The Feast of St. Teresa of Avila and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Saint Teresa of Avila

October 15 is the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, also known as St. Teresa of Jesus. She was a Spanish nun, one of the great mystics and religious women of the Roman Catholic Church, and an author of spiritual classics. With the help of St. John of the Cross, she reformed the Carmelite Order to restore and emphasize the austerity and contemplative character of the religious life by advocating penance, silence and a simple habit without shoes. The reformed Order is known as the Discalced Carmelite. She along with St. Catherine of Siena became the first two women to be named “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Paul VI.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

October 17 marks the Feast Day of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French Visitation nun. Margaret Mary was greatly recognized for her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She entered the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial in May 1671 after a vision of Christ, scourged and bloody. He told her of forgetting about him. He showed her that His heart was full of love for her because of the promise she made to His Blessed Mother as a child.

During her time in the monastery, Margaret received several private revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the first Friday of each month, she was instructed to receive Holy Communion. Jesus told her that He desired all people to love Him and to know the love of His Heart. She saw Jesus’ Heart on fire and crowned with thorns. The flames represented Jesus’ burning love for humanity, and the thorns represented the sinful and ungrateful response of men.

The Brown Scapular St. Teresa of Avila was the co-founder of the first convent of Discalced Carmelite friars with St. John of the Cross in 1568. The Brown Scapular belongs to the habit of both the Carmelite Order and the Discalced Carmelite Order.	Sacred Heart Greeting Card Flaming and wounded, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus symbolizes God’s boundless love and compassion for mankind. This 5” x 7” greeting card depicts Jesus Christ holding His Sacred Heart. Perfect for Confirmation, Ordination or First Communion. Blank inside for spiritual and personal greetings.	Sacred Heart of Jesus Wood Statue Jesus revealed, to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the devotion to His Sacred Heart in the late 17th century. In this statue, Jesus’ flaming heart is pierced with a lance and is surrounded by a crown of thorns. It is also tastefully accented with a cross. This 17” tall wood statue is custom ordered in limited quantities.