Who is St. Theresa of Avila?

Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada

Born at Avila, Old Castile, 28 March, 1515; died at Alba de Tormes, 4 Oct., 1582.

The third child of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda by his second wife, Doña Beatriz Davila y Ahumada, who died when the saint was in her fourteenth year, Teresa was brought up by her saintly father, a lover of serious books, and a tender and pious mother. After her death and the marriage of her eldest sister, Teresa was sent for her education to the Augustinian nuns at Avila, but owing to illness she left at the end of eighteen months, and for some years remained with her father and occasionally with other relatives, notably an uncle who made her acquainted with the Letters of St. Jerome, which determined her to adopt the religious life, not so much through any attraction towards it, as through a desire of choosing the safest course. Unable to obtain her father's consent she left his house unknown to him on Nov., 1535, to enter the Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation at Avila, which then counted 140 nuns. The wrench from her family caused her a pain which she ever afterwards compared to that of death. However, her father at once yielded and Teresa took the habit.

After her profession in the following year she became very seriously ill, and underwent a prolonged cure and such unskillful medical treatment that she was reduced to a most pitiful state, and even after partial recovery through the intercession of St. Joseph, her health remained permanently impaired. During these years of suffering she began the practice of mental prayer, but fearing that her conversations with some world-minded relatives, frequent visitors at the convent, rendered her unworthy of the graces God bestowed on her in prayer, discontinued it, until she came under the influence, first of the Dominicans, and afterwards of the Jesuits. Meanwhile God had begun to visit her with "intellectual visions and locutions", that is manifestations in which the exterior senses were in no way affected, the things seen and the words heard being directly impressed upon hermind , and giving her wonderful strength in trials, reprimanding her for unfaithfulness, and consoling her in trouble. Unable to reconcile such graces with her shortcomings, which her delicate conscience represented as grievous faults, she had recourse not only to the most spiritual confessors she could find, but also to some saintly laymen, who, never suspecting that the account she gave them of her sins was greatly exaggerated, believed these manifestations to be the work of the evil spirit. The more she endeavoured to resist them the more powerfully did God work in her soul. The whole city of Avila was troubled by the reports of the visions of this nun. It was reserved to St. Francis Borgia and St. Peter of Alcantara, and afterwards to a number of Dominicans (particularly Pedro Ibañez and Domingo Bañez), Jesuits, and other religious and secular priests, to discern the work of God and to guide her on a safe road.

The account of her spiritual life contained in the "Life written by herself" (completed in 1565, an earlier version being lost), in the "Relations", and in the "Interior Castle", forms one of the most remarkable spiritual biographies with which only the "Confessions of St. Augustine" can bear comparison. To this period belong also such extraordinary manifestations as the piercing or transverberation of her heart, the spiritual espousals, and the mystical marriage. A vision of the place destined for her in hell in case she should have been unfaithful to grace, determined her to seek a more perfect life. After many troubles and much opposition St. Teresa founded the convent of Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Primitive Rule of St. Joseph at Avila (24 Aug., 1562), and after six months obtained permission to take up her residence there. Four years later she received the visit of the General of the Carmelites, John-Baptist Rubeo (Rossi), who not only approved of what she had done but granted leave for the foundation of other convents of friars as well as nuns. In rapid succession she established her nuns at Medina del Campo (1567), Malagon and Valladolid (1568), Toledo and Pastrana (1569), Salamanca (1570), Alba de Tormes (1571), Segovia (1574), Veas and Seville (1575), and Caravaca (1576). In the "Book of Foundations" she tells the story of these convents, nearly all of which were established in spite of violent opposition but with manifest assistance from above. Everywhere she found souls generous enough to embrace the austerities of the primitive rule of Carmel. Having made the acquaintance of Antonio de Heredia, prior of Medina, and St. John of the Cross, she established her reform among the friars (28 Nov., 1568), the first convents being those of Duruelo (1568), Pastrana (1569), Mancera, and Alcalá de Henares (1570).

A new epoch began with the entrance into religion of Jerome Gratian, inasmuch as this remarkable man was almost immediately entrusted by the nuncio with the authority of visitor Apostolic of the Carmelite friars and nuns of the old observance in Andalusia, and as such considered himself entitled to overrule the various restrictions insisted upon by the general and the general chapter. On the death of the nuncio and the arrival of his successor a fearful storm burst over St. Teresa and her work, lasting four years and threatening to annihilate the nascent reform. The incidents of this persecution are best described in her letters. The storm at length passed, and the province of Discalced Carmelites, with the support of Philip II, was approved and canonically established on 22 June, 1580. St. Teresa, old and broken in health, made further foundations at Villanuava de la Jara and Palencia (1580), Soria (1581), Granada (through her assistant the Venerable Anne of Jesus), and at Burgos (1582). She left this latter place at the end of July, and, stopping at Palencia, Valladolid, and Medina del Campo, reached Alba de Torres in September, suffering intensely. Soon she took to her bed and passed away on 4 Oct., 1582, the following day, owing to the reform of the calendar, being reckoned as 15 October. After some years her body was transferred to Avila, but later on reconveyed to Alba, where it is still preserved incorrupt. Her heart, too, showing the marks of the Transverberation, is exposed there to the veneration of the faithful. She was beatified in 1614, and canonized in 1622 by Gregory XV, the feast being fixed on 15 October.

St. Teresa's position among writers on mystical theology is unique. In all her writings on this subject she deals with her personal experiences, which a deep insight and analytical gifts enabled her to explain clearly. The Thomistic substratum may be traced to the influence of her confessors and directors, many of whom belonged to the Dominican Order. She herself had no pretension to found a school in the accepted sense of the term, and there is no vestige in her writings of any influence of the Areopagite, the Patristic, or the Scholastic Mystical schools, as represented among others, by the German Dominican Mystics. She is intensely personal, her system going exactly as far as her experiences, but not a step further.

A word must be added on the orthography of her name. It has of late become the fashion to write her name Teresa or Teresia, without "h", not only in Spanish and Italian, where the "h" could have no place, but also in French, German, and Latin, which ought to preserve the etymological spelling. As it is derived from a Greek name, Tharasia, the saintly wife of St. Paulinus of Nola, it should be written Theresia in German and Latin, and Thérèse in French.

Spiritual Preparation

The countdown has begun! We will be in Madrid, Spain with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI in LESS THAN ONE YEAR!!! To prepare for this awesome spiritual experience, this month you should…

EXPLORE THE CATECHISM – The Catechism is a goldmine waiting to be found! It summarizes everything that we believe as Catholics! (If you don’t have one, get one at a Catholic book store – it’s a must for growing in your faith.) Just grab the Catechism and read up on any topic that interests you! It has a great appendix of topics in the back to help you.

PRAY THE ROSARY – The Rosary is more than a prayer that originated hundreds of years ago! The Rosary is a prayer that helps us walk with Jesus and the Virgin Mary, meditating on the different events in their lives. A good way to pray the Rosary is to think about the particular mystery, while saying the Hail Mary’s. Try to say the Rosary at least once a week!

GO TO MASS DURING THE WEEK – A great way to prepare for WYD is to attend Mass during the week, in addition to Sunday. The Mass is the BEST way to spiritually prepare yourself for the pilgrimage! In the Mass, you stand with Jesus on Calvary as He offers Himself for your salvation, and you receive Him into your body and soul in Holy Communion! The Mass is the greatest gift that Jesus ever gave to us!

Passports and Fundraising!

Going to Madrid? Not so fast! You may have signed and put down your deposit, but do you have your passport? Visit www.travel.state.gov to attain more information on how to get your Passport. Passports can take up to 6 months to receive so make sure you start the process today!

When is a good time to start fundraising? The best time is right now!

For those who signed up and register already received a packet with a list of fundraising ideas at the individual, small group and parish level. The first step is make plan, talk to your parish youth leader and/or pastor, let them know that you are going to WYD. Look over the list that was supplied and use those as a starter. Be creative, maybe there are other fundraisers or ideas that you have write them down. Work together with other pilgrims or parents to decide what the best way to get started and to execute your plan. The more time you put into planning and executing the better the reward.

St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Schulte has put together a fundraising plan that has already raised over $1500 for their 4 pilgrims. If you are looking for more ideas or would like to know what St. Peter’s is doing, contact the Youth Leader, Tama Dutton, at 316-524-4259.

Il Papa

• Along with his native German, Benedict speaks fluent Italian, French, English, Spanish and Latin. He can read ancient Greek and biblical Hebrew.
• Benedict plays the piano and has a preference for Mozart and Beethoven.
• Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope to own an iPod.

Dear Parishioners and Newman Center Students,

Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty was an Irish born priest that worked in the Vatican.  During his service at the Vatican he served in a couple different positions.  He was a man of incredible integrity and character, a man who lived for others--a man who truly embodied the Gospel way of life.  As World War II raged on Msgr. O’Flaherty, through his own ingenuity and skill created a rescue network for POWs and Jews during the military occupation of Rome by the Germans.  Why do I bring this up?  The Altar stone used by Msgr. Hugh O’Flaherty came to St. Paul’s/Newman Center through a complicated web of events and people.  Our seminarian from the parish, Jason Knauff was working at the Priest Retirement Center and was given this Altar stone to take to the Diocesan Archives, but first he stopped by the parish to deliver a few things and showed off the Altar stone.  So I called the diocesan archivist to ask if we could keep it and display it here.  The answer was yes!  How then did it come to the Diocese of Wichita when it could of went anywhere in the world?  The Altar stone was given to Father Patrick Larkin (a priest of the Diocese of Wichita) by the O’Flaherty family and thus it came to the heartland.  And now that we are working on our historical wall we should have a great place to display this holy object.  Gregory Peck portrayed Msgr. Hugh O’Flaherty in the popular movie “The Scarlet and the Black.”  We now have a DVD version of this video in the Library, please feel free to check it out--it’s a Catholic classic.  I plan to show the students this video on our first Monday Movie Night in the Fall.  Please remember to pray for our students as they return to school.  God bless you!

In Christ's Love,

Fr. John N. Hay

History of World Youth Day

At the end of the Holy Year in 1984, the Holy Father invited young people from the movements and associations throughout the world to be present in Rome for the concluding ceremony. At this time, Pope John Paul II gave to these young people the Cross of the Holy Year as a remembrance of their redemption.

The following year, 1985, the Holy Father again invited young people to Rome on Palm Sunday for the observance of the United Nations (U.N.) International Year of Youth. Thus, the celebrations of World Youth Day were initiated.

The Holy Father's meetings with young people and special letters to them have continued beyond the U.N. observance and have become a yearly celebration. Since 1985, Pope John Paul II has issued a letter addressed to the young people of the world, and on alternating years he has invited the young people of the world to meet with him at one location for catechesis, fellowship, worship, and renewal. These meetings have now taken place in Rome, Italy with 300,000 pilgrim in 1985, Buenos Aires, Argentina with 1 million pilgrims 1987, Santiago de Compostela, Spain with 400,000 pilgrims in 1989, Czestochowa, Poland with 1.6 million in 1991, Denver, Colorado with 500,000 pilgrims in 1993, Manila, Philippines with 5 million pilgrims in 1995, Paris, France with 1.2 million pilgrims in 1997, Rome, Italy with 2 million pilgrims in 2000, Toronto, Canada with 800,000 pilgrims in 2002, Cologne, Germany with 1.2 million in 2005, and Sydney, Australia with 400,000 pilgrims in 2008.. In the interim period between WYD 1997 and WYD 2000, celebrations for young people were held on every continent with Chile hosting North, Central, and South America.

Spiritual Preparation

Last month we pointed out the need to prepare ourselves spiritually for WYD 2011 because it is not a vacation. It is a PILGRIMAGE! Every month we will recommend new ways to prepare for this spiritual experience of a lifetime! In addition to keeping up the good habit of daily prayer, we suggest that this month you should …

Learning ~ READ THE BIBLE – St. Jerome once said, “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.” In other words, if we do not read the Bible, we cannot truly know who Jesus Christ is or what He teaches us. It is when we “dive into” Sacred Scripture, the living and true Word of God, that we meet Jesus Christ. In the Bible we find not simply words about God, but we find the very Word of God – these are the words that God speaks to us, telling us what we need to hear. But you may ask, where do I start … the Bible is a huge book! Start with the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. You can begin by reading a paragraph a day, or maybe even a page a day. Read the Scriptures every day and begin to hear God speaking to you!

Prayer ~ GO TO ADORATION – Take your prayer to the next level and go to Eucharistic adoration! Perhaps your local parish has an adoration chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is visible in the monstrance (a gold vessel that looks like the sun). At the Last Supper Jesus gave us the Holy Eucharist so that He could remain with us forever! When we go to adoration we have the chance to kneel in the presence of Jesus Christ, adoring God Himself face-to-face! Prepare spiritually for WYD 2011 by making a commitment to go to adoration once a week. Experience the joy and peace of kneeling before Jesus, who died on the cross for you, and calls you to be a saint!

Il Papa

• Pope Benedict XVI was the youngest of three children.
• His mother was named Maria, and his father, Joseph, was a policeman.
• His older sister was also named Maria, and his brother, Georg, became a priest.
• The Ratzinger brothers were ordained to the priesthood on the same day, June 29, 1951.

Next Edition

• What is Days in the Diocese?
• Looking Ahead
• Passports

One week from today the whole Church will celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This feast acknowledges that Mary was taken up into heaven body and soul.  Notice the word assumption.  Forty days after Easter we celebrate the Solemnity of the Ascension, where our Lord ascends by his own power as God into the heavens.  Mary, however, is assumed.  While she is not divine, she certainly is marked out with special favors as the Mother of God (one of the earliest titles of Mary in the early Church, Theotokos, Greek for God-bearer).  And so her assumption is the work of God.  The Assumption of Mary was celebrated long before it was solemnly defined by the Church in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.  It had been a part of the Sacred Tradition of the Church from her earliest days that God did not allow any decay to touch the body of the Mother of God, but that she was taken up into heaven body and soul.  The only thing that really happened in 1950 was that Pope Pius XII defined something that had been the ancient belief of the Church.  Mary is often called the first disciple.  In fact, the large chapel at the Spiritual Life Center in Wichita is called the Chapel of Mary, the First Disciple.  Mary’s willingness to accept the Divine plan, her willingness to say yes is something that we should always look to for strength in our own lives of discerning God’s plan for us.  Her last recorded words in Sacred Scripture are found in the second chapter of St. John’s Gospel at the occasion of the Wedding Feast of Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.”  Mary, Queen of the Universe, Pray for us!

In Christ’s Love,

Fr. John N. Hay

Slowly I have been sifting through some of the historical information from the beginnings of a simple Newman club on the WSU campus in 1949 to the establishment of our parish in 1970 and everything in between.  In the near future we would like to create a historical wall in the hallway by the parish office.  If you would be interested in helping put this together or if you have any information or pictures please let Janet, JP or I know.   Many parishioners and students have told me that one reason they love to be a part of St. Paul’s/Newman Center is because there is such a friendly and communal atmosphere.  I will say that this has been my experience too.  And so, we need to honor and celebrate the 40 years that our parish has been around.  So many lives have been touched throughout these 40 years.  We are planning a parish dinner on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, which is on January 25, 2011.  So please mark your calendars!!!  Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. and I will ask some of the Newmanites to wait tables and serve so that the parishioners can meet some of the students (and this will hopefully be an annual event!)

We have been busy this summer, but the summer updating is winding down.  You will notice the image of the Pious Pelican that adorns the Altar in the adoration chapel.  There are several images and symbols that emerged in the early Church to communicate different aspects of Christian life and worship.  This particular image, where the mother pelican pecks her flesh to feed her young with her own blood became a symbol to acknowledge the self-sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and His giving of His flesh and blood to us in the Eucharist, the Sacrifice of the Mass.  And the two quotes from the Book of Psalms surrounding the Chapel of Divine Mercy calls to mind the loving care that God has for each of us and that all our hope and trust is in Him.

In Christ’s Love,

Fr. John N. Hay