(1515-1582)

Patron of headache sufferers and those living with chronic illnesses

Teresa was devoted to Jesus from an early age and studied the Lives of the Saints. At the age of 17, she entered the Carmelite convent and devoted her life to scholarly contemplation and arduous reform of the order. Though she suffered life-long illnesses, her courage and conviction inspired all. Her writings and her compassion prompted the Church to honor her as a “doctor of the Church,” one of the rst women to hold this title.