October 15: Feast of St. Teresa of Avila

Oct 15

3 min read

October 15, 2026

Teresa of Avila is how we know her. However, her given name was Teresa Ali Fatima Corella Sanchez de Capeda y Ahumada. Another name she is known as is Teresa of Jesus.
She was born on March 28, 1515, in Avila, Spain, and died at the age of 67 on Oct. 4, 1582.
She was named a saint of the Catholic Church on March 12, 1622.
In 1970, Saint Teresa of Avila was declared a Doctor of the Church for her writing and teaching on prayer
Teresa became a Carmelite nun who found life in the cloister quite lax and set about efforts to renew the spiritual and monastic life.
The Interior Castle was written by Teresa of Avila in 1577 as a guide for spiritual development through service and prayer.

The following quotes are only a few of the many inspirational writings from Saint Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing perturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass.
Christ is no stranger to suffering and loss, let us turn to him with our questions and our prayers, praying always “Jesus, we trust in you."
May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us.
Reflect upon the providence and wisdom of God in all created things and praise (God) in them all.
The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too.
Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world.
May God protect me from gloomy saints.

Pope Paul VI named Teresa of Ávila a Doctor of the Church on September 27, 1970.

She earned the distinction as the first female to receive this title for her outstanding contributions to theology and Christian mysticism.

Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, describes St. Teresa of Ávila as “a pioneering, bold spiritual reformer who was too bright for her time, too strong for the institutions around her, [and] too spiritual for the church of her day." Chittister notes that Teresa promoted a deeply intimate spirituality by teaching people to find God within their own interior selves. This challenged the era's view of God as purely authoritarian and punitive. Chittister highlights that Teresa faced suspicion from the Spanish Inquisition for carving out new paths in spirituality, yet she maintained the courage to embrace new ways. Teresa spent decades reforming the Carmelite order, establishing monasteries, and writing classic spiritual texts like, The Interior Castle, all while ruffling feathers in religious institutions and the Vatican.

Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ, remarks on St. Teresa of Avila:

"Her autobiography chronicles her warmly human, sometimes funny, and intensely intimate relationship with God. Because of her writings, many thousands of others—myself included —fell quite in love with this mysterious God who alone makes life worth living."

Sr. Joyce Rupp, OSM, often references St. Teresa of Avila to explore deep prayer, trust, and the concept that "God alone suffices." She draws on Teresa to explain how authentic prayer provides a clearer sense of self and a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Divine and uses Teresa’s contemplative wisdom to encourage people to let go of fears, face life’s empty and challenging moments, and lean into the transforming presence of God.

The above composition on St. Teresa of Avila came from the following sources:

The Website of Sisters of Providence, report by Sr. Paula Damiano.

Blog from Sr. Joyce Rupp, OSM.

National Catholic Reporter: comments by Sr. Christine Schenk, CSJ.

Documented commentary by Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB.

Song for Meditation: Let Nothing Disturb You, Music & words of Nada te turbe & verse1 Jacques Berthier © Ateliers et Presses de Taizé (A&PT), . Verses 2, 3, 4 & Chorus: Garth Hewitt © 2019 GingerDog Records.

https://youtu.be/T8aq35y8UNk?si=-VS0XDasZBlcPFhK (lyric/video)

Let nothing disturb you, Let nothing frighten

Everything passes, But God Remains

God stays beside you

God your companion

Closer than breathing

God still remains

Refrain: God remains – God still remains

Light in the darkness

Voice of the voiceless

God still remains

God remains – God still remains