Saint of the Month - July 2011: Saint Teresa of the Andes

St. Teresa of the Andes

Lily of the Andes

Feast: July 13th

This young South American Saint was born on July 13th, 1900, as Juana Fernandez Solar (a.k.a. 'Juanita') in Santiago, Chile. Her family was both affluent and influential and they filled her childhood years with the obligatory social grooming expected of her social status, including leisure activities such as horseback riding and music lessons. Those who knew her recounted that Juanita was a very pretty girl with a personality that was vivacious and carefree; she laughed readily and her peers truly enjoyed her company. Despite the fact that she appeared to be headed in a worldy direction, deep within her soul the seeds of Faith planted by her pious mother slowly began to take root and grow.

Unknown to her family and friends, Juanita was actually a budding mystic who, as early as 11-years-old, was experiencing 'locutions' (inner mystical communication) with both the Blessed Virgin and her Divine Son. In her naivety, she thought these intimate conversations with Heaven were normal for all people so she never paid any significance to them, or considered herself special in any way. When Our Lady spoke to her, she encouraged Juanita to always be faithful and good... and when she later confided with her spiritual director about her experiences, Juanita simply said of the Lord, "He told me things that would happen, and they did happen"; these mystical communications apparently continued until shortly before she died.

Setting aside the remarkable aspects of her spiritual life, Juanita was a fairly normal teenager. Her spiritual diary and written correspondences are filled with accounts of her aspirations, her doubts, her heroic efforts to practice piety, as well as her childhood crushes on certain boys whom she knew. She even considered marriage at one point, but her attraction to religious life combined with the influence of St. Therese (the Little Flower) eventually solidified her decision to enter the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of Los Andes, Chile. So in 1919, at age 19, Juanita became a novice there and was given the name of 'Sr. Teresa of Jesus'.

In Carmel, nothing external set Sr. Teresa apart from her companions although she was noted for her deep affection for the Holy Virgin who she strove to immitate in faith and virtue. The love she had for Christ also grew like a consuming flame within her... and with the permission of her superiors and spiritual director, she was inspired to make a private offering of herself as a victim-soul for priests and sinners. She had an inner conviction that her offering was accepted by the Lord... and that her death was near. The young nun soon contracted typhus and quickly fell into a desperate state. Sr. Teresa’s superiors, aware of her terminal condition, allowed her to make her final vows from her deathbed before she died on April 12, 1920.

  

Pilgrims praying at the tomb

of St. Teresa, enshrined within her

Sanctuary in Los Andes, Chile.

It wasn’t long after her passing that a spontaneous devotion arose around the memory of Sr. Teresa of Jesus. Rather than falling into obscurity, the message of her life attracted many devotees to the Carmel of Los Andes. Her holy life and miracles were carefully investigated by the Church before her Canonization was realized on March 21, 1993. St. Teresa of the Andes has the distinct honor of being the first Chilean to ever be proclaimed a Saint by the Catholic Church.

A Reflection

"God is thirsting for the love of his creatures. The same God is our beggar. Let us give ourselves to him."  ~ Words of St. Teresa of the Andes

A Short Prayer

Dear Lord, inspire us to love you in the manner that you deserve and desire from us.  May we quench your thirst for love.  Amen.