Saint Anna Schäffer - Life, Faith, and Miracles of the German Mystic

ST. ANNA SCHÄFFER

Saint Anna Schäffer (1882-1925), born in Mindelstetten, Germany, lived a life marked by profound faith and suffering. At age 16, she received a vision that she would endure great suffering without dying. After surviving a severe burn accident in 1901, she embraced her pain as a means of uniting with Christ's passion. Known for her humility, she received the stigmata in 1910. Despite her suffering, she comforted others through prayer and spiritual guidance. Beatified in 1999 and canonized in 2012, she is remembered for her resilience and devotion to God.

Saint Anna Schäffer was born on February 18, 1882, in Mindelstetten, Bavaria, as the third of six children in a devout family. After the death of her father in 1896, Anna had to work as a maid to support her family. Even from an early age, she felt a deep spiritual calling and a desire to join a religious order. At the age of 16, Anna experienced a profound vision in which Jesus revealed that she would suffer greatly but would not die from her affliction. This prophecy was fulfilled on February 4, 1901, when she was severely burned in a workplace accident. Despite undergoing numerous surgeries, her condition remained unchanged, and she was confined to bed for the rest of her life.

Instead of succumbing to despair, Anna embraced her suffering, offering it up to God as a means of uniting herself with Christ’s passion. She developed a life of prayer and spiritual discipline while bedridden, maintaining an unwavering commitment to her faith. She had a particular devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Virgin Mary, often praying for those who sought her counsel.

In 1910, Anna began experiencing the stigmata, the visible wounds of Christ’s crucifixion, which appeared on her body. She bore these marks with great humility and secrecy, only revealing them to a select few. Despite her physical suffering, Anna did not seek sympathy or attention; rather, she used her suffering as a way to deepen her relationship with Christ and to offer spiritual support to others.

From her sickbed, Anna became a source of comfort and spiritual guidance for many, including some members of the Bavarian royal family. She corresponded with people seeking advice, prayer, and solace, offering words of encouragement and counsel. Her reputation for holiness and her deep spiritual wisdom spread throughout the region, and soon, Anna was known far and wide as a woman of extraordinary faith and devotion.

Throughout her life, Anna’s suffering never dampened her joy or faith. She accepted her circumstances with a spirit of prayer and sacrifice, seeing her illness as an opportunity to grow closer to God. She viewed her physical pain not as a curse but as a means of participating in the redemptive suffering of Christ.

After her death on October 5, 1925, reports of miracles began to surface. Over 15,000 miracles were attributed to her intercession, and her legacy as a mystic and a woman of deep spiritual insight continued to inspire devotion. In 1999, Pope John Paul II beatified Anna Schäffer, recognizing her exceptional life of holiness. Thirteen years later, on October 21, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI canonized her as a saint, declaring her a model of faith and perseverance in the face of suffering.

Saint Anna Schäffer's life continues to be a powerful testament to the Christian call to endure suffering with grace, to offer one's pain for the good of others, and to find joy in the service of God. Her feast day is celebrated on October 5 each year, and she is venerated as a patron of those who suffer, especially those enduring physical pain or illness.

Feast Day

5-10-1925

Birth Date

18-2-1882

Died Date

5-10-1925

Canonised Date

21-10-2012

Mindelstetten, Bavaria, Germany

St. Anna Schäffer, Servant of God and model of patience, Pray for us to endure suffering with faith and love. Help us to trust in God’s plan for our lives And to offer our suffering for His glory. Amen.
ST. ANNA SCHÄFFER

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ST. ANNA SCHÄFFER

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