Kathryn Ann Clarke

Kathryn Ann Clarke is an American writer living in Ireland, known for her young adult fiction and her work in domestic violence prevention, and also for her Catholic mystical writings published under the pseudonym "Anne, a lay apostle".

Domestic violence prevention Kathryn Ann Clarke earned her BA degree at Saint Xavier University in Criminal Justice/Counseling. For over twenty years, she has counseled women victims of domestic violence. As a Certified Law Enforcement Instructor, she has presented numerous training programs for counselors, prosecutors, police officers, and judges.

Clarke's 2004 novel The Breakable Vow, a work of young adult fiction, explores issues of abusive relationships and domestic violence, and is accompanied by a curriculum guide for use in schools.

Mystical writings In September 2001, Clarke visited the town of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a site of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary since the 1980s, and soon thereafter began to write messages she claimed to be from Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and various Catholic saints. Clarke stated she received these messages in prayer as interior locutions. The messages are available in eighteen different languages. Since the Vatican only considers this a "potential negative indicator", it is unknown whether Kathryn Clarke's drawing a salary from her organization can be considered "evidence of a search for profit or gain strictly connected to the fact." In other words, since personal financial gain that results from the fact of a purported private revelation is a potential negative indicator, the Catholic Church may or may not consider that to be evidence against supernatural activity. According to the CLG annual report filed with the Irish government, none of the directors received a salary, but "salaries of €55,464 were paid to four connected parties of Kathryn Clarke (Company Director) and James Clarke (Company Director) during the year ended June 2019. 2018: €64,095. The connected party relationship of all four to Kathryn Clarke and James Clarke is that of parent and child." Fr. Connolly, vice president and chaplain, is listed as making $27,401 in 2019. The form also stated that McCarthy is Clarke's niece. Since the fiscal year ending in mid-2005, the United States' DFOT has reported income over $14.6 million. In that time, the organization reports it has also spent over half a million dollars on travel or approximately $30,000 per year which many would not consider excessive given the size of organization and number of international events. key personnel YE June 2019 YE June 2018 YE June 2017 YE June 2016 YE June 2015 YE June 2014 YE June 2013 YE June 2012 YE June 2011 YE June 2010 YE June 2009 Kathryn Clarke reportable comp $115,714 $114,684 $126,584 $97,027 $120,803 $95,157 $61,102 $62,300 $62,550 $62,550 $67,341 Kathryn Clarke additional comp. -- -- $19,164 $14,696 $14,444 $13,706 $13,830 $15,824 $5,952 $5,427 $2,051 Darragh Connolly $27,401 $17,972 $28,551 $28,807 $34,515 $33,596 $31,809 $32,970 $33,308 $0 $33,718 Darragh Connolly additional comp. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- $34,310 Endorsements Starting in September 2004, retired New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan promoted the "Anne" messages through his television organization FOCUS and supported them with a letter of endorsement which was published in each volume. FOCUS withdrew its support after the death of Archbishop Hannan in 2011.

In August 2011, Catholic evangelists Sr. Briege McKenna and Fr. Kevin Scallon publicly withdrew support for Direction for Our Times.

Official Church review DFOT stated that it publishes nothing without the permission of the local ordinary, who at the time was Bishop Leo O'Reilly of the Diocese of Kilmore in Ireland. It also stated that Bishop O'Reilly had submitted all of her writings to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

Bishop O'Reilly formed a theological commission to study the "Anne" writings in 2009, and the writings received the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur on Nov 12, 2013. On November 29, 2018, Bishop Leo O'Reilly granted the organization ecclesiastical status in the Church and issued a decree recognizing The Apostolate of the Returning King as a private association of the faithful with juridical personality. On Sept. 20, 2020, Bishop Martin Hayes was ordained the new bishop of the Diocese of Kilmore.

Personal life According to her HarperCollins author bio, Clarke is a victim of domestic violence.