Saint Teresa of Avila (Ess)

Renowned for both her courageous reform of the Carmelite Order and her ready wit, this first woman Doctor of the Church is proof of the joy found in serving God. From a fashionable young woman with a taste for romantic novels who lost much of her love for prayer, Teresa of Ávila emerged into a magnificent, faith-filled leader who gave her life completely over to God. Opening sixteen new Carmelite convents, Teresa set an example of how to sacrifice for Jesus.