Maria Teresa of St. Joseph
| Blessed Maria Teresa of St. Joseph | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
June 19, 1855 Sandow |
| Hometown | Sandow |
| Died |
September 20, 1938 Sittard |
| Venerated in | December 20, 2002 |
| Beatified | May 13, 2006, Roermond |
| Feast | October 30 |
| Major works | The Servant of God |
Blessed Maria Teresa of St. Joseph, Anna Maria Tauscher (June 19, 1855 in Sandow, Germany – September 20, 1938 in Sittard, Netherlands). Since 1945, the town of Sandow has become part of Poland and is named Sądów since.[1]
Early life
She came from a deeply religious Protestant pastor's family. God guided this richly talented and capable woman on steep and stony roads to the Catholic faith. On October 30, 1888 she was received into the Catholic Church. From then on she herself became poor for the sake of the poor, homeless for the sake of the homeless. She placed her life in the service of God. In order to realize this goal, she founded a religious Congregation, the Carmel of the Divine Heart of Jesus on July 2, 1891.[2]
Carmelite influences
Mother Maria Teresa took for a model St. Teresa of Jesus, the great Spanish Mystic and Reformer of the Order of Carmel. Mother Maria Teresa took the Carmelite spirit of prayer and coupled it with apostolic service. Her concern was aimed especially at poor and neglected children, above all those who had no home. Her loving dedication was further directed to families and individuals who had left the Church, to the lonely, the aged, to immigrants and transient workers — simply all who were homeless in any way. So it was that contemplative prayer coupled with active charity became the distinguishing mark of the Carmel of the Divine Heart of Jesus.[3]
Beatification
After a long life of dedicated service, Mother Maria Teresa died at the age of 83 on September 20, 1938 at the Mother House of the Carmel DCJ, in Sittard, the Netherlands. Bishop W. Lemmens opened her beatification process in Sittard on February 2, 1953. On December 20, 2002 Pope John Paul II declared Mother Maria Teresa of St. Joseph venerable. In December 2005, Pope Benedict XVI approved the miracle necessary for her beatification. Mother Maria Teresa was beatified on May 13, 2006 in Roermond, Netherlands.[4]
Before her death she wrote: "To be able to dry tears, to heal wounds of souls from the heights of heaven, this is my ardent wish."[5]
References
- ↑ "Carmelite Sisters D.C.J. -- Central Province". carmelitedcj.org. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ↑ ":Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus - Northern Province - Carmelite Nuns:". carmelitedcjnorth.org. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- ↑ Marija Terezija od sv. Josipa: Probudimo se u Bogu. Izbor iz pisama. Karmelska izdanja. Zagreb. 2006.
- ↑ Mihály Szentmártoni, S.J.: Naći sebe tražeći Boga. Karmelska izdanja. Zagreb. 2004.
- ↑ The Servant of God: Mother Mary Teresa of St. Joseph. Wauwatosa, Wisconsin: Carmelite Convent 2000.
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