The Devil in Bootle: The Life and Afterlife of Teresa Higginson

by Richard Whittington-Egan

This is a curious story of a very strange woman. Saint, fraud, self-deceiver, imposter, religious maniac or insane. That is the question to be decided. In 1938, thousands of devout Catholics were deeply disappointed when the Vatican pronounced Ônon expedireÕ on the cause of the beatification of Teresa Higginson. The judgement left the door open but, as the years have passed, the canonisation of the ÔMaid of the MerseyÕ seems as far away as it was then. Teresa Higginson remains a great enigma. Today, she still has a legion of supporters who see in her the required qualities of sainthood. But to others, she has been dismissed as someone suffering from extreme religiosity or possession by the Devil. In his compelling and timely account, Richard Whittington-Egan examines her visions, her battles with the Devil and reception of the stigmata and places them in the context of her undoubted devotion and spirituality. So É who was Teresa Higginson?

383 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2010