Celebrating The V Centenary Of The Birth Of St. Teresa Of Avila.
I am yours, I was born for You: What do You want me to do?
St. Teresa of Jesus was born in Avila, Spain, on March 28, 1515. 2015 is thus the V centenary of her birth. Officially, the Centenary year begins October 15th 2014, and will end officially on her Feast, October 15th 2015.
Since 2010, the Order of the Discalced Carmelites has been preparing for the Fifth Centenary of the birth of St.Teresa of Avila. A re-reading of all her writings was undertaken world-wide by the Carmelite family with an orientation towards personal renewal and being reinvigorated by her spirit and teaching. During this year, the Order moves from a more internal to a more public celebration of her life and teaching.
In this Monastery of Jesus, Mary, Joseph our newly appointed His Grace Archbishop Julian Leow presided at the Eucharistic Celebration to inaugurate the Centenary celebrations. The occasion was well attended by the parishioners of Visitation Parish, our Carmelite secular members, and other well-wishers from other parishes in Kuala Lumpur. The unveiling of the statue of St. Teresa of Avila by the Archbishop was one of the highpoints of the celebration. A number of events are being organized to mark the anniversary. On this website we will share St. Teresa's teachings and spirituality.
Jubilee Year for the 500th anniversary of the birth of St Teresa of Avila, a Discalced Carmelite and Doctor of the Church.
10-15-14 Vatican Radio:
Pope Francis has sent a message to mark the Jubilee Year for the 500th anniversary of the birth of St Teresa of Avila, a Discalced Carmelite and Doctor of the Church. " On this her feast day, the Pope writes that St Teresa teaches us that the path to God is the path towards love for one another. In the message released on the Feast day of St Teresa of Avila, the Holy Father underlines that this great Saint who was born on the 28th of March 1515 and died on the 4th of October 1582 was a woman of immense spirituality and focuses on four gifts in particular that she possessed, those being joy, prayer, fellowship and being in touch with the realities of her own time. The Pope writes that St Teresa emphasizes the joy in discovering God, resulting in the love for one another nourished by prayer, which he says “overcomes pessimism and generates good deeds.” Focusing on the Carmelite nun’s mystical experience, the Pope says that it did not separate her from the world or from the concerns of the people, on the contrary, he adds she has given new impetus and courage for action." Pope Francis notes that what St Teresa has to say through her writings has "perennial relevance" and he adds that it applies to individuals in their journey towards God and men."
V CENTENARY Message from Discalced Carmel's Superior General,
Fr. Saverio Cannistrà, OCD
Extracts.
"At the center of the Teresian centenary should be what was at the center of Teresa’s heart,a life soaked, wounded in God, to which a mission of crucial importance was entrusted: to remind the Church and human beings of all times that the center of man is God and the center of God is man.
Teresa shares with everyone, with anyone in any place in the world whose journey is lost on an aimless path, what she found: a dwelling and a way. Those are precisely the titles of her main works: way and dwelling. If we think carefully about that, those are the properly fundamental dimensions needed for life to exist and to be human; the life which we feel is so threatened today by a lifestyle that assaults and distracts us.
Re-read her works.... move on to deeds. We are called to recognize in ourselves what the words of Saint Teresa describe, to find our home and our way. I caution that this cannot be achieved if we do not make choices.
We will not celebrate the Centenary adequately only by doing things to honor the memory of Saint Teresa, but rather by making ourselves into Teresa, if you would allow such a daring proposal. In conclusion: Where does the Centenary of Teresa lead us? It leads us to our hearts, where our truth and the truth of the living God dwell. May those truths be found in the name of and following the footsteps of la Santa: this is the only celebration that will gladden the heart of the Mother and make her feel the fruitfulness of her search, her struggle, her tireless pilgrimage.” Thank you Teresa, because truly, not for yourself were you born, but for us !
Fr. Saverio Cannistrà, OCD Superior General
Birthday of Our Holy Mother, St. Teresa of Jesus.
28th March 2015
Invitations were sent to all single adults and youth in the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur to attend a day's celebration on the 28th March, the day being the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of Jesus. The Guest speaker for the day was Fr. Reegan OCD who spoke eloquently on 3 main topics.
1. St. Teresa and Youth - a snapshot of who this Doctor of the Church was.
2. St. Teresa's contribution to the Church. "Yours I am. For You I was born.
What do You want of me?"
The Relevance of the Spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila which included:
- an introduction and explanation of St. Teresa's writings and teachings on prayer.
- the characteristics and methods of Teresian Prayer
- and the leadership style of the Saint.
3. Sowing the seeds of contemplation and prayer in one's daily life - practical helps to grow in prayer daily.
The group discussions that followed the talks enlightened all present of the experiences of others around the Archdiocese and proved very enriching. There was time also for a cake cutting ceremony in honour of St. Teresa which proved to be a lighter moment during the course of the morning. Extracts from a film on St. Teresa conveyed to the viewers the lifestyle, travel modes and culture of her time. It enlightened everyone as to the manner of life in the 16th century....certainly not as comfortable as our 21st. century in travelling modes! The event ended with Mass in the evening. As is apparent from their testimonies, the youth learnt and gained much from the sessions and the experience overall.
More about St. Teresa of Avila
