Annella Zervas - Wikipedia (Born in Moorhead, MN) Mary Annella Zervas (7 April 1900 – 14 August 1926) was a Benedictine nun who died after a three-year battle with the skin disease Pityriasis rubra pilaris. Prior to the 1960s, Sister Annella's grave in St. Joseph, Minnesota was considered a place of pilgrimage. According to the Visitor, the official newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud: "While the St. Paul Daily News exaggerated when it reported that "thousands" were visiting her grave, there were some pilgrims to the convent cemetery, and many of them took a handful of dirt from Sister Annella's grave for a souvenir. Interest in Sister Annella dwindled during the 1960s, but she still has some fans. At least one of them, no one seems to know who, puts flowers on her grave regularly.[15] In a 2008 interview with "The Record," a newspaper published by the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, local historian Owen Lindblad alleged that sightings of Zervas were often reported near the convent cemetery by St. Benedict's students in need of "a shoulder to cry on or a little advice".[16] Seeking Sister Annella: Will this nun be Minnesota's first saint? St. Joseph man lobbies for early 20th century nun to be canonized (sctimes.com) I know there is a paywall for this story, again, on firefox, the read immersive reader icon at the top of the page allowed me to read it. I have heard about her. The thing is, part of the story they tell of her sounds a bit, with all due respect to all, like a ghost in the context of what is told. I don't know if that is important. More reading: island life- in a monastery: BENEDICTINE PATRONESS OF SKIN DISORDERS
The wikipedia article cites she read "The Following of Christ" by Geert Groote (1340-1384), Dutchman. The Following of Christ-The Spiritual Diary of Gerard Groote (elcristianismoprimitivo.com) Maybe a precursor to "The Imitation of Christ". I've never seen that website before, no endorsement sd to it's views, etc. I'll look at it. Here's a video, her gravesite appears to be near the "Grasshopper Chapel", swarms of grasshoppers in the 1800s came and destroyed the crop a few times. So, one needs to watch the video, they built a chapel (before or after?) and seemingly, the grasshopper infestations stopped. Added, this accordion player and musician performs a song in honor of Sister Annella. He performs plenty of other songs on youtube. BTW, I did find the little book on her online in PDF form, I'd have to look for it again but could surely find it.
