Marie-Julie Jahenny died peacefully on March 4th 1941, in her 92nd year, after living a life of suffering,pain and not least a degree of enormous fascination and curiosity from those acquainted with her at that time.

A renowned Stigmatist and Mystic, Marie-Julie was born into a peasant family, in the village of Coyault, not far from the township of Blain, Northern France. She was the eldest of four children, the others being Charles, Angele and Jeanne. The family later moved to La Fraudais, about two and a half miles from Coyault.

Although Marie-Julie led a devout childhood, she received only six months schooling in the course of those early years, and although she did learn to read, -only printed symbols, not handwriting, -she never learnt to write. During her many ecstasies, she read the revelations in a 'Mystical Sun' doing so in the hesitatingly way of an eight year old child, often stumbling over unfamiliar words or names of places. She would be told, by
the Sun, "Don't worry, your secretaries will know!" She could only speak the dialect of her country district. While the revelations were in perfect French, her remarks, comments, questions, that she inserted, were in her own 'patois', which was certain proof that she was not inventing what she read or repeated. Her 'secretaries' were Adolphe and Auguste Charbonnier, for most of that period. These messages were to remain hidden until the events foretold, were about to take place. In 1972, Fr. Roberdel had been asked to delve into the documents at hand and publish these revelations. In his later book, "Prophecies of La Fraudais," Fr. Roberdel stated that Our Lady said, "My children, the whole world is now no more than a stone which is shaking and unattached to anything here below…It is with the greatest sadness and anguish of heart, that I also recommend you to pray for the land of Jerusalem…A bloody fight will break out brought on partly by the King of Persia, (ruler of Iran) for a possession in these lands of little economic value, to open up a passage for what circulates (flows) on the earth." (Obvious reference to oil. Ed.)
"My children, perhaps even before the first crisis of the 'Eldest Daughter of the Church', (France), begins, there will be sorrowful news from the nations: England, Persia, Jerusalem. All will have undergone great calamities."

It was not until she was aged 23, that she had her first mystical experience, when she became suddenly ill. Her condition steadily worsened and for over three weeks she suffered much while her doctor failed to say whether her condition was cancer of the stomach, or a scrofulous tumour. During this period, Fr. David, one of the two curates of Blain parish, came to give her the last rites.

On March 15th, Marie-Julie declared that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to her and asked, "My dear child, will you accept the five wounds of My Divine Son?" Marie-Julie replied, "Yes, my Dearest Mother, if your Divine Son wishes it."
"My dear child, this will be your mission," said Our Lady.

The curious phenomenon of Stigmata, -the mysterious appearance of wounds resembling, it is said, those that appeared on the body of Jesus Christ, at the time of His crucifixion. There have been many persons down through the ages who have been inflicted, -sometimes joyfully, -with these painful wounds. The most notable of these being, St. Frances of Assisi, St. Teresa of Avila, Padre Pio (now sainted), Teresa Neumann, of Bavaria, and numerous others.

However, for Marie-Julie, the stigmatisation began on Friday 21st March, 1873, and was to continue for 68 years, until her death in 1941. At 9am. on that eventful Friday morning, she had a convulsion and lost consciousness. This occurred five times, and while nearly 200 people waited outside her small cottage, blood began to flow from each wound; her hands, feet and side. Meanwhile, her father had hastened to the presbytery in Blain, to inform the parish priest, Fr. Audrain, that his daughter was in great pain and wounds would soon appear. The priest laughed and said that he would come when it happened. Fr. Audrain did eventually arrive at La Fraudais, to find that the flow of blood had ceased but it had congealed on the palms of Marie-Julie's hands. She stated that Jesus appeared to her and that luminous rays emitted from His five wounds, striking the corresponding parts of her body, causing convulsions and loss of consciousness. "It was as though I was being pierced with a red-hot iron," she said. That afternoon she went through the suffering of the Passion of the Cross, for the first time.

When Fr. David, the curate from Blain, called to give her Holy Communion on
May 2nd, 1873, many people had gathered, including five priests. The mystical or psychical phenomena of that Friday, began with "an attack from the 'devil' that lasted one and a half hours," it was recorded. "No, no!" she cried, jumping so violently in her bed that it broke in several places. Then she received the visitation of Our Lady, and Marie-Julie asked her to cure her brother Charles, who had an infected knee. Almost immediately Charles felt his knee creaking, and discarding his walking sticks, he got up and walked unaided. He wept with emotion and although he was now able to walk in the fields again, he would carry a limp for the rest of his days. This was the first recorded miracle associated with Marie-Julie Jahenny.

During an ecstasy on December16th 1873, Marie-Julie announced that she was "shortly to plight her troth to her heavenly spouse," and that she was to receive a mystical wedding ring from Our Lord. Later, in the presence of fourteen witnesses, her finger swelled, bled and then a ring of flesh gradually developed under their eyes, around the ring finger of her left hand. This was occurring while she was in ecstasy. She had this "wound" for about 35 years, until 1910, although it changed somewhat in 1894, but still remaining quiet clearly marked.

Shortly after this event, she declared on February 5th, 1874, while still in ecstasy, that before long she would take no nourishment at all, and repeated this on February 20th, before the same fourteen witnesses. Accordingly, from Sunday 12th April 1874, to July 15th, she neither ate nor drank, except for her receiving Holy Communion. However,
for the rest of that year she partook of a little food each day until December 28th, when
she ceased eating altogether! She continued this abstinence, uninterrupted, for more than five years and one month!

Numbered amongst the many witnesses at the time, was one Dr. Imbert-Gourbeyer, who is on record as having interviewed Marie-Julie for the first time in 1873, when she was 23 years old. The stigmata had been manifest for only a short time before. It was Mgr. Fournier, Bishop of Nantes, who engaged Dr. Imbert-Gourbeyer to report on the events in the little hamlet of La Fraudais. He had, already, the opportunity of studying professionally, another stigmatisation, that of Louise Lateau, of which he wrote voluminously in the defence of the geniuses and the supernatural origin of her manifestations. His examination and study of Marie-Julie was proved equally satisfactory and accordingly he wrote to the Bishop that he need have no misgivings. The good doctor became a convinced believer in the supernatural character of her phenomena. Viewing such events from a medical point of view, he must have been a fairly competent observer. Moreover, for thirty six years, 1852-1888, he was "Professeur a l'ecole de Medicine
de Clermont", so one cannot summarily dismiss his findings in matters of pathology.
His Frequent visits to La Fraudais, convinced him of her authenticity and he continued
to be so.

Mgr. F. Fournier, the Bishop of Nantes, was a greater believer in the apparitions of Marie-Julie Jahenny, after personally witnessing an ecstasy, but upon his death on June 4th, 1877, the Vicars Capitular of Nantes, forbade Marie-Julie from receiving the Sacraments. This prohibition was confirmed by Mgr. Lecocq, the new Bishop, and was only withdrawn eleven years later in 1889. In the interim, while she was unable to present herself at the alter rails, or to have the Blessed Sacrament brought to her, she received Communion "miraculously" every Sunday, Holy Days and Fridays. Meanwhile, influential priests in the Vatican worked untiringly to make the truth known to the Holy Office, despite slurs cast upon the stigmatisee by the French clergy. Pope Leo XIII eventually ordered the French bishop to allow, once again, the Sacraments to be received by Marie-Julie, after eleven years!

Up to the time of her death in 1941, Marie-Julie made many prophecies, including one on June 1914, which stated that war was imminent, and later in May 1940, that the German army would over-run all of France. Most of these, and other prophecies, were made between 1873 and 1888, and were centred around that period of time, towards the end of last century. However, most of these prophecies had an emphasis on French events.

Amongst the many revelations made to Marie-Julie, are those concerning strange and unknown diseases, made on 5th August 1880, when the following statement was made. "There will be serious diseases that human art will not be able to relieve. This sickness will first attack the heart, then the mind and at the same time, the tongue. It will be horrible.
The heat which will accompany it will be like a devouring fire, unbearable, and so great that those parts of the body affected by it will become red, unbearably red and inflamed. at the end of seven days, this disease, sown like grains of wheat in the field, will spring up everywhere, rapidly, and will spread immensely.

"My Children, here is the only remedy that can save you. You know the leaves of the thorn bush that grows in almost every hedgerow. The leaves of the Hawthorn will stop the progress of this disease. Pick the leaves (and flowers), not the wood. Even dried, they will keep their efficacy. You will pour boiling water over them and leave them for 14 minutes, covering the contents so that the steam remains. At the very onset of the disease, you will need to take some of this remedy three times per day.

"My Children, this sickness will be widespread in Brittany. People will think less of God. The disease will produce continual heart burns and vomiting. If this remedy is taken too late, the parts affected will become black and in the black, there will be like furrows (streaks) of yellowish colour."

In another ecstasy in 24th April 1880, there was mention of "a plague which would affect people as well as animals (cattle). This calamity will spread in more northerly parts."
Crops will also be affected.

In Marie-Julie's tiny bedroom hangs a white banner representing St. Michael crushing the devil. It was brought to La Fraudais by a devoted group of Canadian pilgrims. They had first heard of Marie-Julie, in recent years, after having heard of a Canadian man, who was dying of cancer, stated that he had a visitation from a little old lady who appeared before him saying, "I am Marie-Julie. I have come to heal you." He was cured! The man had never heard of Marie-Julie, and immediately set about making enquiries as to her identity. Later, this banner was sent in acknowledgement of the miraculous cure. From that moment, Marie-Julie became well-known in Canada.

Devotion to Marie-Julie Jahenny, comes mainly from followers in France, and French-speaking Canadians, due to the fact that very little has been written in English about those mysterious events which took place, over one hundred and fifty years ago, in La Fraudais, Northern France.