Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross – Edith Stein

I was born in Poland in the year 1891. My family was Jewish. Since a child, I have been an excellent student. I gained a doctorate in philosophy and became a university professor. Firstly, I was not interested in religion, but later I was attracted to the Catholic faith after reading the autobiography of Saint Teresa of Avila. I was baptised in 1922 and began to teach in a Catholic school in Germany. However, I was forced to withdraw my position because of the Nazi government, who did not want teachers of Jewish origin. In the year 1933, I entered the convent and became a Carmelite nun. I received the name Sister Teresa Benedict of the Cross, dedicating my life to fasting, studying, and praying. When the Nazi threat increased, we were sent to a monastery in Echt, in the Netherland. However, in 1942, I was arrested with my sister Rosa. We were sent to Auschwitz and brought to death in the same year.