The Enigma of the Sacred Stigmata

** NOTICE:  This post contains images readers may find graphic & disturbing.

“From henceforth let no man be

troublesome to me; for I bear the

marks of the Lord  Jesus in my body.”

~ Galatians 6:17

The above quote from Sacred Scriptures was made by none other than the great Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul of Tarsus. It’s an enigmatic statement, which many interpret to mean that the Saint was referring to the many sufferings he endured for the sake of Christ’s cause. However, there are many who also speculate that he was referring to something much more specific and mysterious - the Sacred Stigmata of Jesus Christ; that he, St. Paul, was possibly the very first Stigmatic (or Stigmatist) in the rich history of Christianity. 

St. Francis of Assisi receiving the Stigmata

during a vision on Mt. Alverna, Italy

+  What is the “Stigmata”?

“Who now rejoice in my sufferings

for you, and fill up those things that are

wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my

flesh, for his body, which is the Church.”

~ Colossians 1:24

For those who aren’t familiar with what the Stigmata is, in Catholic mysticism the word describes a set of wounds - replicating those suffered by Christ during his Passion - that have appeared on the bodies of individuals throughout the centuries.  The wounds of the Sacred Stigmata may consist of one, or more, of the following:

• The bloody sweat and/or tears Christ shed in the Garden of Gethsemane during his agony

• The scourge wounds suffered at the pillar

• The head wounds made by the crown of thorns

• The shoulder wound that resulted from the carrying of the Holy Cross

• The nail wounds in the hands and feet received during the crucifixion

• The lance wound to the side/heart made by a Roman soldier after Christ died

Dr. Antoine Imbert-Gourbeyre - a French doctor who died in 1912 - personally studied several Stigmatics during his lifetime, as well as compiled a comprehensive listing of Stigmatics he had identified from history.  His count, at the time, totaled about 320 Stigmatics, which in my humble opinion falls a little short of the actual number based on my personal research… and interestingly enough, woman Stigmatics outnumbered the men three to one, which isn’t surprising given the fact that women have a greater capacity to empathize with those who suffer.  Plus, if you think about it - wasn’t Jesus attended to during his Passion and death by more women than men?

The stigmatization of St. Catherine of Siena

The phenomenon of the Mystical Stigmata, has itself, fueled debate between the Faithful and those who either believe that there’s a scientific/medical explanation for the wounds, or that they are simply an outright fraud perpetrated by publicity seekers.  For me, personally, I believe the numerous cases of Stigmatics who have been Canonized or Beatified by the Catholic Church (approximately 70 mystics) and those who are currently being investigated for possible Sainthood (60+ Servants of God) were indeed individuals who were touched in a most profound way by the hand of God.  Henceforth, for the rest of this blog I will refer to this select group of Catholic mystics as “true Stigmatics”.

In the past 30+ years that I've studied this phenomenon and read biographies - long and short - of over 200+ recipients of the stigmata, I must say that my admiration for true Stigmatics has only grown.  I came to fully realize how their unique vocations and roles in salvation history have made them not just spiritual "carbon copies" of Christ Crucified, but also miraculous physical representations of HIM in a world that is increasingly denying his existence; visible reminders of what the Savior endured to save us.

In this blog I will attempt to explain the reasons why I believe the Mystical Stigmata, as exhibited by credible Catholic mystics, is a supernatural grace from God.  This post will be very long, so for the reader’s sake I won’t delve deeply into the theological aspect of the phenomenon, nor go into an extensive rebuttal of what skeptics believe.  Now, before continuing, it’ll be necessary to briefly state how skeptics view the stigmata - in essence, they believe the wounds are caused by the following:

• A hysterical condition augmented by auto-suggestion or self-hypnosis, during which the mind causes the body to produce marks resembling crucifixion wounds (in other words, they say it’s a mind over matter thing).

• “Pious Fraud”: a term used to describe situations where a person deliberately perpetrates a hoax to propagate a religious cause.  The term has also been used to describe a situation where a Stigmatic was accused of self-inflicting wounds while he/she was in an altered state of consciousness (e.g. Ecstasy).

The above may be correct in many cases, but in the instances of true Stigmatics, I can’t bring myself to believe in the above explanations based on what I’ve gleaned from my years of research.  There are just too many inexplicable factors attested to by countless witnesses, including doctors and scientists, that point to the supernatural origin of the Mystical Stigmata.  Below are just some of my findings that I believe support the authenticity of this unique marvel...

+  The Mystery of the Wounds

“And almost all things, according to

the law, are cleansed with blood: and

without shedding of blood there is

no remission of sins.”

~ Hebrew 9:22

The wounds of genuine stigmata are generally very deep and they bleed profusely.  In comparison, in the few documented cases of trauma patients who were subjected to hypnotism to produce stigmata-like lesions, researchers were only able to effect weak imitations of the genuine wounds; hypnosis/auto-suggestion only induced superficial, rash-like marks that seeped a small amount of blood, if any… and they healed rather quickly.  To cite an example of the severity of the wounds that a genuine Stigmatic may suffer, the permanent hand wounds of the Italian foundress, Madre Claudia de Angelis (d. 1715 - Anagni, Italy), completely pierced her palms and her confessor once wrote that he could see right through them when she held her hands up against a candle flame.  Closer to our own time, St. Padre Pio (d. 1968 - San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy), the famous Capuchin Saint, had a very deep chest wound, which bled almost a cup of blood daily yet astoundingly he never suffered from anemia.  Furthermore, in all cases, the stigmata never became infected despite the lack of medical treatment, and in fact, they often got worse or were simply resistant when medication was applied to cure them.

  

St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), shortly after he

was stigmatized in 1918... and his protege',

Teresa Musco of Caserta (d. 1976).

Most stigmata are exhibited as permanent wounds on the bodies of the stigmatized, but there have been quite a number of mystics who have had “periodic” episodes of the wounds (or the times when the wounds would bleed).  In the latter case, the stigmata have manifested or bled only during the Lenten Season or weekly on Fridays, the day commemorating the Passion.  During these occurrences, deep lesions spontaneously erupt at the traditional sites of the Passion wounds only to mysteriously heal within a few hours without the aid of medical treatment.  This mystery was closely observed in the remarkable case of St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903 - Lucca, Italy) who manifested varying degrees of stigmata from Thursday evening to late Friday afternoon - her scourge wounds were sometimes so deep, bones were visible, yet by Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning, the terrible lesions would be completely gone only to reappear a week later!   Again, this is something that is clinically impossible.

The Fragrance of Sanctity is also frequently associated with Stigmatic wounds or with the blood that has issued from them.  To name just a few Stigmatics who were graced with sweet-scented wounds, we can cite St. Lydwina of Scheidam (d. 1433 - Holland), Madre Juana dela Cruz (d. 1534 - Madrid, Spain), Madre Domenica del Paradiso (d. 1553 - Florence, Italy), St. Catherine dei Ricci (d. 1590 - Prato, Italy), Benoite Rencurel (d. 1718 - Laus, France), and again St. Padre Pio whose wounds and blood emanated the scent of fresh roses.  For skeptics who argue a bottle of perfume is the cause, it doesn’t explain why the preserved blood-soaked bandages (including other personal belongings) of certain stigmatized holy persons continue to emit the wonderful scent of flowers or incense long after the mystic has passed away.

            

The Servant of God, Domenica Lazzeri

(left), St. Gemma Galgani (center), and the

Servant of God, Therese Neumann (right)

In the well-documented cases of Domenica Lazzeri (d. 1848 - Capriana, Italy) and Therese Neumann (d. 1962 - Konnersreuth, Germany), their blood was witnessed to supernaturally defy gravity during their weekly Passion Ecstasies.  When these women bled from the stigmata, they would normally be lying in bed with their feet pointing up towards the ceiling.  Yet the blood that issued from their feet wounds never flowed downwards, as was expected, but instead it flowed upwards towards the toes as though the women were suspended on crosses (also see the segment on "Hemography" further down in this blog)!

Luminosity has also been reported in the wounds of certain Stigmatics.  Again citing Therese Neumann, her hand wounds were observed (and photographed) glowing on at least one occasion while she was in ecstasy during a Mass in her parish church.  St. Catherine dei Ricci’s wounds and those of Bl. Helen of Hungary (d. 1237 - Veszprim) were likewise witnessed to glow radiantly while they were in ecstatic rapture.  After she died in 1457, the nuns in her small Italian convent observed St. Rita of Cascia’s single thorn wound sparkling like a precious jewel on her forehead.

Another mystic, Madre Passitea Crogi (d. 1615 - Siena, Italy), had her blood collected without her knowledge during the occasions that she relived the Passion of Christ in a trance state.  Vials of her blood are still preserved in one of the Franciscan monasteries she founded, and although the blood is now obviously dry and crusty, the nuns have observed it liquefying into bright red blood during major Feast Days, or at times of crisis for the Church.

This author is blessed to have in my custody, a piece of bandage soaked in the stigmatic blood of the Servant of God, Louise Lateau (d. 1883 - Boise d’Haine, Belgium).  When I first received it from a priest-friend in 2001, the blood was dark and dry.  However, shortly after it was placed on my home altar, the blood became moist and it caused a large stain on the holy card on which this rare and precious relic was mounted (see below).  I had to laminate the card in order to keep it from falling apart.

A relic from the stigmatic blood of Louise

Lateau (d. 1883).  In recent years the blood

has "moistened" and caused the large dark

stain seen to the bottom-right of the card.

And finally, what is probably one of the most bizarre occurrences connected with the Sacred Stigmata - some mystics have had nail-like protuberances included in their wounds.  A well-documented instance is found in the life of St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226 - Italy), who is reportedly the first verified Stigmatic in the history of the Church.  His early biographer noted that his hand and feet lesions were embedded with dark, hard “nails” that were formed out if his own flesh.  As already mentioned, the mind can induce the body to form rash-like marks and drip blood, but it is clinically impossible for the human brain to make our bodies grow the fleshy nails described in the wounds of St. Francis.  Incidentally, Therese Neumann also had similar nail-formations as part of her stigmatic hand wounds.

+  Associated Mystical Phenomena

“Amen, amen I say to you, he that

believeth in me, the works that I do,

he also shall do; and greater than

these shall he do.”

~ Words of Our Lord, John 14:12

In addition to bearing the wounds of Jesus in their bodies, many Stigmatics were also gifted with other mystical gifts; in fact, in my readings on the lives of the Saints, I have never seen an abundance of charisms in the lives of holy persons as experienced by Stigmatics; their biographies overflow with reports of signs and wonders.  Just to give you a small idea of these other supernatural gifts, and the stigmatized souls who experienced them, I present the following:

  

A photographic portrait of the Italian

Servant of God, Edvige Carboni (d. 1852),

and a rare photo of the visible stigmata

on one of her hands.

Bilocation - the charism of being able to be at two places at once, has been reported in the lives of St. Lydwina of Scheidam (d. 1433), Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824), Madre Maria Candida de San Augustin (d. 1861), Teresa Helena Higginson (d. 1905), St. Anna Schaffer (d. 1925), St. Faustina Kowalska (d. 1938), Edvige Carboni (d. 1852), Anna Henle (d. 1950), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), and Maria Teresa Carloni (d. 1983).

Healing Abilities - the service-charism of curing ailments either through their prayers or by their touch, during their lifetimes, was granted to St. Margaret of Cortona (d. 1297), St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), St. Colette of Corbie (d. 1447), St. Gerard Majella (d. 1755), Bl. Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837), Teresa Helena Higginson (d. 1905), Marie Rose Ferron (d. 1936), Anna Tomanova (d. 1957), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), Maria Esperanza de Bianchini (d. 2004), and Little Audrey Marie Santo (d. 2007).

 

The blood of two stigmatics - Sr. Maria

Teresa Pinol (left) and Natuzza Evolu

(right) - the stains of which miraculously

arranged themselves into religious

 imagery on pieces of cloth.

Hemography - an unusual phenomenon involving the blood shed from stigmatic wounds.  There have been documented instances where the bloodstains captured on bandages and pieces of cloth have inexplicably rearranged themselves to form elaborate religious imagery such as crosses, spears, the Eucharist, flaming hearts, etc.... and even entire phrases of a spiritual nature! At other times, the symbols were impressed on the bodies of the stigmatics, themselves.  For example, the Augustinian, Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich  (d. 1824 - Dulmen, Germany), was known to have been impressed with a cross on her chest in addition to also having the regular spear wound. This particular charism has also been noted in the lives of  Sr. Maria Teresa Aycinena Pinol (d. 1841),  Melanie Calvat of La Salette (d. 1904), Marie-Julie Jahenny (d. 1941), Sr. Maria Rumolda Van Beek (d. 1948), Edvige Carboni (d. 1952), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), and most prolifically evidenced by Natuzza Evolu (d. 2009), who incidentally, was illiterate and couldn't read the words that were formed by her blood.

Incorruptibility - after their deaths, the bodily remains of the following Stigmatics were found to be preserved from corruption: St. Margaret of Cortona (d. 1297), St. Clare of Montefalco (d. 1308), St. Angela of Foligno (d. 1309), St. Frances of Rome (d. 1440), St. Rita of Cascia (d. 1457), St. Eustochia Calafato (d. 1491), Bl. Osanna Andreasi (d. 1505), St. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582), St. John of the Cross (d. 1591), St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi (d. 1607), St. Rose of Lima (d. 1617), Ven. Orsola Benincasa (d. 1618), Bl. Mariana de Jesus Navarro (d. 1624), Ven. Madre Mariana de Jesus Torres (d. 1635), Bl. Maria Angela Astorch (d. 1665), Bl. Anna Rosa Gattorno (d. 1900), and the American, Marie Rose Ferron (d. 1936).

The above list is by no means complete (there are much more), but it should be sufficient to show that the phenomenon of Incorruptibility is prevalent in the hagiography of Stigmatics.

The incorrupt body of Bl. Osanna Andreasi 

(d. 1505); her stigmata was invisible to

others, but appeared after she died.

Inedia (Miraculous Fasting) - the gift of inexplicably surviving on the Eucharist, alone; without the need for earthly food and drink for long periods of time - or even permanently(!) - was noted in the lives of Bl. Angela of Foligno (d. 1309), Bl. Elizabeth the Good of Waldsee (d. 1420), St. Lydwina of Schiedam (d. 1433), St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824), Domenica Lazzeri (d. 1848), Juliana Engelbrecht (d. 1853), Louise Lateau (d. 1883), Viktoria Hecht (d. 1890), Magdalena Gornik (d. 1896), Marie Rose Ferron (d. 1936), Anna Henle (d. 1950), Bl. Alexandrina Da Costa (d. 1955), Therese Neumann (d. 1962), Marthe Robin (d. 1981), and Antonietta De Vitis (d. 2004).

An astounding example of the gift of inedia is related in the life of the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta (d. 1947 - Corato, Italy), whose permanent abstinance from earthly nourishment began when she was just about 17-years-old; any food she ate she simply couldn't retain.  One of Luisa's confessor at the time ordered her to nevertheless eat, to which she obediently complied.  However, after eating the meager portion of food that was served her, her body was forced to expel it not long after.  The wonderous thing, though, was when the food was regurgitated, it came up intact and clean(!) without any of the discomfort associated with vomiting.  This wonder was witnessed repeatedly, day after day, by many individuals who were privileged to be close to Luisa.

  

Two photos of Marthe Robin (d. 1981),

a Servant of God from France.  For 53

years she was nourished by the

Eucharist alone.

Levitation - the ability to temporarily leave the pull of earth’s gravity during deep spiritual contemplation has been witnessed in the lives of St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226), St. Lutgarde of Aywieres (d. 1246), Bl. Giovanna of Orvieto (d. 1306), St. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582), Madre Maria Villani (d. 1670), Bl. Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837), St. Mariam Baouardy (d. 1878), St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903), Bl. Maria of the Passion (d. 1912), Bl. Mariam Thresia Mankidiyan (d. 1926), Edvige Carboni (1952), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), Bl. Esperanza de Jesus (d. 1993), and recently Maria Esperanza de Bianchini of the Betania apparitions fame (d. 2004).

In the case of the visionary-stigmatic, Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824), she was often witnessed floating in the air during ecstatic trances in her cloister.  She also admitted to her confessor that, during times she was assigned to clean the convent chapel, she sometimes found herself inexplicably lifted to high places in the building where she was able to clean the statuary and ornamental fixtures in the chapel.  If I recall correctly, she attributed these flights to the assistance of her guardian angel.

Miraculous Rings - many female Stigmatics, have reached such a high degree of sanctity, which merited for them the sublime gift of the "Mystical Marriage" with Christ; a spiritual state in which a soul attains the deepest possible union with God while still living on earth. Often, the Mystical Marriage is accompanied with a vision in which the recipient receives a 'wedding ring' from Christ, as a sign of the spiritual espousal. Among the stigmatized who were privileged to receive a mystical ring were St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), Bl. Osanna Andreasi (d. 1505), Bl. Stefana de Quinzanis (d. 1530), Bl. Catherine Mattei (d. 1547), St. Rose of Lima (d. 1617), Madre Marina Escobar (d. 1633), Madre Maria Villani (d. 1670), St. Veronica Giuliani (d. 1727), Sr. Chiara Isabella Fornari (d. 1744), Sr. Columba Schonath (d. 1787), Luisa Piccarreta (d. 1947), and Sr. Maria Rumolda Van Beek (d. 1948).

  

Beatified mystic, Bl. Maria Bolognesi... 

and a photo of the miraculous ring she

received from Jesus Christ during her

"Mystical Marriage" to him.

The ring is most often visible only to the mystic, but on rare occasions, there were tangible signs of this mysterious piece of jewelry.  In the case of St. Catherine dei Ricci (d. 1590) and Marie-Julie Jahenny (d. 1941 - La Fraudais, France), there were elaborate marks that appeared around the ring fingers.  In the incredible cases of St. Colette of Corbie (d. 1447) and Bl. Maria Bolognesi (d. 1980 - Rovigo, Italy), the rings they received from the Lord were solid gold... and visible!  In fact, St. Colette was known to often lend her ring to her Franciscan collaborators whenever she wanted to ensure their protection during difficult journeys.  It never failed in its heavenly power to protect and ward off evil!

Reading of Hearts / Prophecy - the gift of seeing the hidden secrets of men’s hearts and/or foretelling future events has been reported in the lives of Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824), Bl. Elizabetta Canori-Mora (d. 1825), Bl. Anna Maria Taigi (d. 1837), Anna Henle (d. 1950), Edvige Carboni (d. 1952), Anna Tomanova (d. 1957), Bl. Elena Aiello (d. 1961), Sr. Monica de Jesus Zapater (d. 1964), St. Padre Pio (d. 1968), Maria Esperanza de Bianchini (d. 2004), and the little-known Colombian mystic, Bro. Roque Solaque (d. 2009).

Transverberation / Mystical Hearts - the sublime gift of having one's heart and soul pierced and infused with the fire of Divine Love (Incendium Amoris!); another sign of a soul's profound union with God and a mark of a high degree of sanctity.  At times, the reception of this rare mystical grace also leaves a physical effect on the body such as a sensible, abnormal heat in the heart; or even an actual wound within the heart itself; or its mysterious enlargement, displacing ribs. Among the chosen souls who received this gift can be counted St. Catherine of Genoa (d. 1510), St. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582), St. Paul of the Cross (d. 1775), Madre Maria Villani (d. 1670), St. Mariam Baouardy (d. 1878), St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903), Teresa Palminota (d. 1934), and St. Padre Pio (d. 1968).

The figure of a crucifix, which was

found embedded in the incorrupt heart

of St. Clare of Montefalco.

In the hearts of the following individuals, images associated with the Passion of Christ - crucifixes, crown of thorns, nails, spear, etc. - were also found 'engraved' in varying degrees in the very tissues of the heart muscle: St. Clare of Montefalco (d. 1308), Sr. Cecilia Nobili (d. 1655), St. Charles of Sezze (d. 1670), and Maria Luisa Biagini (d. 1811).

In the outstanding case of the Franciscan Capuchin mystic-nun, St. Veronica Giuliani (d. 1727 - Citta di Castello, Italy), she was made aware by divine inspiration of the symbols of the Passion inexplicably impressed on her heart... and she even claimed that they sometimes "moved" to accommodate new symbols that were granted to her in conjunction with any new stigmatic sufferings she received from Jesus.  Fortunately, St. Veronica was practical enough to have a fellow nun draw several diagrams of her heart with the variety of religious emblems on them - a cross, nails, a spear, etc. - and after her death, an autopsy confirmed the reality of the markings that were indeed clearly present on her heart!  Not surprisingly, the miraculous images of the Lord's Passion corresponded exactly with the last drawing that the Saint had described to the artist.  Incredible!

Weeping Images - in modern times, there have been several alleged stigmatics who have had weeping religious statues and pictures closely associated with them, usually in their homes.  Images that have wept regular, watery tears and even blood.  This phenomena was reported in the cases of Sr. Agnes Sasagawa (living Marian visionary of the Akita apparitions), Alan Ames (living), Alina Coia (living), Angelik Caruana of Malta (living), Little Audrey Marie Santo (d. 2007), Bettina Jamundo (deceased?), the Servant of God Concetta Pantusa (d. 1953), Debora Marasco (living), Enzo Alocci (deceased?), Fr. James Bruse (living), Mario D'Ignazio (living), Myrna Nazzour (living visionary of the Soufanieh apparitions), Pina Micali (deceased), and Teresa Musco (d. 1976).

 

Above Row: Mystic, Bettina Jamundo,

with her weeping Marian image; the

Bambino of Alina Coia.

Bottom Row: The Queen of the World

statue of Enzo Alocci; the Christ of

Limpias bust of Teresa Musco.

 

+  Characters Beyond Reproach

“Then Jesus said to his disciples:

if any man will come after me, let him

deny himself, and take up his cross,

and follow me.”

~ Words of Our Lord, Matthew 16:24

Mystics and Stigmatics who have been accorded the honor of Canonization or Beatification, or who are currently being investigated for Sainthood, can safely be looked upon by the Faithful as honest and credible recipients of supernatural graces.  The very fact that the Church has subjected their lives to rigorous scrutiny and has even raised some of them up as ultimate examples of faith and virtue for all Christians, really says it all about their excellent characters.  Plus, keep in mind - in considering people for the honor of Sainthood, the Church does not regard any mystical gift(s) as definite proof of holiness, but rather, they are evaluated strictly on the level of virtue they practiced during their lives.

            

             

Six modern Stigmatics who were raised

to the glory of the altar (left to right, top

to bottom): Bl. Maria Maddalena of the

Passion (d. 1921), Anna Schaffer (d. 1925),

Bl. Dina Belanger (d. 1929), Bl. Maria Pilar

Izquierdo (d. 1945), Bl. Alexandrina da

Costa (d. 1955), & Bl. Elena Aiello (d. 1961).

Among the many virtues exemplified by true Stigmatics, the most consistent would probably be Humility and Obedience (to their religious superiors or Church authority), plus a profound willingness to bear all sufferings for the love of God and neighbor.  I would speculate that most Stigmatics would prefer to remain hidden away from curious eyes and the public spotlight if they had a choice about the matter.  Some stigmatized mystics were so weary about being viewed as special or holy, they hid their wounds the best they could or prayed to have them become invisible.  In some cases, the wounds reappeared after the death of the mystic.

Marie Rose Ferron of Rhode Island, USA.

She prayed for her stigmata to become

invisible and her prayer was granted.

After her death, traces of the crown were

still visible under her head wrappings.

The invisible stigmata was noted in the lives of St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380), Bl. Osanna Andreasi of Mantua (d. 1505), St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi (d. 1607)... and also in the modern cases of Bl. Anna Rosa Gattorno (d. 1900), Sr. Maria Fidelis Weiss (1923), St. Anna Schaffer (d. 1925), Sr. Miriam Teresa Demjanovich (d. 1927), Marie Rose Ferron (d. 1936), Berthe Petit (d. 1943), and Bl. Alexandrina da Costa (d. 1955).

+  Living Stigmatics & the Need for Discernment

“And it shall come to pass, in the last

days, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all

flesh: and your sons and your daughters

shall prophesy, and your young men shall

see visions, and your old men shall

dream dreams.”

~ Acts 2:17

There are quite a number of individuals living today who are purportedly imprinted with the wounds of Christ (80+ and the number has been growing in recent years); more than any other time in history... and many of them are recipients of alleged Marian apparitions, as well.  Some, in my personal opinion, can be reasonably viewed as credible - for example, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa of the Church-approved Marian apparitions in Akita, Japan… and Mrs. Gladys Quiroga de Motta, the visionary of San Nicolas, Argentina, whose Marian apparitions are rumored to be on the verge of being officially approved by her local Bishop.  But for the most part, careful discernment is a must, as there are some individuals who claim Stigmata, yet are heavily involved with Esoteric and New Age ideologies.  One even claims to be in direct contact with UFOs and alien beings!

An alleged stigmatic-visionary,

living, as of this writing: Mario D'Ignazio

(Brindisi, Italy)

At this point, I’d like to remind readers that the Devil can also work wonders to mislead us so we need to be on guard.  Diabolic or false stigmata has been detected on more than one occasion in the history of the Church.  Two famous cases are the Spanish mystic, Sr. Magdalena de la Cruz (d. 1560 - Cordoba, Spain), who during a serious illness, confessed that her life-long mystical gifts were the result of a pact she made with demons.  The case of the French peasant woman, Rose Tamisier (b. 1818), was quickly exposed as a fraud after she was caught in a blatant lie by one of her confessors; she apparently perpetrated stigmata and other supposed mystical gifts as a way of seeking celebrity and personal gain.

A heretical anti-Pope, the late-Clemente

Dominguez (d. 2005), exhibiting stigmata

during an alleged visionary experience.

Fairly recently, a man named Clemente Dominguez (d. 2005 - Palmar de Troya, Spain) manifested apparent supernatural stigmata during alleged visions of Jesus and Mary in the 1970s… but he also ended up founding his own version of the Catholic Church with his many followers and even proclaimed himself its Pope; obviously a very big red flag!  This all goes to show how easily the Devil can infiltrate and deceive people… and how in matters of private revelations, we should always look to the Catholic Church for guidance… or at the very least, practice some good ol’ common sense grounded in solid Church teachings.  As Scriptures state: “By their fruits you shall know them.” (Matthew 7:16)

+  Conclusion

“Oh, how full I am of compassion...

and how I desire - I need - the generosity

of some to make reparation for others.

It is love that makes reparation.”

~ Words of Our Lord to

Sr. Mary of the Holy Trinity, a

Poor Clare of Jerusalem (d. 1942)

I firmly believe that we - the people of the entire world - owe a big debt of gratitude to true Stigmatics, as these people, throughout history, have been the “lightning rods” of Divine Justice for all of us sinners. Contrary to the popular opinion that the Sacred Stigmata goes against the concept of a loving God, I beg to differ - sure, it’s disturbing and painful just to view graphic photos of those who suffer this grace... but that is the reality of the Passion of Christ; what Jesus endured to save us from the ugliness of sin wasn't a pretty sight.

An intense scene from the epic Biblical

movie, the "Passion of the Christ

(incidentally, ideas for this film were

gleaned from the visions of the Stigmatic,

Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich)

For me, I’ve come to comprehend that the lives of holy stigmatized souls are all part of God’s plan of Divine Mercy and Love... and I am grateful to the Lord and all these souls who were (and are) willing to suffer for us.  The many sins committed by today’s society cry out loudly for God’s justified wrath, but in his goodness and mercy, he works with a few hand-picked souls who voluntarily cooperate with Christ in absorbing into their own flesh the well-deserved punishment meant for a much wider group of people.  At the same time, through the holy example and the heavenly messages delivered by true Stigmatics, we are given the opportunity to reconcile with God and return to his loving embrace.

            

            

Six modern Stigmatics who were in

good standing with Church authorities

(left to right from top): Felomena Carnevale

(d. 1959), Sr. Maria Rumolda Van Beek (d.

1948), Sr. Miriam Teresa Demjanovich

(d. 1927), Natuzza Evolo (d. 2009),

Katarzyna Szymons (d. 1986), and

Madre Maria Luisa Zancajo (d. 1954).

Incidentally, in the cases of Felomena, Sr. Maria Rumolda, Madre Maria Luisa, and Natuzza pictured above... their pious lives are currently being investigated by their respective dioceses for possible Sainthood.  In the case of Sr. Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, who is currently a "Venerable", a miraculous cure attributed to her intercession has recently been approved by the Vatican and her Beatification is scheduled for October 2014.  How exciting and what a great blessing for the Church in America!

NOTICE:  It is not this author's intention to anticipate the judgement of the Church in regards to the mystic souls named in this blog. Any statements presented herein are simply my personal opinions and I submit to the final judgement of the Catholic Church in regards to these matters.