Your Faith Journey with EWTN
As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
July 13, 1900–April 12, 1920
Patron Saint of Chile, youth, students, those suffering from illness
St. Teresa of the Andes was a young woman whose brief life bore extraordinary spiritual fruit. Born Juana Fernández Solar in Santiago, Chile, in 1900, she was raised in a devout Catholic family that nurtured her growing love for God.
St. Teresa began her education at a school run by French nuns of the Sacred Heart, where she studied for nine years. It was there that, at age14, she decided to enter religious life, dedicating herself to serving God.
While St. Teresa had a loving nature, she recognized flaws in her character, such as pride and vanity, that she wanted to change. As a teenager, St. Teresa encountered the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, which profoundly shaped her spirituality. Inspired by the “Little Way,” she felt a longing that led her to the Carmelite Order. Fearing her father would not approve, she sent him a letter from school. During her next visit home, the letter was not mentioned until she was about to leave, when she asked for her father’s approval. After a long discussion, her father consented.
At age 19, St. Teresa entered the Carmelite convent in Los Andes, where she took the name Teresa of Jesus. Although her time in the cloister was brief, she found boundless joy in Carmelite spirituality. She wrote several letters that revealed a soul deeply in love with Christ and committed to offering every sacrifice for the salvation of souls.
St. Teresa maintained close relationships through her letters, which reveal a vibrant spiritual life rooted in prayer and deep trust in God’s love. She encouraged friends and family to pursue holiness in ordinary life and to embrace God’s will with confidence in His love and mercy.
After less than a year in the convent, St. Teresa fell ill with typhus and was allowed to take early vows of consecration before dying peacefully. Canonized in 1993, St. Teresa of the Andes is Chile’s first saint and the first Discalced Carmelite saint from outside Europe.
St. Teresa of the Andes is compared to St. Thérèse of Lisieux because there are several similarities between the two saints. Both were young Carmelite nuns who died young, lived cloistered lives, and shared the spiritual “Little Way” of achieving holiness through small, daily sacrifices. Both saints emphasized absolute trust in God’s love and pursued a path of spiritual childhood. St. Teresa of the Andes read St. Thérèse’s autobiography, Story of a Soul, which profoundly influenced her desire to serve God. Both are linked to the Carmelite tradition, with Teresa of the Andes taking the name Teresa of Jesus upon entering the convent, as Thérèse of the Child Jesus did. Both saints were known for their joyful acceptance of suffering, seeing it as a means of uniting with Christ. Teresa of the Andes is often referred to as the “Flower of the Andes,” while St. Thérèse of Lisieux is known as the “Little Flower of Jesus.”
St. Teresa of the Andes (Juanita Fernández Solar) left behind letters, a personal diary, and notes that reflect her interior life. Her writings reveal a joyful, deeply Christ-centered spiritual legacy, including more than 160 letters written to family, friends, and her spiritual directors. These writings, produced between 1915 and her death in 1920 at age 19, document her intense love for God, mystical experiences, and life in the convent. St. Teresa records her intimate conversations with Jesus and Mary, her spiritual resolutions, inner struggles, and victories. She details her journey from a young, ordinary girl to a cloistered nun, sharing her profound joy in God through religious life. Her works include various short, reflective writings, including poems and, in some cases, spiritual non-fiction prose. These writings were compiled after her death and have been widely published.
St. Teresa of the Andes is venerated by thousands of pilgrims each year at the Sanctuary of St. Teresa of the Andes (Santuario de Santa Teresa de Los Andes), located in Auco-Rinconada, near Los Andes, Chile. Her remains are preserved in a crypt at this major pilgrimage site, which attracts one hundred thousand visitors annually. The largest pilgrimage occurs in October and draws more than fifty thousand young people. The shrine was constructed after her 1987 beatification to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. The site is open year-round for visitors and those seeking to honor the “Flower of the Andes.”
This eBook combines stunning photography from EWTN’s Vatican Bureau along with Bible passages and saints’ quotes that will calm your heart, give you hope, and remind you that God is with us always. Simply fill out the form below and we will send this to you!
A documentary on the life and mission of Juanita Fernández Solar, who became the first Chilean saint: St. Teresa of the Andes.
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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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