St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: Martyr and Model of Reconciliation
August 9 is the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (also known as Edith Stein), virgin and martyr, a Jewish convert to Catholicism, who later became a Discalced Carmelite nun and was martyred at Auschwitz. She is the patron saint of converted Jews, loss of parents, martyrs, and World Youth Day. Edith Stein was born on October 12, 1891, of Jewish parents, Siegried Stein and Auguste Courant, in Breslau, Germany, the youngest of eleven children. Although her parents were practicing Jews, Edith became an atheist during her adolescent years. A critical thinker and a gifted scholar, Edith studied philology and philosophy at the universities of Breslau and Goettingen. Read the entire article at Catholic Fire.