On August 9, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, better known as Saint Edith Stein. Her testimony of her conversion from Judaism to Catholicism continues to move thousands of faithful around the world.
Below, we present 13 inspiring facts about his life, characterized by his intellect, charity and sacrifice, especially in the Nazi concentration camps.
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1.- Since she was a child she showed a superior intellect
Edith was born on October 12, 1891 in Wrocław (Poland) and from a young age “she had a formidable memory and retained everything.” Even in kindergarten “she was intellectually ahead of all the children,” described her sister Erna Biberstein-Stein.
For this reason, he entered school earlier than was customary at the time, where he “obtained brilliant results.”
2.- He stood out before an influential philosopher of the 20th century
In her youth, Edith studied History and Philosophy at the University of Gottiengen. Her work so impressed her professor Edmund Husserl that he chose her as her teaching assistant over Martin Heidegger, one of the most influential thinkers and philosophers of the 20th century.
3.- He served in the Red Cross
During World War I, Edith Stein enlisted in the Red Cross to serve as a nurse in an Austrian hospital until it was closed in 1916.
“There, as everywhere, she worked with all her soul, being appreciated by the wounded as well as by her colleagues and superiors,” said her sister Erna.
4.- He wrote poems for his loved ones
On Erna’s wedding day, Edith composed “beautiful poems for all the nieces and nephews.” “In them we relived the most pleasant experiences of our student years and our childhood,” said her sister.
5.- Saint Teresa of Jesus influenced her conversion
During her adolescence, Edith moved away from Judaism, the religion professed by her family. In 1921 she met a widow who made her closer to God and she began to read the biography of Saint Teresa of Jesus.
After going through a deep crisis, he was baptized into the Catholic Church on January 1, 1922.
6.- Hard transition from Judaism to Catholicism
Erna said that Edith confided in her her decision to convert to Catholicism and asked her to tell her mother.
“This decision meant a hard blow for someone who was an authentic Jewish believer and considered it an apostasy for Edith to accept another religion.”
“It was difficult for us too, but we had so much confidence in Edith’s inner conviction that we accepted her step despite ourselves, after having tried in vain to dissuade her because of our mother,” he added.
7.- He entered Carmel at 42 years old
Edith Stein spent the next few years working as a professor, writing books, and receiving offers to teach at various universities, including South America, but she felt the call of the Lord.
After a process of vocational discernment, in 1934, at the age of 42, she entered Carmel and took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
8.- His sister also converted to Catholicism
His sister Rosa also converted to Catholicism. At that time the situation of the Jews in Germany worsened and both she and Edith were transferred to a Carmelite community in Holland.
9.- He refused to go to Switzerland to stay with his sister
The Nazis began to detain Jews in Holland and, to protect themselves, Edith requested a visa to Switzerland to move with her sister Rosa to the Carmelite Convent of Le Paquier. They told her that they could only accept her, but not Rosa from her.
Edith decided to stay with her sister and spent her time finishing writing “The Science of the Cross.”
10.- He wrote a book about the value of women
Edith Stein was one of the first women to earn a doctorate in philosophy and was noted for her brilliant intellect in a field that had traditionally been dominated by men.
Before entering religious life, the saint gave lectures on the value and contribution of women to contemporary society. Her thoughts on the subject are captured in the book. “Woman: Her nature and mission”.
11.- The Nazis arrested her for her Jewish origin
Due to her Jewish origin, Edith was arrested on August 2, 1942 by the Nazis, who broke into the Echt Carmel and took her and Rosa away.
A witness narrated that the saint took her sister’s hand and told her: “Come Rosa, let’s go for our people.”
12.- He was in two concentration camps
Edith and Rosa were taken to the Westerbork concentration camp. There, the saint gave comfort and helped the prisoners, who lived in inhuman conditions and in the midst of constant humiliation by the Nazis. Edith’s testimony of serenity and charity was made known by the prisoners.
During the early hours of August 7, 1942, the saint was taken on a train along with a thousand other prisoners to the Auschwitz concentration camp, in Poland.
13.- He offered his martyrdom for the conversion of Germany
Saint Edith Stein arrived at Auschwitz on August 9, 1942 and was immediately taken to the gas chamber.
The martyr offered her life for the salvation of souls, the liberation of her people and the conversion of Germany.
She was canonized in 1998 by Saint John Paul II, who called her a “martyr for love.”
This news was originally published on August 8, 2018.
Central Editorial
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