Of the women religious discussed in this exhibit, the Stigmatics, Louise Lateau and Therese Neumann, are outliers. Technically, they are not women religious, since neither joined a religious order. However, they lived religious lives and had mystical experiences, including the reception of stigmata, and so their pamphlets have been included in the exhibit.

Scientific interest in mysticism had grown during their lifetimes, and unfortunately the attention they attracted was not entirely positive. Various scholars, both Catholic and not, made attempts to discern the source and validity of their stigmata and other experiences. As a result of this interest, the stories of Louise Lateau and Therese Neumann offer a lens into a transformative time in Catholic history.

Source:

Lachapelle, Sofie. "Between Miracle and Sickness: Louise Lateau and the Experience of Stigmata and Ecstasy." Configurations 12, no. 1 (2004): 77-105. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/con.2005.0003.