Today, October 15, is the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila.
Virgin and Doctor of the Church. Foundress of the Order of Discalced Carmelites.
Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born in 1515 to the Spanish nobility, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Doña Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints and playing “hermit” in their garden. She was crippled by a disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at home. She credited St. Joseph for curing her. Her mother died when Teresa was 12, and she prayed to Our Lady to be her replacement.
Her father was against her entry to the religious life, so she left home without telling anyone, and entered a Carmelite monastery at age 17. Her father and family consented when they realized she was serious about her vocation.
Teresa became dangerously sick after taking her vows. Lack of medical help made matters worse. Throughout her life, she never became completely healthy.
She then had mystical experiences, including levitation and visions. Her visions were tested by both Dominicans and Jesuits, such as St. Francis Borgia, who assured her that the visions came from God.
Teresa realized that her community was too negligent in following the Rule, so she founded a reformed convent, which led to more houses and monasteries. Her activities were violently opposed by local authorities. With the help of St. John of the Cross, these all led to the forming of the Discalced Carmelites.
Her writings on prayer and the spiritual life became classics: her autobiography, “The Interior Castle,” “Way Of Perfection,” among others.
She died in 1582 in the arms of trusted companion Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew. Her last words were: “My Lord, it is time to move on. Well then, may your will be done. O my Lord and my Spouse, the hour that I have longed for has come. It is time to meet one another.”
She was beatified in 1614 by Pope Paul V. On March 12, 1622, Pope Gregory XV canonized her.
In 1970, Pope Saint Paul VI proclaimed her Doctor of the Church along with St. Catherine of Siena, making them the first female Doctors of the Church. St. Teresa is officially called “Doctor of Prayer.”