Life
Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones Fernández Solar was born in 1900 in Santiago in Chile to the upper-class Miguel Fernández and Lucia Solar as the fourth of six children. Her baptism was celebrated in the parish church of Santa Ana. Fernández Solar received her education in a college managed by French nuns from the Sacred Heart order, and she remained there from 1907 until 1918. In 1914, she decided to consecrate herself to the Lord and become a Discalced Carmelite. On 8 December 1915, she made a vow to remain chaste and she renewed it on a regular basis. Fernández Solar was pious in character but could also be stubborn and vain; she also lost her temper on some occasions. On one particular occasion, her sister Rebeca grew so fed up with Juana that she hit her while the red-faced Juana grabbed her with anger but stopped and kissed her cheek. Rebeca was confused and unsure but chased her off and said: "Get out of here! You have given me the kiss of Judas!" Juana was hospitalised in 1913 for acute appendicitis.
In her childhood, she also liked singing and dancing and played croquet and tennis. She was an able swimmer and could play the piano and harmonium. In 1916, she made a retreat for the Spiritual Exercises when she wrote:
"Oh, I'm happy! For I can truly say that the only love of my heart has been Him.
My Jesus, I have seen that only one thing is necessary: to love and serve you faithfully; To resemble and resemble You in everything. That will be all my ambition.
Jesus asks me to be holy. May I do my duty perfectly. That duty is the cross. Will the Father find the figure of Christ in me? How much I lack to resemble Him!
My mirror must be Mary. Since I am Her daughter, I must resemble Her and thus I will resemble Jesus."
In her childhood, she read the autobiographical account that Thérèse of Lisieux had written and the experience had a profound effect on her pious and innocent character while also coming to the realisation that she wanted to live for God alone.
Fernández Solar had to work to overcome her initial self-centred character towards that of one directed to the caring of others above all. Her further inspiration for this self-transformation was her upcoming First Communion which led her to this commitment in an effort to achieve worthiness of what she was soon to receive. Fernández Solar received her Confirmation on 22 October 1909 and made her First Communion later on 11 September 1910, of which she wrote:
"Jesus, from that first embrace, did not let go of me and took me to Himself. Every day I received communion and talked with Jesus for a long time. But my special devotion was Our Lady. I told him everything. I felt his voice inside me."
On 7 May 1919 she entered the novitiate of the Discalced Carmelites in Los Andes at which time she was given the new religious name of "Teresa of Jesus"; she later received the habit on the following 14 October. Toward the end of her short life the new nun began an apostolate of letter-writing in which she shared her thoughts on the spiritual life with others. But she soon contracted typhus that was diagnosed as fatal. However, some historians have suggested that she might have contracted Spanish flu, which was devastating Chile at this time. In any case, her condition grew worse on 2 April 1920 - Good Friday.
Sister Teresa was still three months short of turning 20 and had six months to complete her canonical noviciate so as to make her religious vows. But she nevertheless was allowed to profess her vows "in articulo mortis" ("facing death") on 7 April 1920. Sister Teresa received the final sacraments on 5 April 1920 and later died at 7:15pm on 12 April 1920, one week after Easter. Her remains were later relocated in 1940 to a new chapel.
Popular Sayings
“Remember that the Heart of Jesus is your spiritual cradle. There is your nest. There Jesus sings lullabies of peace and love to you."
"I made it a resolution to live very cheerfully outwardly. Where they take me I am happy.... Always live very cheerful. God is infinite joy."
"I feel full of God. There is no separation between us. Wherever I go, He is with me, within me. I live with Him. And despite being on the walks, we both talk without anyone surprising us or interrupting us.
The will of God is a spiritual food that fortifies the soul that surrenders to Him gladly."
Legacy
She was beatified in 1987 and held as an example of faithfulness for young people.
She was the first Chilean to be beatifide.
Her feast day is the 12th of April.
Reasons for her beatification:
- a young saint, entirely normal and balanced, simple, cheerful, athletic, sympathetic and who loved and lived life fully is a gift from God for a society like ours, with a very high percentage of young people;
- because, as a lover of Christ, she will infect us young people and adults with his love, which will impel us - like Christ - to obey the Father unconditionally and to live for others;
- because it will convince us that only on the basis of a spirit of overcoming and effort will we mature and realize ourselves as people; and
- Because, forgetting herself and sacrificing herself for others, she shows us the path that leads to human balance and true happiness.
And she asks us all: to turn our life into worship, into an offering, into a "continuous melody of love" for God.
Prayer
Merciful God, joy of the saints, who inflamed the youthful heart of Saint Teresa with the fire of virginal love for Christ and his Church, and made her a joyful witness of charity even in the midst of suffering; grant us, through his intersession, that, moved by the Holy Spirit, we too, clothed with his sweetness, may proclaim in the world, in word and deed, the Gospel of charity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Resources
Teresa of Jesus of Los Andes - Wikipedia
Vatican News: Teresa de Jesús de los Andes (1900-1920) - biography (vatican.va) says of Teresa:
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Saint of the Day for April 12: Saint Teresa of Los Andes from Franciscan Media
"God transformed her feisty nature and opened her heart to deeper relationship with him."
Teresa of the Andes: A stubborn and proud girl who became a gentle saint --Aleteia