Early Life
She was born as Anna Katharina into a family of poor farmers, and had nine brothers and sisters. From an early age, she had to help with the house and farm work. Her schooling was rather brief, but all those who knew her noticed that she felt drawn to prayer from an early age. At twelve she started to work at a large farm in the vicinity for three years, and later learned to become a seamstress and worked as such for several years.
She applied for admission to various convents, but was rejected because she could not afford a dowry to bring with her. Eventually, the Poor Clares in Münster agreed to accept her provided she would learn to play the organ. She went to the organist Söntgen in Coesfeld to study music and learn to play the organ there, but never got around to it because the poverty in the Söntgen family prompted her to just work there to help them, and she sacrificed her small savings for that. Later, one of the Söntgen daughters entered the convent with her.
Read more about this topic: Anne Catherine Emmerich
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