| Saint Teresa of Jesus, O.C.D., "of the Andes" | |
|---|---|
Teresa of the Andes |
|
| Born | July 13, 1900 Santiago, Chile |
| Died | April 13, 1920 (aged 19) Carmelite monastery in the township 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 |
| Major shrine | Sanctuary of Auco-Rinconada in the township of Los Andes, Chile |
| Feast | July 13 |
| Attributes | small cross, flowers |
| Patronage | young people |
Saint Teresa of Jesus, O.C.D., "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 Juana Fernández del Solar in Santiago, Chile into an upper class family. Early in her life she read the autobiography of the French Carmelite nun Thérèse de Lisieux who was later to be canonized herself; the experience had a profound effect on Juanita's already pious character, coming to the realization she wanted to live for God alone. She had to work to overcome a very self-centered personality toward being one which cared for others above all. Her further inspiration for this self-transformation was her upcoming First Communion, which led her to this commitment in an effort to be worthy of what she was to receive.
In 1919, at age 19, Juana entered the novitiate of the Carmelites in the city of Los Andes, at which time she was given the name Teresa. Toward the end of her short life, the new Sister Teresa began an apostolate of letter-writing, sharing her thoughts on the spiritual life with many people. Within a few months of her admission to the Order, however, she contracted typhus, which was diagnosed as fatal. She was still three months short of her twentieh birthday, and had yet six months to complete her canonical novitiate, so as to be normally able to make her religious vows; nevertheless she was allowed to profess vows in articulo mortis (danger of death). She thereby died as a professed nun of the Order on April 12, 1920, which fell during Holy Week that year.
Teresa remains popular with the estimated 100,000 pilgrims who visit each year the shrine where her remains are venerated in the Sanctuary of Auco-Rinconada in the township of Los Andes; 60 miles from Santiago. She is Chile's first saint, and is specially popular among females and younger people.
During the early 1990s, the popular telenovela actress Paulina Urrutia (Culture Minister in Chile since 2006), 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.
Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Santiago on April 3, 1987. Luis, one of her siblings, was present at her beatification. He was the last direct relative of hers still alive in those years. Six years later, she was canonized by this same pope.
She was the first Discalced Carmelite nun to be declared a saint outside the boundaries of Europe and the fifth "Saint Teresa" of the Order, together with the foundress, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, the aforementioned Saint Thérèse de Lisieux and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.