Feast of St Teresa of the Andes, Virgin

Juanita Fernandez Solar was born at Santiago, Chile, on July 13th, 1900. From her adolescence she was devoted to Christ. She entered the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns at Los Andes on May 7th 1919 where she was given the name of Teresa of Jesus.

After many interior trials and indescribable physical suffering caused by a violent attack of typhus that cut short her life, she passed from this world to her heavenly Father on the evening of 12 April 1920. She received the last sacraments with the utmost fervour, and on 7 April, because of danger of death, she made her religious profession.  She was beatified by John Paul II on April 3rd, 1987 at Santiago, Chile, and proposed as a model for young people.

She is the first Chilean and first member of the Teresian Carmel in Latin America to be beatified. She was canonized by John Paul II on March 21st, 1993.

In the first reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:4-9) we hear “if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understanding, will guard your hearts and thoughts, in Christ Jesus.  In the Gospel from John (15:5,8-17) Jesus tells us “I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty”.