User:Worm That Turned/Teresa Helena Higginson

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Teresa Helena Higginson
Born27 May 1844
Holywell
Died15 March 1905
Chudleigh
NationalityBritish
Known formiracles

Teresa Helena Higginson (27 May 1844 – 15 March 1905) was a British Roman Catholic mystic.

Life[edit]

Higginson was born in Holywell in 1844.[1] Her father Robert Francis Higginson was a Catholic and his wife was a convert. Higginson went to a convent school in Nottingham.

During her life Higginson's hands and feet bled in a way known as stigmata.[1]

Higginson died in Chudleigh and was declared a Servant of God.[2]

Chronology[edit]

All from: [3] except research bits that match up using ref names.

  • 1841 Parents: Frances Higginson (catholic, Preston, educated Stoneyhurst), Mary Bowness (Catholic convert, Cumbria) They met in Ireland and married in Loughlyn, Roscommon in October 1841) Moved to Gainsborough after married.
  • - Father, Robert Francis Higginson[4]
  • 1844 3rd child Teresa born 27th May 1844 when mother on pilgrimage to St Winefride's well in Holywell.

5 girls & 3 boys in family. (sister Louise) - Built a chapel in house.

  • - Born Holywell[5] when parents on pilgrimage[4] 7? children in family[6]
  • 1847ish? Young age (3-4) devoted self to God and was very upset for her sin of ignoring her mothers call.
  • - Was a strange and sickly child[5] At age 3 "suddenly fell on the ground overpowered, as she said, by the realization of God's Holy Presence. It was then that she vowed her-self to His service for all time"[6]
  • 1854 Mercy Nottingham Convent - fell from tree missed a year from school. Believed devil caused her to shake as she "offered up her sufferings in reparation for the sins of others"
  • - Went to 1854 Mercy Nottingham Convent, returned home and was very religious and spent lot of time praying. poor health so sisters nursed her[5] Went to convent at 10yrs old but left early due to ill health[6]
  • 1857 (12 April) first communion
  • 1857 (17 May) confirmed name Agnes
  • 1865 Left convent. Father bankrupt, went to St Helens, Teresa tried to get jobs doing needlework.[5] Family later moved to Egremont
  • - Father bankrupt, went to St Helens, Teresa tried to get jobs doing needlework (can't remember the source). Father bankrupt and she trained as teacher[6]
  • 1871 smallpox outbreak - shortage of teachers so Mary Philips (head of Notre Dame Teachers Training College) recommended Teresa (as her sister was a student at Notre). Worked at Cross and Passion monastery in Little Sutton, St Helen under Fr Ignatius Spencer. No training, after 1 year did teacher test and passed.
  • 1872 teacher at St Mary's, Wigan. Other teachers she lived with noticed strange things - thrown out of bed, "fits of ecstacy", appearance of soap, fasting (3 days without food)
  • - Teacher at St Mary's in Wigan[4][6]
  • 1874 (good friday) first stigmata.
  • 1875 went home - job in Seacombe then went to St Albans, Liscard. 13 October - father died in St Helens (she had had visions beforehand)
  • 1877 Got job in with Jesuits at Sabden teaching.
  • 18?? returned home with ill health - to Neston; Fr. Powell spiritual director.
  • - (around this time) When teaching she lived with friend, Susan Rowland in Liverpool. Told her that devil & Virgin Mary visited her; Susan saw Teresa "falling into a trance and speaking in a strange voice that was obviously not her own" - consulted Father Powell - he thought she might be insane. He then saw her "writing in a hand that was obviously not her own". Powell and her would write prophecies (source gives list of them). "began to suffer the wounds of the crucifixion" and would fall and furniture would fly around room. [5]
  • 1879-1887?? St Alexander school, Bootle - "devil's banging and dragging noises frightened the people Teresa lodged with". Devil pretended to be her which caused people to not believe her.
  • - Taught at St Alexanders School, Bootle[6] and Clitheroe[4] Was dismissed due to controversy some said she was a saint others said she was "the victim of hallucinations and branded her as a liar and a hypocrite"[6]


  • 1883 her mother died. Priest there didn't believe her - refused Holy Communion
  • 1886 couldn't get Liverpool job ("due to rumours") so went to Eccleshall until it closed - Then went to Neston then job in Osbaldistone
  • 1887 - saw "a host come through roof" - 24th October experienced Mystical Marriage - Then went to Scotland - St Catherine's Convent Edinburgh stayed 12 years with nuns. cooked for nuns and taught at school in Selkirk. "fortelling that some of the children would die in a war of submarines and aeroplanes"
    Spent 12 years at St Catherine's Convent in Edinburgh.<rref name=Derry/>
  • 1899 - sister Fannie got ill so she went home. She went to 3 masses a day. She foresaw that a Catholic Cathedral would be built on the site of a work house.
  • 1900 jubilee - went on pilgrimage to paris, genoa and rome - met Pope Piux X; continued to florence, venice and padua. - then spent some time nursing Fr Powell and Maggie Garnett
  • - Pope Piux X remarked that "she was a special child of God"[7]
  • 1902 went back to Neston
  • 1903/1904 took up post as teacher on Lord Cliftons estate - lived in house next to school. (she took the post as she had had a vision of it before she went - she thought she was there for a mission)
  • - Teacher in Chudleigh only for a year before illness[6]
  • 1904 Bronchitis
  • 1904, 14th Decemeber had a stoke was very unwell with seizures.
  • 1905, 15th February died. Buried in donated Franciscan habit (she gave all hers away), buried with mother at St Winefride, Neston.
  • - Died 15th Feb 1905[6] sister brought her body to St Winefride's, Neston; her grave is visited by "pilgrims from all over the world"[5] 1930 - "Lourdes" at her grave, people put "petitions in a black tin box" at end of grave - asking for cures. (some people said it worked and went to Archbishop of Liverpool to testify in a "Court of Inquiry" - "investigated by the Holy See". People visited from all over the world and box had to be emptied often and contents burned[8]
  • Fr Canon Snow collected papers and personal accounts of her being a saint. he says she was "essentially a contemplative and not an active saint" - known as the "Spouse of the Crucified"
  • - known as Contemplative Saint[5]


  • 1935 Cause for beatification began
  • - 1936 Petition was signed by "nearly 200,000 people in every country of the world except Russia" for beatification.[9]
  • 1937 appeal for canonisation in Rome - declared Servant of God.[10]

References[edit]

  1. Ref name = Roberts[5]
  2. Ref name = Billy[7]
  3. Ref name=Cruz[10]
  1. ^ a b Teresa Helena Higginson, Amazon, Retrieved 24 November 2015
  2. ^ Life story, TeresaHigginson.com, Retrieved 24 November 2015
  3. ^ Moreton, Mr & Mrs T. (2005). Teresa Helena Higginson (PDF). Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "May become a saint: Rome asked to Canonise Preston woman". Lancashire Evening Post. 19 July 1935. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Roberts, Billy (2014). Ghostly Tales: Poltergeists, Haunted Houses, and Messages from Beyond. Llewellyn Worldwide. ISBN 9780738739786.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Cause of Saintly School Teacher". Derry Journal. 28 August 1936. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  7. ^ a b Roberts, Billy (2012). The Angels' Book of Promises (reprint ed.). John Hunt Publishing. pp. 118–120. ISBN 9781780991627.
  8. ^ "Womans mystic grave". Nottingham Evening Post. 16 August 1930. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Beatification appeal signed in many lands". Derry Journal. 21 February 1936. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  10. ^ a b Cruz, Joan Carroll (1999). Angels And Devils. TAN Books. ISBN 9781618908902.

Extra Bits[edit]

  • Teresa had "ecstasies, mortifications and stigmata - was once dismissed from school for "apparent poltergeist phenomena" and later accused of theft"[1]
  • taught in schools all over the UK.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
  • she fasted, had little sleep and had stigmata.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nickell, Joe (1993). Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures. Prometheus Books. p. 223. ISBN 9780879758400.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Derry was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

External links[edit]

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