Prophecies of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich

By: Richard M. Friend

Anne Catherine Emmerich was born to poor but pious German peasants on 8 September 1774 at Flamsche, diocese of Munster, Westphalia, Germany. She was a very pious child who suffered with poor health, but who received visions and prophesies; they were so common that she thought all children could see the Child Jesus and the souls in Purgatory. She was able to diagnose illness and recommend cures, and to see a person’s sins.

Anne entered the Augustinian convent at Agnetenberg, Dulmen, Germany in 1802. Though her health was poor, her enthusiasm for the religious life was great, and she either energized her sisters, or put them off badly. Given to going into religious ecstacies in church, her cell, or while working.

The convent was closed by government order in 1812, and Anne moved in with a poor widow. Her health failed, and instead of working as a servant, in 1813 she became a patient. Her visions and prophesies increased, and later that year she received the stigmata with wounds on her hands and feet, her head from the crown of thorns, and crosses on her chest, and the gift of inedia, living off nothing but Holy Communion for the rest of her life. She tried to hide the wounds, but word leaked out, and her vicar-general instituted a lengthy and detailed investigation; it was determined to be genuine.

Anne died on 9 February 1824 at Dulmen, Germany; due to rumors that her body had been stolen, her grave was opened six weeks after her death; the body was found incorrupt; relics translated to Holy Cross Church, Dulmen, Germany on 15 February 1975.

Her Cause for Canonization was formally introduced on 14 November 1892. Due to accusations about her vow of chastity, the investigation was halted on 30 November 1928. However, the accusations were proven false, and the investigation resumed on 18 May 1973. Venerated 24 April 2001 by Pope John Paul II; Beatified 3 October 2004 by Pope John Paul II; decree of beatification miracle promulgated on 7 July 2003. [Source: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintafb.htm]

Prophecies of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich

June 1, 1821. “I have had indescribable visions on the state of the Church both in general and particular. I saw the Church Militant under the symbol of a city like the heavenly Jerusalem, though it was still on earth. In it were streets, palaces, and gardens through which I wandered and saw processions composed entirely of bishops. I recognized the interior state of each. I saw their thoughts issuing from their mouths under the form of pictures. Their religious transgressions were represented by external deformities: for instance, there were some whose head seemed to be only a misty cloud; others were lame or paralytic; others sleeping or reeling. Once I saw a mitre floating in the air and a hand out of a dark cloud trying repeatedly, but vainly, to seize it. Under the mitre I beheld many persons not unknown to me, bearing on their shoulders amid tears and lamentation, crosses of all kinds – among them walked myself. A few had only a body, with a dark cloud of fog instead of a head. Others had only a head, their bodies and their hearts were like thick vapors. Some were lame; others were paralytics; others were asleep or staggering. I think I saw almost all the bishops of the world, but only a small number were perfectly sound. I also saw the Holy Father very prayerful and God-fearing, his figure perfect, though worn out by old age and manifold sufferings, his head sunk on his breast as if in sleep. He often fainted away and seemed to be dying. I often saw him supported by apparitions during his prayer, and then his head was upright. When it sank upon his breast, then were the minds of many turned quickly here and there; that is, viewing things in a worldly light. When the hand out of the cloud tried to seize the mitre, I saw the Church of our country in a miserable state to which the learned young school-master had especially contributed. Protestantism was in the ascendancy and religion was falling to utter decay. I saw the majority of the clergy, dazzled by the false show of the young fellow, furthering the work of destruction, and in particular taking part in it through vanity and ignorance. He will see his error only when it will be too late to retrieve it. The misery under him will be great. Many simple-minded, enlightened men, and especially the school-master, are praying for the removal of this pastor. I saw, at the most, only four ecclesiastics in the whole country steadfast and faithful. These visions were so frightful that I came near crying out. I see in the future religion falling so low that it will be practiced only here and there in farm-houses and in families protected by God during the horrors of war.” (The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, volume 2, page 310-311).

Commentary by Yves Dupont, Catholic author, offered a possible interpretation of the vision in his book “Catholic Prophesy.” His quote of Blessed Emmerich’s vision differs slightly from the words quoted in the book “The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich.” Where the words differ, the quote from the “The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich” immediately follows in parenthesis.

“The symbolism ... may be interpreted in a number of ways: ‘heads like fog’ (only a body, with a dark cloud of fog instead of a head) may mean errors of thinking. ‘Heads only, no bodies and no hearts’ (only a head, their bodies and their hearts were like thick vapors) may mean high intellect, but divorced from reality and with no charity. ‘Lame’ may mean performance of duty in a half-hearted way although knowledge of what should be done is not impaired. ‘Asleep’ (sleeping) may denote an unawareness of the vital problems which are facing the Church. “Staggering (reeling)” may mean that the burden of responsibility is too heavy.

The second paragraph (the vision of seeing all the bishops of the world in a procession) may refer to an ecumenical council. Few bishops are sound. The pope is holy, but old and tired. His head is swaying; he hesitates. He falls asleep; he fails to grasp the really important issues of the day. The others are very much concerned with the world. Meanwhile, Protestantism is penetrating into the Catholic Church. Like those bishops who have only a head, many priests are more interested in knowledge than in charity, but it is a false knowledge, worldly-wise, overlooking the essentials, similar to the knowledge of young school-teachers who have been taught facts instead of principles, science instead of philosophy. As a result of all this, Faith will fall very low. But the Faith will survive in a few families which God will protect during the coming disasters.” (Yves Dupont, Catholic Prophesy, page 69).

Commentary by Richard M. Friend: The book “Catholic Prophesy” was published in 1970, five years after the close of the Second Vatican Council. While Dupont’s interpretation of the first part of the vision regarding the interior state of the bishops is very logical and seems entirely plausible, it is surprising that he missed considering the possibility that the procession of the bishops of the world may refer to the ecumenical council of Vatican II.

We, of course, from our vantage point looking back at history, have the advantage of hindsight that Dupont did not have. When the book was published, the memory of the Second Vatican Council was fresh. The year before, in 1969, Pope Paul VI had just issued his Apostolic Constitution promulgating the new order of the Mass, effectively derogating the use of the Classical Roman Rite that had been used by the Church for over 1500 years and which had been codified by Pope St. Pius V in his bull Quo Primum at the Council of Trent.

There are other ways to interpret this particular part of vision:

(1) The ecumenical council being referred to may in fact be a future ecumenical council, as posited by Dupont. However, prophecies of other visionaries indicate that there would only be one more ecumenical council in the future, a super council that would occur after the Great Chastisement has come to pass. Therefore, if the vision indeed actually refers to an ecumenical council, then it must be none other than the Second Vatican Council. By the time the council got under way, Pope John XXIII was old, tired, and worn-out; in fact he died during the council! He has since been beatified, and so the description of a prayerful and God-fearing pope having heavenly apparitions while in prayer seems apt.

(2) Another possibility is that the vision refers to the pontificate of the late Pope John Paul II because of the similarities in the late pope’s physical condition with the description of the old and worn-out pope in the Emmerich’s vision. However, there was no ecumenical council where all the bishops of the world were present during the pontificate of the late pope. While there were numerous synods of bishops which were attended by numerous bishops during the late pope’s pontificate, not all of the world’s bishops were present at the same time.

Remember well these words of Saint Nicholas of Flue and then ask yourselves if they do apply to our own times: “The Church will be punished because the majority of her members, high and low, will become so perverted. The Church will sink deeper and deeper until she will at last seem to be extinguished, and the succession of Peter and the other Apostles to have expired. But, after this, she will be victoriously exalted in the sight of all doubters.”

September 12, 1820. “I saw a fantastic, odd-looking church being built. The choir was in three parts, each raised some steps above the last; and under it was deep vault full of fog. On the first platform of the choir was a seat; on the second, a basin of water; on the third, a table. I saw no angel helping in the construction, but numbers of the most violent planetary spirits dragging all sorts of things into the vault where persons in little ecclesiastical mantles received them and deposited them in their various places. Nothing was brought from above; all came from the earth and the dark regions, all was built up by the planetary spirits. The water alone seemed to have something holy about it. I saw an enormous number of instruments brought into the church, and many persons, even children, had different tools, as if trying to make something; but all was obscure, absurd, dead! Division and destruction reigned everywhere. Nearby, I saw another church, shining and rich with graces from on high, angels ascending and descending. In it were life and increase, tepidity and dissipation; and yet it was like a tree full of sap compared with the other which was like a chest of lifeless institutions. The former was like a bird on the wing; the latter a paper dragon, its tail adorned with ribands and writings, dragging over a stubble-filed. I saw that many of the instruments in the new church, such as spears and darts, were meant to be used against the living Church. Everyone dragged in something different, clubs, rods, pumps, cudgels, puppets, mirrors, trumpets, horns, bellows – all sorts of things. In the cave below (the sacristy) some people kneaded bread, but nothing came of it; it would not rise. The men in the little mantles brought wood to the steps of the pulpit to make fire. They puffed and blew and labored hard, but the fire would not burn; all they produced was smoke and fumes. Then they broke a hole in the roof and ran up a pipe, but the smoke would not rise, and the whole place became black and suffocating. Some blew the horn so violently that the tears streamed from their eyes. All in this church belonged to the earth, returned to the earth; all was dead, the work of human skill, a church of the latest style, a church of mans invention like the new heterodox church in Rome.” (The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, volume 2, page 283).

April, 1823. “They built a large, singular, extravagant church which was to embrace all creeds with equal rights; Evangelicals, Catholics and all denominations, a true communion of the unholy with one shepherd and one flock. There was to be a Pope, a salaried Pope, without possessions. All was made ready, many things finished; but, in place of an altar were only abomination and desolation. Such was the new church to be, and it was for it he had set fire to the old one; but God designed otherwise.” (The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, volume 2, page 353).

April 12, 1820. “I have had another vision on the great tribulation everywhere reigning. It seemed as if something were exacted of the clergy, something that could not be granted. I saw many aged priests, some of them Franciscans, and one in particular, a very old man, weeping bitterly and mingling their tears with those of others younger than themselves. I saw others, tepid souls, willingly acceding to conditions hurtful to religion. The old faithful in their distress submitted to the interdict and closed their churches. Numbers of their parishioners joined them; and so, two parties were formed, a good one and a bad one.” (The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, volume 2, page 331).

January 27, 1822. “There has been a thanksgiving in the spiritual church. It was filled with glory, and a magnificent throne stood in the middle of it. Paul, Augustine, and other converted saints figured conspicuously. It was a feast in the Church Triumphant, a thanksgiving for a great, though still future grace, something like a future consecration. It referred to the conversion of a man whom I saw of slight figure and tolerably young, who was one day to be Pope. I saw him below in the church among other pious men; he had been connected with the good old priest whose death I saw the other day in Rome. I saw many Christians returning to the bosom of the Church, entering though the walls. That Pope will be strict. He will remove from him lukewarm, tepid bishops – but it will be long time before this happens. All whose prayers have been instrumental in obtaining this grace were present in the church. I see also those men eminent in prayer who I so often see. The young man was already in Orders and it seemed as if he were receiving some new dignity. He is not Roman, though an Italian from a place not far from Rome. I think he is of a pious noble family. He travels sometimes. But before his time there will be many struggles.” (The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, volume 2, page 344).