#carmel-of-los-andes — Public Fediverse posts

Marie du jour, 28 May: St. Teresa of the Andes

From the solitude of my cell, I will pray for you to the Virgin so idolized, that she may reveal herself as a true Mother for the brother I love so much.

United in thought here on earth, our united souls will find themselves together again forever there in heaven after this sorrowful exile has ended.

Then we’ll understand the value of our separation during this time of exile, which will have won our eternal communion there in that homeland where there’s true life.

Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Letter 81 to her brother, Luis
14 April 1919

Note: Luis (affectionately known as “Lucho”) was the beloved brother and confidant of St. Teresa of the Andes. The two were inseparable during childhood and adolescence, and he cherished her deeply. Lucho was also a friend of St. Alberto Hurtado, the renowned Chilean Jesuit. Luis testified at two sessions during his sister’s beatification process, offering vivid personal memories that many found moving. The three surviving letters Teresa wrote to him are considered among her most beautiful and profound.

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This striking image of Chile’s national patroness, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was taken on her feast day, 16 July 2010. The feast is celebrated at the Votive Temple of Maipú, beloved by Chileans. The statue of the Virgin of Carmel is the focal point of the basilica, consecrated by St. Paul VI on 23 November 1974—nearly 70 years after the original votive church, commissioned by General Bernardo O’Higgins, was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Image credit: Municipalidad de Maipú / Flickr (Some rights reserved)

⬦ Reflection Question ⬦
How do I entrust those I love to the care of the Blessed Virgin—especially in times of separation or suffering?
⬦ Join the conversation in the comments.

#CarmelOfLosAndes #familyLife #OurLadyOfMountCarmel #solitude #StTeresaOfTheAndes #vocation

I am the happiest person with my vocation and never tire of thanking God for having brought me to this little corner of heaven.

I live for God alone. My sole concern is to know Him that I may love Him more. I have begun the life of heaven here on earth, a life invented and thought of by God through all eternity; a life of love alone and of ceaseless praise.

If you could see but for an instant what’s in the soul of this Carmelite postulant, you’d understand the happiness of living always near the tabernacle. Alone with Him in His aloneness, I am there at the chapel grates or in my humble cell.

There is nothing between Him and His creature now. I hear His divine voice always. I gaze on always and contemplate His infinite beauty. I feel always the beating of my God’s Heart, begging me for love because He knows that love contains everything: sacrifice and souls.

Sister dear, without doubt, as Jesus Himself said to Magdalene, He has chosen for me “the best part.” A Carmelite is to be concerned with her God alone. She’s to live, no longer on earth, but in God. She is to move and to work and to breathe far from people, far from earthly things. We are to remember the world but only in order to pray for it and for people but without letting ourselves be influenced by them, without breathing in their impure atmosphere.

Jesus has imprisoned me here to unite Himself with me, nothing disturbing this gaze, this vision of this adorable Face of His which one day I shall possess in its fullness there in heaven. I often imagine that I am like a queen; for while others serve the King in the apostolate of action, I, like a queen, am by His side, listening to Him, contemplating Him, praying together with Him, and joining Him in His own suffering. He exchanges His own feelings with my own, by divinizing them. He surrounds me with His divine light, beautifying my soul with His teachings.

Oh, how good is this Jesus to me, His poor creature. He does not want to be separated from me for a moment. He seeks comfort and rest in my soul. He has made me like unto Himself by transforming me into a host.

Yes, a Carmelite is a host who carries Jesus within herself. She is not the one acting. It is He. He sacrifices her, offers her up in silence, just as He sacrifices and immolates Himself silently on the altar. She prays always with Jesus at the altar; she saves souls but by looking to Jesus. She sheds her heart’s blood by denying herself in all things. She has sacrificed everything for Jesus.

Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Letter 141 to Amelia Montt Martinez (excerpt)
October 1919

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Image credit for the photo of St. Teresa of the Andes goes to the Discalced Carmelites.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/20/andes-ltr141/

#CarmelOfLosAndes #contemplativeLife #happiness #Jesus #postulant #prayer #StTeresaOfTheAndes #vocation

October 15
Feastday of my Holy Mother, Saint Teresa of Avila

I wrote to Carmel. I asked Saint Teresa to allow me to celebrate her feastday in Carmel next year. Yesterday I spoke with Him; and He told me that three things are needed to come to complete union within myself:

1. I should never speak about myself, or give my opinion unless they seek it;
2. I should prefer all others to myself, and consider myself as the least one and as the servant of all;
3. I should consider the little I am worth and humiliate myself interiorly, seeing how miserable I am;
4. I shouldn’t take pleasure in anything but give thanks to Him when any sacrifice is asked of me.

With my neighbor:

1. In all my dealings with people, I should always maintain a spirit of faith, seeing God in my neighbor;
2. Whenever I converse with any young man I have Him present and see His beauty.

With God:

1. Humble, annihilated before Him.
2. Loving and seeking charity.

Saint Teresa of the Andes

Her Intimate Spiritual Diary, 46 (1918)

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2021, God, The Joy of My Life: A Biography of Saint Teresa of the Andes With the Saint’s Spiritual Diary, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: St. Teresa of the Andes before she entered the Carmel of Los Andes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites, altered with AI tools by Carmelite Quotes

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/10/15/andes-15oct18/

#CarmelOfLosAndes #charity #humility #prayer #service #spiritualGrowth #StTeresaOfAvila #StTeresaOfTheAndes #vocation

Dear Rebecca:

May Jesus always be the Master of your heart.

You must help me with a big problem. I’m sending you the little book of thoughts that Mother Superior gave me; and it’s by Father Avertano. Imagine it! The little dog got in our cell and tore it to pieces, and now I have to return it.

Please, buy me one just like the little red one and copy the thoughts that are in it. It’s like a little letter, and for the pages torn or not there you can look up the thoughts in the little black book because they are all there.

Copy them in the same order that they are in the little colored book, taking up the same space, everything just as it was and with your best small round letters. I need it by August 15. I hope that afterwards you can copy the thoughts in your normal handwriting in another book, to have them to give them to Mother Superior.

Beautiful little Dove, I’ll thank you with my whole heart for this because you have no idea how upset I’ve been about this. I hope that when they write me, they can send me some paper, envelopes and stamps. I can’t write any more because I’m out of time.

How are you getting along at home? Give everyone my affectionate greetings, especially to my Daddy and Mommy. Give Ignacito my congratulations and a great big hug.

Farewell, my dear little Dove. Transcribe the notebook for me with beautiful round handwriting in every way just like the little notebooks they buy. I’d like to tell you many other things, but there’s no time.

Help me sing continually the canticle of love and thanksgiving to Jesus.

Your unworthy

Teresa of Jesus, Our Carmelite

P.S. If you can get the notebook done for me earlier, I’ll be even more grateful to you. Do it for Jesus’s sake. Don’t copy anything but the thoughts in the little red book. The other one is only so you can see the words you don’t understand. Forgive me for the trouble I’m causing you, but I count on you as I do on my own self.

Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Letter 119 to her sister Rebecca
Around 29 July 1919

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This photo of Teresa was taken when she received the habit, as was the custom in many Carmels at the time. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/29/andes-dog/

#CarmelOfLosAndes #cell #dog #familyLife #inspiration #monasticLife #notebooks #StTeresaOfTheAndes

J.M.J.T.

May the peace of Jesus reign in your soul, my dear little sister:

I have your two letters, which I enjoyed so much, but the time here in Carmel goes by without our even knowing it. That’s why I hadn’t been able to answer your letters.

You can’t imagine how much I’ve enjoyed your letters. They have shown me more about your generosity to God. But what pleased me most were the words in which you told me that you were praying that you, too, might obtain the happiness I enjoy.

What could make my heart more happy than to have you belong entirely to Our Lord! For now, I ask only that His Divine Will may be accomplished in you. You, too, should pray for that alone.

You ask me to tell you my schedule, but I still don’t know it well; because the one thing I know how to do is to keep myself with my Jesus. I’ve forgotten all the rest.

Our Lord has been spoiling me. Think how good He is! I sleep on a hard wooden plank bed. The mattress I brought I haven’t even used, and happily they gave me a straw one and everything just like my Sisters. Imagine that on the first night my dear Mother thought that I couldn’t sleep with the pillow, since it was so hard, and she had me change it. And I had been so happy, hugging it. Then I had to change it, but later they gave it back to me.

In my cell I’m always sitting on the floor, and now I’m writing you that way. I’m very good at it.

In the morning I really have to work hard to get ready, since they give us only fifteen minutes. The first time I went out with my cape pulled to one side and with my veil to the other side, not knowing how to put it on; and everything else the same way. My Sisters helped me [her postulant’s habit was similar to that of St. Thérèse of Lisieux].

The second day I pulled a trick; I woke up at five, got dressed to the underskirt and laid down. When they sounded the bell, I put on the rest of my things and was the first to go out to sing the wake-up greeting which goes like this: “Praised be Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, His Mother. Arise for prayer, Sisters, and praise the Lord.” But after all that I couldn’t sing the greeting because I didn’t know where to do it. What a shame.

I get into trouble at meal times, too, since the spoons are wooden, and the forks very small and narrow. It takes me a long time to eat and I have to do it after the others; but this is nice, since while my sisters are in the dining room, I stay in the choir with Our Lord, three-quarters of an hour. I really enjoy it.

That’s the time when my Jesus sends you many graces and gifts that your Carmelite sister is begging for you. During the Divine Office, I imagine that I’m in heaven. It’s also the most precious time of all. We recite the Office four times a day. The funniest thing is that my Sister novice has to pull my sleeve to remind me to genuflect like all the others.

We have a dog that’s very nice. Molzuc is his name. He’s silver color and very big. We’re great friends. My Mother introduced me to him. She gave me some bread to give him. The best part is that in the beginning, he’s always fierce with everyone, but with me he’s a big softie [One nun remarked, “Look, even the dogs love her.”].

On Sundays, at recreation, they play music. They have guitars, bandurrias, etc. We have a good time at recreation, laughing and kidding the whole time with our Sisters.

The assignment I’m going to have is to be the gardener. What a wreck I’ll probably make! I wish you could get some little carnations from my aunt Teresa to plant, because there are very few here. The other day I went with Rev. Mother to trim the rose bushes.

You can’t say my letter isn’t newsy. I’ll say goodbye for now.

Live with Our Lord in the depths of your soul. Adore Him there, and offer Him everything you’re about to do at every moment, doing it all with love. May the two of us, my dear sister, be a continuing melody of love for our good Jesus. Let’s refuse Him nothing. One who really loves, keeps nothing back for self.

Show this letter to Elenuca [Elena Salas González, one of Teresa’s closest friends] because it’s for her, too. Tell her that Our Lord will repay her for this poor Carmelite; that I’ll write her one of these days if I get a little time.

Behave yourselves very well at school so that you can become Daughters of Mary [similar to the “Children of Mary” association at the Abbey School in Lisieux].

Hello to every one of my Sisters [teachers at the boarding school]; and tell them I haven’t forgotten them in my poor prayers. The same goes for the other girls.

Bye for now. Let’s live immersed in that Divine Spirit so that we may remain united. Love and kisses for my dear Daddy, Mommy, and every one of my brothers and sisters, and for my beautiful niece.

Always united in J.M.J.T., your unworthy

Teresa of Jesus, Carmelite

Regards to my governess and to everyone.

Saint Teresa of the Andes

Letter 98 to her sister Rebecca
Tuesday, 13 May 1919

• Original Carmel of Los Andes facade
• Original Carmel of Los Andes chapel
• Original Carmel of Los Andes cloister
• Original Carmel of Los Andes shrine

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Detail from the last photo taken of St. Teresa of the Andes, where she is embroidering a purificator. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

Slideshow images: Cloister garden and shrine by Philippus021 via Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved). Monastery facade by Carlos yo via Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved). Chapel interior by Carlos Figueroa Rojas via Wikimedia Commons (Some rights reserved).

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/12/andes-ltr98/

#CarmelOfLosAndes #CarmeliteHabit #DiscalcedCarmelite #family #monasticLife #Music #novitiate #photography #postulant #prayer #recreation

May we always live joyfully. God is infinite joy.

Saint Teresa of the Andes
Letter 101, 14 May 1919

Saint Teresa of the Andes, born as Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones Fernández Solar, was affectionately known as Juanita. She was born in Santiago, Chile, on 13 July 1900. Growing up in a devout Christian family, she was the favorite among her siblings and cherished by her grandfather, Eulogio Solar, who was often seen with his rosary.

From a young age, Juanita attended Holy Mass almost daily and longed for Communion, which she received for the first time on 11 September 1910. Her spiritual life was profoundly influenced by her intense devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Juanita was educated at the Sacred Heart School from 1907 to 1918. Despite her deep affection for her family, she embraced the trial of boarding school as preparation for her vocation. On 7 May 1919, she entered the Discalced Carmelites of Los Andes and took the name Teresa of Jesus. She was clothed in the Carmelite habit on 14 October of the same year.

Inspired by God, Juanita knew she would die young, a reality she accepted with joy and serenity. She saw this as a continuation of her mission to make God known and loved. After much suffering from typhus, she made her religious profession in articulo mortis on 7 April 1920, and passed away on 12 April 1920, at the age of 19.

St. John Paul II, in his homily at her beatification, highlighted her “simple and accessible holiness, centered on the essentials of the Gospel: to love, suffer, pray, and serve.” He emphasized her deep familiarity with Christ and the Virgin Mary, noting, “Her love for Christ, by whom she felt fascinated, led her to consecrate herself to Him forever, and to participate in the mystery of His passion and resurrection.”

For Teresa, “God is infinite joy.” This joy permeated her short life and left a lasting legacy of love and devotion.

The beatification ceremony took place on 3 April 1987, in Santiago, Chile, and her canonization was celebrated on 21 March 1993, at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Prayer:

God of mercy, joy of the saints,
you set the young heart of Saint Teresa ablaze
with the fire of virginal love for Christ and for His Church;
and even in suffering made her a cheerful witness to charity.
Through her intercession,
fill us with the delights of your Spirit,
so that we may proclaim by word and deed
the joyful message of your love to the world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Spanish readers will find a wealth of information on the website santateresadelosandes.cl

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: Image credit for the photo of St. Teresa of the Andes goes to the Discalced Carmelites.

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/07/12/andes-ep09/

#biography #CarmelOfLosAndes #feastday #homily #love #Podcast #pray #serve #StJohnPaulII #StTeresaOfTheAndes #suffer #VirginMary

It’s only now that I’ve found time to write to you since I received my father’s permission. I can only say: Blessed be God! Everything happened in a providential way; and I have clearly seen the will of God; for everything happened just as I wanted it to.

On May 7, the Most Holy Virgin and Saint Joseph will open the doors of my convent, and as of that day I will die to the world in order to live forever hidden in God. What a heavenly life, Rev. Father, what a life, a life of the bride of the Divine Crucified One!

I wrote to my father on the Saturday as I told you, but he didn’t answer me for a whole week. But on the weekend he had to come for the birth of Luz, my first niece. My father arrived Friday night. On Saturday, though I tried to talk to him alone, I was unable to do so, because he seemed to try to avoid being alone with me.

Finally, on Sunday I was able to call him to my room and there obtained his truly Christian response amidst his sobs. He said, “If that’s God’s will and your happiness, I’ll not oppose it.”

After that, he asked me when I was going, whether it was at the beginning or end of May. Then I told him that it would be on the 7th, and He said, “My little daughter, do what you wish to do.”

It was the third of the Sundays dedicated to Saint Joseph to whom the Sisters of Los Andes and I had entrusted the matter. How can I express how grateful my soul felt at that moment? How good God is to this criminal nothingness!

Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Letter 90 to Father Joseph Blanch, C.M.F. (excerpt)
28 April 1919

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: St. Teresa of the Andes before she entered the Carmel of Los Andes. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/04/25/andes-ltr90/

#CarmelOfLosAndes #familyLife #permission #prayer #spiritualDirector #StJoseph #StTeresaOfTheAndes #vocation

Dear Mommy:

Though I am not going to have the pleasure of going to the speak room, we are going to have a chat from my little bed, because…. [Overcome by fatigue, she was unable to finish the letter.]

Sometime later, making a great effort, she tried to resume her written conversation with her mother and, on another piece of paper, she wrote:

Mommy:

Though I will not deign to go to the speak room, I need not tell you how I would enjoy seeing you; but our Mother and Sisters are showering me with love and attention.

Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes

Letter 164 to her mother
6 April 1920

Note: This was the last message that the Chilean saint ever wrote. Her mother, who was aware of Teresa’s grave illness, arrived at the monastery on 6 April. On the evening of 12 April 1920 at 7:15, Teresa of Jesus died from typhus in the Carmel of Los Andes. Seven months later, her sister Rebecca entered the Carmel of Los Andes.

Griffin, M D & Teresa of the Andes, S 2023, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus of the Andes, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Featured image: This photo of Teresa was taken when she received the habit, as was the custom in many Carmels at the time. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (Used by permission)

https://carmelitequotes.blog/2024/04/11/andes-ltr164/

#anniversary #CarmelOfLosAndes #death #family #JuanitaFernandezSolar #monasticLife #parlor #StTeresaOfTheAndes #typhus