Note: For the next several weeks, I’m featuring women with a connection to the Americas.
The Basics: Born March 26, 1901, in the United States; died May 8, 1927, in the United States; beatified October 4, 2014, by Pope Francis; feast day, May 8; writer, teacher, and woman religious.
The Story: She was a Jersey girl, start to finish. This saint began life in Bayonne as Teresa Demjanovich,
the youngest of seven children born to Slovakian immigrants and raised in the Ruthenian-Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church. By all accounts, Teresa was brilliant (graduating from the College of St. Elizabeth)… and sure from an early age that she was called to the religious life. But she met obstacles. First, she stayed home to care for her dying mother. As she was teaching at what is now the Caritas Academy and involved in ministries, she considered applying to become a Carmelite, but was urged to wait due to her own health issues. Her life became further complicated when her father fell ill. Then, in February 1925, she entered the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth. In addition to teaching at the sisters’ academy, Teresa also wrote religious plays and documents for the congregation. It was not long before her health failed even further, first due to complications related to a tonsillectomy and then appendicitis. She took permanent religious vows a few weeks before her death.
Miriam Teresa’s Wisdom: “The imitation of Christ in the lives of the saints is always possible and compatible with every state in life.”
What We Can Learn from Miriam Teresa: This young woman’s striving to imitate Christ’s life in the way she served her family and community came in seemingly small but important ways. What one thing is the Lord asking you to do today?
To Learn More About Miriam Teresa: Learn more about her congregation, the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, at its website.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my books, Blessed Are You: Finding Inspiration from Our Sisters in Faith or Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
