(1891-1942) Edith was born to a Jewish family in Germany and converted to Catholicism through the witness of friends and the spirituality of Saint Teresa of Avila. She studied philosophy and Saint Thomas Aquinas, with a specialty in phenomenology and, in particular, the experience of empathy. After a career as an educator, Edith entered a Carmelite convent, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She, her sister, and her religious community were arrested by the Nazis in retaliation for the Catholic opposition to the party, and she was executed in the gas chamber at Auschwitz.

Saint Teresa Benedicta was proclaimed a Co-Patroness of Europe by Pope Saint John Paul II in the Apostolic Letter Spes Aedificandi on October 1, 1999. She promoted women’s issues throughout her career and literally wrote the book on Empathy (The Problem of Empathy). Empathy is an important spiritual principle in our recovery. We need it when we make amends—we need it to reach the still-suffering and share the message.

“Lay all your cares about the future trustingly in God’s hands, and let yourself be guided by the Lord just like a little child” (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross).

Reflection by Brad Farmer