The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-21
The Virgin Mays Ephesian Home

In view of the recent discovery at Ephe-
sus OF the house in which Mary. the mother
OF Jesus. died, an account Of which ap-
peared in the New York Herald, unusual
importance attaches to the utterances or
SISTER Enmerich, the celebrated Westpna-
Ian prophecies, who flour.shed at the be-
ginning of this century.
Catherine Emmerich was pious and IN
educated peasant woman, who is known to
posterity through a large work in several
volumes, which was dictated by her TO the
German writer Clement Brentano, ana ed
tied under his supervision. In II she tells
the story of the life of Jesus from the hour
OF His birth to the hour OF His death MOST
minute is the narrative, not even the most
trifing incident being omitted.
She tells Us everything that Jesus SAID
and did. and. moreover, she gives Us COM
plete itinerary Of all the places IN which
He at any time set foot In one respect
this is the most complete history OF Christ
life that has ever appeared, and appar-
entity the only reason why II has not
become popular is because many facts are
stated therein for which there does not
seem TO be sufficient evidence. Catherins
Emmer;ch claimed that she actually saw
Christ as He walked on this earth, ana
she describes what she saw with unerr1ns
clearness. In other words, she told her
story as though she had been an eye-wit-
ness of all the events described.
AS result her work has given rise 10
some very lively controversies. Some per-
sons regard It as a work Of pure magma
ton; others, on the contrary, insist that 1t
is a most valuable guide 10 the lie OF
Christ In any case Sister Enmer:ch de-
scribed very minutely the occurrences
which took place after the crucihxion'
and among other things she gave praphic
account of the house which ST. John built
for Mary, the mother Of Jesus, IN the su-
burbs of Ephesus, and in which, ACCORDING
TO tradition and several Fathers OF the
Church, she died.
". BOYER d'Agsn says in reference TO
Sister Emmerich's account OF this house:
almost nineteen hundred years after 1t
was built, a cold and probably scepucal
scholar, who had been won over 10 rellS-
ions work by the charitable institutions OF
Saint Vincent de Paul, read by chance In
his cell Catherine Emmerich's story. Al
first he smiled at il. but soon 1t stirred him,
and finally, with the object OF verifying her
statements as 10 the house in which Mary
died. he started for Ephesus. Sister En-
merich's words were his only guide. and,
led by them, he found after so many CEN
turtles of silence the object of his search.
II was not far from Ephesus, and in the
habited only by foxes and serpents. There
he discovered the house, naturally in state
of ruin but with the four walls still stand
ing
Mgr Timoni Archbishop of Smyrna,
hearing of the discovery, decided 10 Visit
the place himself, and in his account OF the
tourney he says that Sister Emmerich's
description of the house, not only as re-
CARDS the location, but also as regards the
interior plan, is entirely accurate. he lays
stress on the fact that the Westphaiian
prophecies never left her native village OF
Dulmen, and consequently could never have
seen these ruins. We also learn from him
that the local name of the place In which
the house is situated is Pan:gia-CapouE.
Here is another curious fact. catherine
Emmerich wrote that the house was round
or octagonal in the rear. Now, since Ngr.
Timoni's report has been published. con-
firmation of this report has been received
from those who are exploring the ruins.