason whatever to expect to be recognised, as
he had only once in his life conversed with him for a few minutes;
nevertheless the dying saint knew him again, and after a few most kind
words blessed and exhorted him to continue his work for the glory of
God.
Encouraged by the approbation of such men, we therefore yield to the
wishes of many virtuous friends in publishing the Meditations on the
Passion, of this humble religious, to whom God granted the favour of
being at times simple, ingenuous, and ignorant as a child, while at

others she was clear sighted, sensible, possessed of a deep insight into
the most mysterious and hidden things, and consumed with burning and
heroic zeal, but ever forgetful of self, deriving her whole strength from
Jesus alone, and steadfast in the most perfect humility and entire
self-abnegation.
We give our readers a slight sketch of her life, intending at some future
day to publish her biography more in full.
The Life Of Anne Catherine Emmerich,
Religious Of The Order Of St. Augustine,
At The Convent Of Agnetenberg, Dulmen, Westphalia.

Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich2 was born at Flamske, a village
situated about a mile and a half from Coesfeld, in the bishopric of
Munster, on the 8th of September 1774, and was baptised in the church
of St. James at Coesfeld. Her parents, Bernard Emmerich and Anne
Hiller, were poor peasants, but distinguished for their piety and virtue.
The childhood of Anne Catherine bore a striking resemblance to that of
the Venerable Anne Garzias de St. Barthelemi, of Dominica del
Paradiso, and of several other holy persons born in the same rank of life
as herself. Her angel-guardian used to appear to her as a child; and
when she was taking care of sheep in the fields, the Good Shepherd
himself, under the form of a young shepherd, would frequently come to
her assistance. From childhood she was accustomed to have divine
knowledge imparted to her in visions of all kinds, and was often
favoured by visits from the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven, who,
under the form of a sweet, lovely, and majestic lady, would bring the
Divine Child to be, as it were, her companion, and would assure her
that she loved and would ever protect her. Many of the saints would
also appear to her, and receive from her hands the garlands of flowers
which she had prepared in honour of their festivals. All these favours
and visions surprised the child less than if an earthly princess and the
lords and ladies of her court had come to visit her. Nor was she, later in
life, more surprised at these celestial visits, for her innocence caused
her to feel far more at her ease with our Divine Lord, his Blessed
Mother and the Saints, than she could ever be with even the most kind
and amiable of her earthly companions. The names of Father, Mother,
Brother, and Spouse, appeared to her expressive of the real connections

subsisting between God and man, since the Eternal word had been
pleased to be born of a