St. Teresa of Avila is one our favorite saints. This morning after reading to the kids from Saints for Young Readers for Every Day, I came up with a few questions to help us remember a few important details about her life.

1. Where was St. Teresa born? Avila, Spain

2. When was she born? March 28, 1515

3. What did Teresa and her brother Rodrigo love to read when they were young? The lives of the saints and martyrs.

4. What did the two children secretly set out to do? To go to the land of the Moors.

5. What else did they decide to do? They decided to become hermits in their garden.

6. Were they able to do this? No. They could not get enough stones together to build their huts.

7. What happened to Teresa when she became a teenager? She changed and became worldy.

8. Why did this happen? She read many novels and foolish romances and she lost her love of prayer.

9. What did she think about then? She began to think about dressing up to look pretty.

10. What happened after she recovered from a bad illness? She read a book about the great St. Gerome and made up her mind to become a bride of Christ.

11. How old was she when she entered the Carmelite convent? 19

12. What did she do with the help of St. John of the Cross and Peter of Alcantara? She reformed most of the Carmelite convents in Spain and founded a few new ones.

13. What spiritual books did she write? The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila: The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus, The Way of Perfection, and Interior Castle.

14. When did St. Teresa die? October 4, 1582

15. What was she declared in the church? The first woman Doctor of the Church.

16. Of what is she the patron saint? Headaches, loss of parents, Spain.