Holy Mother Saint Teresa

On this day,15th October is the Solemnity of our Holy Mother St Teresa of Jesus (Avila) - also the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time for this year - where we the Carmelites are privilege enough to have this Solemnity celebrated this morning in our monastery chapel with Fr Greg Donovan as the priest celebrant . He gave us a beautiful homily on St Teresa in the history of the Church during the era of Reformation in the 16th century Europe; her teaching in the Interior Castle on how we could reach that spiritual transformation if we are faithful to go through each mansion until we reach the ‘union with God’ in the last mansion, which is the seventh dwelling place.

We thank the Lord for our Holy Mother St Teresa - a mystic and the first female to be declared Doctor of the Church (1970) - for all her teaching and examples given us her daughters and sons in the Order, that we also will produce good fruits and continue to support the church with our prayers and good works!

Relic of St Teresa which we keep in our Carmel.

Every year, on the 4th October, we will have her relic in our choir for veneration in memory of her passing into eternity.

We also spend some time in vigilant with her.

Let us recall the beautiful prayer in the Preface of her mass today…

‘Father all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks as we honor Saint Teresa, on whom you bestowed such gifts of nature and grace.

You espoused her to Christ, her divine friend, who taught her to be zealous in prayer and penance for the unity and the holiness of the Church. You endowed her with the wisdom of the saints to be our guide on the way of perfection, and the spiritual mother of a new family in Carmel.’

We wish a blessed and joyful Solemnity of our Holy Mother St Teresa to all our Carmelite brothers and sisters around the world!

St Teresa of Jesus, pray for us.