About St Teresa de Avila
Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515 – 1582), also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, author, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. Active during the Counter-Reformation, she was a reformer in the Carmelite Order of her time; the movement she initiated, later joined by Saint John of the Cross, eventually led to the establishment of the Discalced Carmelites. St. Teresa is one of the foremost writers on mental prayer, and her position among writers on mystical theology is unique. She was canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church forty years after her death by Pope Gregory XV and was made a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.
“Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.”
St. Teresa de Avila
