The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-06-27
MARIA D'AGRIDA'S CASE.
CONTINUED from page II

After having been privileged with her conf
dence Benavides now began to question her in de
tail on the lay of the distant land of New Mexico,
with which he intimately familiar. He exam
med her on the topography of the country, the
landmarks of the locality she claimed to have seen
or visited, the dress and habits of the tribe she
converted and, indeed the minute particulars of
the region and It's people, with which only who
had lived for time in the country could be
at all familiar. To his establishment he found the
we'll acquainted as himself with everything
concerning New Mexico and its people. She was
not only familiar with the topography of the coun-
try, but she told him the Indian names of the vii
lagos and rivers which could only be known to one
who had lived with the tribes. She even added she
had many times seen the priest and his companions
corroborating her statement by furnishing him with
the names of the places where they were staying
certain days, and supplying minute details
touching the lives of each of the missionaries
MARIA D'AGREDA'S EXPLANATION
Benavides, intending to reduce to writing not
alone the strange history of the miraculousy CON
verted tribe, but also his interview with Maria
d'Agreda ventured to question her critically touch
ing the manner, lie mode" by which she was able
to visit the tribe of New Mexico He put
straight question to her by asking if 81 were there
corporaly or in person In answer 10 his question,
she showed considerable diffidence md reserve but
later, in declaration which she herself wrote out
she expressed her opinion, in the words of st. Paul.
when recounting for the Corinthians his wonder
full experience: Il know man in Christ, whether
in the body, l know not, or out of the body, [
know not caught up into paradise and
heard secret words, which it is not granted to man
to utter" II Cor. XIII ~
She concluded her declaration as follows
'That which appears to me to be more certain
as regards the manner by which these occurrences
took place. is that an angel from heaven appeared
among these people under my figure, preached to
and instructed these Indians, and that it was
shown to me here, while was in ecstasy, all that
then happened in the country so far away" Marie
d'Agreda ct la cite mystiquede Dieu, par Dom
Gueranger)
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
deem this remarkable case of such Importance
in association with the Mexican tradition of the
"Fair God" or the white patriarch who in pre-
Columbian times preached Christianity in Mexico
and Yucatan that l am warranted in introducing
additional authorities in support of the conten-
lions of Culinary Shea and Dom Guerander. In
the life of the beloved franciscan priest Junipero
Sierra, by Father Palou there is to be found the
letter of Benavides recording the facts and also
letter of Maria dAgreda. Benavides' memorial
was published in Madrid in 1880. The whole his
tory of the case will be found in La Mistica Gin
dad de Dios," copy of which | examined in the
library of St. Johns college, Fordham
When Benavides' Memorial appeared and for
many years after its appearance, many eminent
writers attacked or defended the actually of the
event The discussion filled many volumes but
the church has given no decision and we are left
free to believe or disbeleve the account as we are
the writings of Plutarch or the history of the
younger Livy. To me it appears to be an estab-
lished case of clairyoyant trance, and in process
of canonization would not, | think, be placed