Saints of the Carmel

The holy prophet Elijah

Holy Scripture gives us a picture of the prophet Elijah as a man of God, who lived constantly in the presence of God and struggled fervently for the worship of the one true God. He resolutely defended the right of God on Mount Carmel. On Mount Horeb he experienced the intimate presence of the living God. Following in the footsteps of the prophet, the first hermits started to devote their lives to the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Mount Carmel in the twelfth century, so that Elijah can justifiably be considered to be the founder and father of our Order. The story of the prophet Elijah is told in the First and Second Books of Kings (1 K 17:1 to 2 K 2:11). His feast day falls on 20 July.

St. Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Avila)

She was born in Avila in Spain in 1515. She entered the Carmelite order, attained a high degree of perfection and had mystic revelations. As a reformer of the Order she had to endure much suffering, but she fearlessly overcame all difficulties. She wrote works full of sublime teaching, borne out by her personal experience. Together with St. John of the Cross she has been included among the greatest Christian mystics. She died in Avila in 1582. Her feast day is celebrated on 15 October.

St. John of the Cross

He was born in Fontiveros in Spain around 1542. He entered the Carmelite monastery in Medina del Campo. Before the completion of his studies (1568) he came to know St. Teresa of Avila, and with the permission of his superiors he became the first brother of the reformed Carmel. In so doing he took on himself and endured tremendous pressure of work, exertions, and much misunderstanding. He died in 1591 in Ubeda with a reputation for sanctity and wisdom, to which his spiritual writings testify. In 1726 he was proclaimed a saint and in 1926 a Doctor of the Church. His feast day is celebrated on 14 December.

St. Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face

She was born in Alençon in France on 2 January 1873. At the age of fifteen she entered the Carmelite monastery in Lisieux. She stood out because of her humility, Gospel simplicity and above all her trust in God. She also taught the novices these virtues by word and example. She devoted her life to salvation of souls and the spread of the Church. She died on 30 September 1897. In 1925 she was canonised, in 1927 she was declared patron saint of all missions, and in 1997 she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church, the third woman to receive this title after Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Sienna. Her feast day is celebrated on 1 October.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

She was born on 12 October 1891 into a Jewish family in Breslau. Her civilian name was Edith Stein. She passionately searched for the truth and devoted herself to studying and teaching philosophy. Profoundly influenced by reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, she was baptised in 1922 and entered the convent of the Discalced Carmelites in Cologne in 1933. During the time of persecution of the Jews she offered her life to God as a sacrifice for the Jewish nation and for peace in the world. She died on 9 August 1942 in the gas chambers in the concentration camp in Auschwitz. She left a number of philosophical and spiritual writings which reflect her exceptional intelligence and spiritual gifts. She was canonised in 1998 and proclaimed patron saint of Europe in 1999. Her feast day is celebrated on 9 August.