Mystic, laywoman
Anna Schäffer was born on February 18, 1882 in Mindelstetten, Bavaria. Her
father died at the age of 40. Without the
income he earned by working as a carpenter, the family became desperately poor.
At the age of 14, Anna had to drop out of school and began working as a maid to
help the family’s financial situation.
Anna hoped that one day she would be able to enter the convent. However, even with her income, the family
barely could make ends meet.
Things took a turn for the worse when she was
involved in a terrible accident while at work. In 1901, Anna was working in a
laundry when she slipped and fell while attempting reattaching a stovepipe that
had come loose. When she fell, her legs went
into the washing machine full of boiling hot water. She was taken to the hospital. In the early 20th century, there was very little effective
treatment for burns. For centuries people with severe burns were bandaged and
left to heal on their own. Often they died or were hideously disfigured. Surgeries
were sometimes attempted but were not always successful. Up until the late 1930’s, it
was thought that a person would probably die if they were severely burned.
Anna endured more than thirty surgical operations in an
attempt to heal her legs. The wounds had to be carefully dressed, which caused
much pain. Dr. Waldin, her physician, gave her constant care but the skin
grafts did not succeed. Anna became completely immobile and had to give up her
dream of entering religious life. Her
mother cared for her until the end of her life.
Despite the terrible pain cause by the burns and the
surgeries, Anna never lost her optimism or her faith in God. She had a great love of Christ and a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She especially had a devotion to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
In Anna's writings she talked about three ‘keys’ that helped her draw closer
to God. These ‘keys’ were her suffering,
her writing and knitting clothes for her friends. Because of her optimism and
her faith she was loved by people in her hometown.
Many would visit and listen to her talk about God. Her brother did not share in her
faith. Eventually after witnessing her cheerful
attitude in the midst of suffering, her never failing patience and kindness
toward others, he supported her.
Beginning in 1910, mystical phenomena occurred around her.
This included the stigmata, which she did her best to conceal from the public
. Few people knew that she bore the marks of the passion of Jesus on
her body. These phenomena did not change her attitude or make her proud. She
remained selfless and patience. She
promised prayers and letters for anyone who asked.
She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1925. As her condition deteriorated, she lost the
ability to speak and write. She died on October 5 after she had received Holy
Communion.
Her grave quickly became a pilgrimage site. Since 1929, more
than 15,000 miracles attributed to her intercession have been reported. She was beatified
in 1999 by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
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