After his catechesis on the liturgical reform of Vatican II during the last Wednesday audience of August, Leo XIV greeted groups of pilgrims in their native languages, as is customary. When he came to the pilgrims from Spain, he referred to a saint whom many people may not have heard of.
“Today, we celebrate the memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet e Ibars,” he said. This Spanish religious, he noted, is the patron saint of the elderly. “Through her intercession, we ask the Lord to bless all the elderly, as well as the people who take care of them and accompany them.”
Most Catholics are familiar with the “St. Teresa of Jesus” who is also known as St. Teresa of Ávila, a Doctor of the Church, poet, and reformer of the Carmelites alongside St. John of the Cross. So, who is this other St. Teresa? Why is she the patron saint of the elderly?
Spanish foundress of a religious order
St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet e Ibars was born on January 9, 1843. She entered religious life in 1868 with the Poor Clares, but had to leave after two years due to poor health. Teresa had an uncle who was a priest, and for two years she worked in schools he had founded. After his death in 1872, her life took a decisive turn.
That year, she met Fr. Pedro Llacera. He shared with her his plans to found a congregation to take care of elderly people who were in need, working with Fr. Saturnino López Novoa. She felt called to join his initiative, and became the foundress and first superior of the new community: the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly, founded on October 3, 1872.
Teresa remained at the head of the Little Sisters until her death on August 26, 1897. The community had already established 103 houses in Spain and the Americas. She was beatified in 1958 and canonized in 1974.
