Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-08-26

The case OF Mary Reilly. a postu-
liant at 81. Germain's villa. the Peeks'
kill IN. ~ convent Of the Sisters Of
the Good Shepherd. who Is under con
slant observation to establish whether
she Is a true stigmatic, has created
widespread interest. The seal OF 81.
lence imposed by Archbishop Hayes
upon all who have knowledge Of the
situation remains unbr0ken.
A stigmatic Is person who bears
on hands, feet, side or brow the marks
OF the Passion and undergoes CORE.
spending and intense suffering. Some
have sufferings without the markings,
and these are called invisible stigmata.
In the case Of Mary Reilly II Is said
she has stigma which Is only one
mark of the Passion. In her case II
is reported that the mark is the sign
of cross on her right side and that
she suffers considerably.
First Case Recorded.
Her case has created interest In
the stigmata. as feature Of eccle-
siastical history. II has been a sub
ject of keen discussion among clerics
and publicists, Catholic. non-Catho-
lie and heretlcal. since the first record
Of such development found its way
into church history. This was In the
Thirteenth century, when the most
notable case was recorded. This was
St. Francis OF Assist. In him 1t took
the form of the nail wounds on the
hands and feet the wounds having
excrescences of flesh. representing the
nails of the Crucitxion. ON one side
these excrescences were black and like
nail heads. on the other side they APP
peared To be points which had been
bent back to grasp the flesh.
Marie de Moerl. at the age Of twen-
ty QS22). was another instance and,
though delicate in health lived in that
condition 30 years. Thursdays and
Fridays her stlgmata shed very clear
blood, becoming dry on other days.
Thousands saw this woman, includ-
Ing Wiseman and Lord Shrewsbury,
who wrote about her. Louise Lateau
of Belgium. at eighteen, became stig-
matte. which did not prevent her from
supporting her people by sewing.
She was born in 1850. Another was
st. Catherine Of Siena.
Admit Stigmata Existed.
Even free-thinking publicists who
have investigated reported cases ad-
nit that the stigmata existed as Il
fact. notably Doctor Dumas, pro-
fessor OF religious philosophy at the
Sorbonne. In an article on the sub
Iect in the Revue des Deux Mondes
of May |. 1870.
Free-ihinking aud Catholic sclen.
fists alike have questioned the mlracu
lous nature OF these wounds. and ~
the processes OF canonization the
church has never accepted them as In
conteStably miraculous. II Is because
of the extreme care that the church
takes in the investigation of these mat
tiers that silence Is generally imposed
upon those having knowledge OF them
until the investigation has been COM
pleted.
Or. Imbert. in LA Stigmatisat ion."
published In Paris in 1894. sought to
catalogue the known cases of stigmata
In church history. and accounted for
total OF 32l in which he felt there was
every reason to believe In divine ac-
ton.
Many OF the free.thlnking scientists
h0t tha c9t in.
duced the condition In themselves by
vivid imaginlngs and emotional excite
ment, but the church logicians have
retorted that imagination can never
create visible, bleeding wound.
The medical profession naturally In
sists that such manifestations can
be traced 10 physiological causes.