Venerables
Teresa di Sant’Agostino
Biography
Born in Versailles (France) on the 15th of July 1737, she was the daughter of King Louis XV and Maria Leszczynska.
In April 1770, with the consent of her father, the King of France, she entered the Carmelite monastery of Saint-Denis, and was given the name Marie-Thérèse de Saint-Augustin or Thérèse de Saint-Augustin. Her action aroused the admiration of the whole of France. Pope Clement XIV wrote her a letter to congratulate her on her action.
In the monastery, she ensured that she had no privileges, despite her royal rank. She also learned to pray on her knees, which was particularly difficult and painful for her because of a leg disability caused by a childhood accident.
After years of sacrifices, which she happily accepted, she was elected superior of the convent. She then tried to open France to the Austrian Carmelites persecuted by Emperor Joseph II, and used her influence on his nephew, the French King Louis XVI. To eliminate this influence, a plot to poison her was conceived. In November 1787, she began to suffer severe stomach pains, which became increasingly worse.
She died on 23 December 1787 after a life of asceticism and penance.
The decree on the heroicity of the virtues was promulgated on 18 December 1997.
Procedure
1. The canonical norms concerning the procedure to be followed in the Causes of Saints are stated in the Apostolic Constitution Divinus Perfectionis Magister promulgated by John Paul II on 25 January 1983 (AAS LXXV, 1983, 349-355).
2. To initiate a Cause it is necessary that at least five years pass after the death of the candidate. This is to allow for greater balance and objectivity in the evaluation of the case and to allow the emotions of the moment to decant. There must be a clear conviction among people about his/her sanctity (fama sanctitas) and about the efficacy of his/her intercession with the Lord (fama signorum).
Iconography
