 Von Speyr's father permitted her to return to her former secondary school, where she was the only girl in her class and was very popular, due to her charm, sense of humor, and natural leadership.In November 1917 she experienced a mystical vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by angels and saints; her later work would always be marked by a deeply Marian character.Around this same time, von Speyr knew, she said, that her father would soon die.