Feast of Saint Teresa of Avila – October 15

Teresa was born in 1515 to a family, part of which had Jewish origins, in Spain. She received a wide education and in 1535 she entered the Carmelite convent in her home town. In 1562, permission was received to found a new monastery, more faithful to the monastic vows of the sisters especially in the domain of poverty. Teresa died in 1582 after she had established other monasteries that lived according to the reform that was constituted by a return to the roots of Carmelite spirituality.

Teresa wrote her autobiography and other writings for the benefit of those in search of their spiritual path, especially for those in the Carmelite monasteries. One of her books, The Path to Perfection, has been translated into Hebrew (by Yotam Reuveni, Tel Aviv, Nimrod, 2003).