“I am God’s. He created me and is my beginning and end.”

Although St. Teresa of the Andes died at the age of 19, this quote speaks volumes about her short life that more than 100 years later still inspires so many.

Born at the turn of the 20th century in Chile, Juana – referred to as Juanita – was surrounded by a large, faithful family. She knew at a young age that her soul belonged to Christ; she wrote in her diary that she was six years old when Jesus claimed her heart for himself.

She kept close to the faith, receiving her education from the French nuns of the Sacred Heart, gradually chipping away at her stubborn attributes that were keeping her apart from Jesus. The closer she drew to Jesus, the more she found herself making small sacrifices, purifying her heart and soul with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin leading up to receiving her first Communion at age 10. Just four years later she made the decision to consecrate herself to God as a Discalced Carmelite nun.

Juanita entered the Carmel of Los Andes in May of 1919, adopting the name Teresa of Jesus. She joyously renounced the wealth of her family to serve God and sought out all she could as a novice to show Christ’s love. Yet, just 10 months later, she fell severely ill with typhus. Despite the illness, Teresa dedicated herself to the Church, serving Christ until exhaustion, and passing from this life into the arms of her Savior only a month and a half later.

Teresa was canonized by St. John Paul II in 1993. Each year in October there is a pilgrimage to her shrine in Los Andes, Chile. In 2024, more than 50,000 young Chileans walked a path of 17 miles to the shrine where the auxiliary bishops of Santiago presided at an outdoor Mass. The theme of the pilgrimage was “With Teresa, Pilgrims of Hope.”