The Life of Sr. Marie de Mandat-Grancey and Mary’s House in Ephesus tells the story of a faith-filled woman’s life of service and her quest to discover the house of the Blessed Virgin in Ephesus.
Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, a Daughter of Charity, responded to God s call and dedicated her life to find Christ, the Word made Flesh, in service to the poor. The first twenty-five years of her ministry were spent caring for the homebound, educating children, accompanying youth in their spiritual journey, and finding families for orphans. In 1886, Sister Marie was sent to Smyrna, near Ephesus, Turkey, where she entered a world very different from her own. While serving in the hospital there, Sister Marie read and shared with her own Sisters and the local Vincentian priests The Life of the Blessed Virgin, by Anne Catherine Emmerich, which recorded the events of Mary s last years spent in Ephesus in a house built for her by St. John. Because of Sister Marie s great devotion to the Blessed Mother, she was determined to find this sacred spot. Through collaboration with her Vincentian brothers, local Muslim guides, and the people of the area, Mary s house was found; but the discovery was just the beginning.