St. Teresa Benedicta

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross was born with the name Edith Stein in what is now Wroclaw, Poland, in October 1891 to a Jewish family. She received a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. After seeing the strong faith of her Catholic friends, she began to study the catechism of the Catholic Church. She converted to Catholicism in Cologne, Germany, and was baptized Jan. 1, 1922. She became a Carmelite nun in 1934. Both Jewish and Catholic, she left Germany for an assignment in Holland in 1938. However, she was captured when the Nazis invaded the country. She died in Auschwitz in 1942. St. Teresa is patron saint of Europe and World Youth Day.