teresa of avila

Teresa was in the convent school with the Augustinian Nuns (see previous post) for about a year and a half. She says that although she grew closer to God, “I still had no desire to be a nun, and I asked God not to give me this vocation” (Life 3.2).

Although Teresa “suffered much” in the first days of being in the monastery, she grew to like being with the nuns.

Saint Teresa of Avila tells of a time when she was 7 and her brother was 11. After having read the lives of the saints, they decided that martyrdom was the quickest and easiest way to get to heaven.

Today is the feast day of Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). Teresa is a Doctor of the Church, a major Catholic reformer (particularly in the Carmelite order), a mystic and writer. She is also one of the patron saints of the IHM Congregation.