Saint of the Month (Round 2): Saint Anna Schaffer

St. Anna Schaffer

A Hidden Victim for Sinners

Feast: October 5th

Anna Schaffer (also spelled as "Schaeffer") is one of those holy souls who during her lifetime passed quietly unnoticed ... but after she died, her reputation for exceptional goodness did not fade with her earthly life, but instead, guided by the hand of God, it slowly grew and grew until it finally snowballed during the last 20 years; culminating in her recent Canonization this past October 21, 2012.

This ministry normally features just one Saint a month in this blog, but in the past week this author noticed in the behind-the-scene stats that a lot of recent visits to this site were due to searches for "[Saint] Anna Schaffer".  I can only speculate the recent Canonization events in Rome had many people around the globe wondering who this obscure German laywoman was ... and what it was about her that prompted the Church to proclaim her one of its newest Saints (I, myself, only learned details about her 9 years ago).  If you're one of those curious people, this posting will be of interest to you.

To begin with, St. Anna Schaffer was born to a poor yet devoted German couple on February 18, 1882, in Mindelstetten, Bavaria.  She was a precocious and pious child, who from her First Holy Communion at age 11, resolved to belong to Jesus and to heroically suffer in expiation for sin.

At 13‐years-old, Anna started working as a maid to raise money for the dowry needed to enter a convent, which she hoped to do in the near future.  This desire was overshadowed by a visit from the Blessed Virgin in June 1898, when she was 16 - Our Lady was in a great light and carried a rosary.  She spoke to the teen about the importance of praying it, before foretelling to Anna that she would soon be subjected to a life of suffering.  

On the fateful evening of February 4, 1900, the 18-year-old Anna was seriously scalded at her workplace after she slipped and landed knee-deep into a large vat of boiling bleach, while attempting to fix a broken overhead stovepipe.  Obviously, the accident left the unfortunate young woman in atrocious pain and horribly scarred ... and to make matters worse, all the medical procedures she underwent proved futile.  Poor Anna was eventually confined to bed; her legs paralyzed due to dead tissue, and with open sores that needed regular attention.

St. Anna Schaffer as a young girl.

She had resolved to live only for Jesus

after her First Holy Communion.

Initially, the invalid was filled with anguish over the accident; her infirmities; and the monetary hardship her situation caused for her mother (her father had died a few years prior) ... but through the compassionate guidance of her parish priest, her spirit rallied and she came to accept her painful condition as a special call from God to imitate Christ Crucified in a more direct manner.  So, she offered her life as a sacrifice for sinners and for the spiritual needs of the Church, and in this manner, she eventually found peace, joy, and a sense of purpose for her sufferings.

Things took a more extraordinary turn on the evening of October 3, 1910 when she received a vision of St. Francis of Assisi and the Lord, himself.  Jesus informed her that he had accepted her sacrifice and would grant her a share in his Passion.  The following morning, as her priest was giving her Holy Communion, she witnessed 5 rays of fire stream from the Host to her hands, feet, and side marking her with the Sacred Stigmata.  Anna’s humility prompted her to ask the Lord to hide the visible wounds, which he eventually did, but she continued to feel the pain of the Stigmata for the rest of her life.

Anna spent her remaining years living in poverty, embroidering to support herself and her aged mother.  Her day-to-day existence was made rich and fruitful by prayer, atonement sufferings, and counseling those in need of spiritual guidance through either personal contact or through an active letter-writing apostolate.  At times she suffered from diabolic physical attacks but these were offset by heavenly visitations from Jesus, Our Lady, her Guardian Angel, and Saints.

In addition to apparitions of heavenly personages, the Poor Souls from Purgatory were also frequent visitors, asking for her prayers.

Other spiritual gifts this mystic possessed were prophetic insight into the future; having knowledge of events occurring at a distance; and she was also reported to Bilocate, as attested by witnesses who saw her ministering to the poor and infirm away from her home, although she was physically incapable of leaving her own sick bed.  She was also seen in the battlefields of WWII assisting wounded and dying soldiers ... and lastly, she was sometimes taken to distant chapels where she was able to enjoy periods of Eucharistic Adoration.

 

The Saint's beautiful tomb found in the

parish church of Mindelstetten, Bavaria.

The greatest favor reported in this Saint's life occurred on November 22, 1914.  On that day, Anna celebrated the Mystical Marriage with Christ, sealing her profound union with him in this life and for all eternity.

Anna’s final illness was rectal cancer, which led to her holy death on October 5, 1925; her last words were, "Jesus, I live in you".  The funeral service that followed was the biggest ever remembered in Mindelstetten and Anna’s grave immediately became a place of pilgrimage where hundreds of cures and favors were recorded by the town's parish church.  She was beatified by the late Pope John Paul II in March 1999 ... and Canonized on October 21, 2012.  Her tomb (now within the parish church) continues to be a place of pilgrimage, especially among German Catholics.

A Reflection

“The righteous call out, and the Lord hears them; He rescues them from all their troubles.”  ~ Psalm 34:18

A Short Prayer

Dear St. Anna, pray for me that I might have an abundance of Faith and Fortitude during my own times of personal trial and illness.  Amen.