St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

Feast Day: October 15
Canonized: March 12, 1622
Patron of Spain, the sick, religious, lace makers

Founder of the Discalced Carmelites, Teresa was born in Avila, Spain. A pious child, she built her own ‘hermitage’ in her back yard where she would pretend to be a nun. She was devoted to the Blessed Mother, and was just 13 when her own mother died. Teresa then asked Mary to be her mother.

As a teen, Teresa’s fervor cooled, but was renewed after reading the lives of the saints – and she resolved to become one herself. Upon entering a Carmelite convent, she found their discipline lax. She believed the nuns spent too much time entertaining visitors, rather than in devotion to prayer, penance, and good works. Despite certain resistance, she began reforming the Carmelite order, and expanded it with many new convents.

In her youth, Teresa sometimes found it difficult to pray amid distractions, but over time she developed techniques that fortified her prayer life. She wrote extensively on prayer and spirituality; she was also a mystic blessed with visions of Jesus, who taught her much about the Faith. She was named a Doctor of the Church in 1970 for her teachings and writings on prayer. Among Teresa’s spiritual masterpieces are The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle.