Who was Saint Teresa of Ávila?
Teresa was born in 1515 in Ávila, a city in Spain with tall stone walls all around it. She had lots of brothers and sisters, and her favorite was Rodrigo. The two of them loved to read stories about the saints, and they wanted to be brave for Jesus. One day they slipped out of the city gate to go to a faraway land and give their lives for him, but their uncle met them on the road and brought them home. Back in the garden, they piled up stones to build little huts like the hermitages of holy people. The stones kept tumbling down, but Teresa’s wish to belong to God stayed firm.
When she grew up, Teresa became a Carmelite nun, in a brown habit with a white mantle. She learned something wonderful: prayer is not a pile of hard words. It is simply talking with a friend who loves us, and spending time with him. You can tell Jesus anything, she taught.
Teresa wanted small convents where the sisters could pray with joy, so she traveled all over Spain to start them, in bumpy carts along muddy roads. An old story says that once she fell into a river and told God, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!” She talked to God like a real friend, even to grumble a little. She also wrote books about prayer that are still read all over the world, and in 1970 the Church named her a Doctor of the Church, which means a great teacher of the faith.
When is Saint Teresa of Ávila’s feast day?
Saint Teresa of Ávila’s feast day is October 15. Many girls and women named Teresa celebrate their saint’s day on it, and her city, Ávila, holds its biggest fiestas around it.
Clara tells the whole story at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →
