Teresa of the Andes
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| Teresa of the Andes | |
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| Born | July 13, 1900, Santiago, Chile |
| Died | April 12, 1920 (aged 19), Carmelite monastery of Los Andes, Chile |
| Beatified | April 3, 1987, Santiago, Chile by Pope John Paul II |
| Canonized | March 21, 1993, Rome by Pope John Paul II |
| Feast | April 12 |
| Attributes | small cross, flowers |
| Patronage | Chile, young people |
 Saints Portal |
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Saint Teresa of the Andes, Teresa de Jesús "de los Andes," (July 13, 1900 – April 12, 1920) was a Chilean nun canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
She was born as Juana Fernández del Solar in Santiago, Chile: her nickname was "Juanita". She was the daughter of an upper class family. Early in her life she read an autobiography of the French Saint Thérèse de Lisieux; the experience had a profound effect on Juanita's already pious character, coming to the realization she wanted to serve God.
In 1919, at age 19, Juanita became a Discalced nun and took the name Teresa. Toward the end of her short life, Teresa began an apostolate of letter-writing, sharing her thoughts on the spiritual life with many people. Still aged 19 she contracted typhus and quickly took her final vows. She died during Holy Week.
Teresa remains popular with the estimated 100,000 pilgrims who visit her shrine in Los Andes each year. She is Chile's first saint, and is specially popular among females and younger people.
[edit] Trivia
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- During the early 90's, the popular telenovela actress Paulina Urrutia (now the Culture Minister in Chile), played Teresa in a television miniseries for the TVN Chile network. This became one of her most popular roles, to the point that people asked her in the streets to bless them.
- Luis, one of her siblings, was present at her beatification. He was the last direct relative of hers still alive in those years.
