SAINT TERESA OF THE ANDES
Born in Santiago, Chile, on July 13, 1900, Juanita Fernandez Solar, one of six children of devoted Catholic parents, began her life with Jesus at an early age. At the age of fifteen, she made a private vow of virginity, which she renewed continually until she entered the Carmel of the Holy Spirit in the town of Los Andes at the age of eighteen. Juanita had been praying for many years, and had worked to overcome her difficult personality traits such as pride and anger. Her prioress recognized holiness in her new postulant, who confided to her that Jesus had told her that she would die young. Within a few months after her clothing day, October 14, 1919, Juanita, now Sr. Teresa of Jesus, contracted Typhus and died in her convent. Her prioress allowed her to make her solemn vows on her deathbed. Juanita was not yet twenty years of age. She was beatified in 1987 and canonized in 1993 by Pope John Paul II, who proposed her example as a model for youth. She is the first Chilean canonized saint. Her feast day is celebrated on July 13th.
Born in Santiago, Chile, on July 13, 1900, Juanita Fernandez Solar, one of six children of devoted Catholic parents, began her life with Jesus at an early age. At the age of fifteen, she made a private vow of virginity, which she renewed continually until she entered the Carmel of the Holy Spirit in the town of Los Andes at the age of eighteen. Juanita had been praying for many years, and had worked to overcome her difficult personality traits such as pride and anger. Her prioress recognized holiness in her new postulant, who confided to her that Jesus had told her that she would die young. Within a few months after her clothing day, October 14, 1919, Juanita, now Sr. Teresa of Jesus, contracted Typhus and died in her convent. Her prioress allowed her to make her solemn vows on her deathbed. Juanita was not yet twenty years of age. She was beatified in 1987 and canonized in 1993 by Pope John Paul II, who proposed her example as a model for youth. She is the first Chilean canonized saint. Her feast day is celebrated on July 13th.