of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
Discussion of Chapter 20
Chapter 20 Contents
On The Foundation Of The Monastery
Of Our Lady Of The Annunciation,
At Alba De Tormes,
In The Year 1571
1. Alba de Tormes. —
2. Birth of Teresa de Layz. —
3. Blindness of parents. —
4. Miraculous speech of the infant. —
5. Piety of Teresa de Layz. —
6. She removes to Salamanca. —
7. Prays for children. —
8. The foundation of a monastery
resolved on. —
9. Returns to Alba de Tormes. —
10. Difficulties suggested. —
11. And miraculously removed. —
12. Teresa de Layz goes to the Saint. —
13. Why some omissions are made. —
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Discussion of Chapter 20
█ The account of the Foundation
at Alba de Tormes,
the 8th convent founded by St. Teresa
for the Discalced Carmelite Nuns
▀ The Foundation at Alba de Tormes
▀ The Inception of the Plan
for the Foundation:
■ Teresa de Layz was inspired by a vision
to endow a monastery of nuns.
■ Delays encountered by Teresa de Layz
in pursing her purpose.
▀ The Response and Determinations
of St. Teresa
■ Her disinclination to endowments
■ Advice of Fray Domingo Banez
■ Negotiations for the arrangement
for the Foundation and its Endowment
▀ St. Teresa discusses the vision
of Teresa de Layz
■ Imagery and an Intellectual Message
■ Not an illusion or temptation / deception
▀ St. Teresa gives a lesson to parents
on the value of daughters
▀ Her purpose in writing these accounts
▀ Her purpose in writing these accounts
▀ The Foundation at Alba de Tormes:
The Foundation of
the Monastery of Our Lady of the Annunciation,
was established in Alba De Tormes
on the feast of the Conversion of S. Paul,
January 25, 1571
"The Most Holy Sacrament was reserved
and the foundation made
on the feast of the Conversion of S. Paul,
in the year 1571,
to the honour and glory of God;
and in that house,
I believeHis Majesty is well served."
[Foundations: Ch. 20: # 12 ]
"Juana of the Holy Ghost,
prioress,
and
Maria of the Blessed Sacrament,
sub-prioress"
[Foundations: Ch. 20: Foot note # 8 ]
Teresa de Layz was the patroness
"the foundress of the
Monastery of the Annunciation of our Lady
of Alba de Tormes"
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #2 ]
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▀ The Inception of the Plan for the Foundation:
■ Teresa de Layz was inspired
to endow a monastery of nuns.
Teresa de Layz prayed for many years for children
who would, like herself, "praise His Majesty".
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #6 ]
"praying to our Lord for children,
and
making special prayers to S. Andrew"
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #7 ]
▪ The vision and message of St Andrew
In a dream or vision,
"Close to the well
she beheld S. Andrew...
he said to her,
'These children are different
from those
whom thou desirest.'
She saw distinctly
- it was S. Andrew...
and also
- that it was our Lord's will
that she should found a monastery"
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #7 ]
"and they began to consider
where they should make a foundation.
[Foundations: Ch20: #8 ]
▪ Her vision is realized:
Her new house's grounds
were those that appeared in her vision
Teresa de Layz was the wife
of Francis Velasquez
who became the stewart of the household
of the Duke and Duchess of Alba.
"While they were discussing the matter
(of the foundation)
the duchess of Alba....
asked...the husband...to undertake
a charge and office
she gave him in her household".
So, "He bought a house (in Alba)
and sent for (his wife)...
The next morning,
on entering the court,
she saw...the well
beside which she had seen S. Andrew
everything was precisely
as she had seen it in the vision
...the place itself —
but she did not see the Saint...
On seeing this she...
made up her mind
to found a monastery on the spot.
...and they began
to buy other houses near,
till they had acquired ground enough."
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #9 ]
■ Delays encountered by Teresa de Layz
in pursing her purpose.
▪ She didn't know which Order of nuns
she should contact and offer the foundation.
"She was very anxious
to find out
what order it should belong to,
her wish being
that the nuns should be few,
and
the enclosure strict.
▪ The advice which she received
was adversarial to her purpose.
"In discussing the matter
with two religious of different orders,
very good and learned men,
she was recommended by both
to do some other good work...
because
- nuns...are discontented people...
- that there was no good
in founding a monastery"
"for, as Satan hated the work,
he wished to hinder it"
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #10 ]
▪ She followed their advice.
But a family tragedy, returns her
to her original purpose
"she resolved not to go on with her work"
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #10 ]
The couple, then, decided to endow
her nephew,
But he unexpectedly died soon after.
"From that day forth
she was resolved to let nothing hinder
the founding of the monastery,
...though they did not know
how to compass their end.
God put into her heart...
that which is now done;
[ Foundation: Ch. 20: #11 ]
Her Confessor
a Franciscan Friar,
"...was told of these monasteries
of our Lady of Carmel
which were being then established...
he...told her that...
- she could found her monastery,
- and in the way she wished.
...and recommended her
to find means of speaking to (St. Teresa)
She did so"
[ Foundation: Ch. 20: #12 ]
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▀ The Response and Determinations of St. Teresa
"Two months had not passed
since I took possession....
of the house in Salamanca,
when I was urged,
on the part of the steward
of the duke of Alba and his wife,
to found a monastery in that town.
■ Her disinclination to endowments
"I was not very willing to do so,
for
- it would be necessary...
to have an endowment
because (Alba) was a small place,
and
- my inclination was never
to have any (endowments".
[ Foundation: Ch. 20: #1 ]
■ Advice of "The Father Master,
Fray Domingo Banez, my confessor"
He advised:
- "that, as the (recent) council (of Trent)
allowed endowments,
it would not be well
if I refrained
from founding a monastery
- ...an endowment need not hinder
the nuns from being poor
and most perfect.
[ Foundation: Ch. 20: #1 ]
From the Council of Trent:
[ Concil. Trident., session. 25,
de Regular, chap. 3 ]
CHAPTER III.
....
The holy Synod permits
that henceforth real property
may be possessed
by all monasteries and houses,
both of men and women,
and of mendicants,
even by those who were forbidden
by their constitutions to possess it,
or who had not received permission
to that effect by apostolic privilege,-
...
But, in the aforesaid monasteries
amid houses,
as well of men as of women,
whether they possess,
or do not possess,
real property,
such a number of inmates only
shall be fixed upon
and be for the future retained,
as can be conveniently supported,
either out of the proper revenues
of those monasteries,
or out of the customary alms;
nor shall any such places
be henceforth erected,
without the permission
of the bishop,
in whose diocese
they are to be erected,
being first obtained.
[ Foundations: Ch. 9: Foot note #5
which referenced Chapter 9: #3]
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #3 ]
■ Negotiations for the arrangement
for the Foundation and its Endowment
"We had a great deal of trouble
in making the arrangement
for I have always laboured
to have the monasteries
which are endowed
- sufficiently furnished,
so that there shall be no need
for the nuns to apply to their kindred
or to anybody else,
- that they shall have in the house
whatever is necessary
in food and raiment,
and
- that the sick shall be well cared for,
because many inconveniences result
from the want of what is necessary."
[ See Foundations: Ch.20: #12 ]
"At last they became reasonable,
(Teresa de Layz and her husband)
and assigned a sufficient endowment
for the number of nuns;
they also did that
which I thought much of
— they left their own house
and gave it to us,
going themselves to live in one
that was in a wretched state".
[ See Foundations: Ch.20: #12 ]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
• St. Teresa preferred
that her monasteries be founded in poverty:
"I have never been without
the courage and
the confidence
necessary for founding monasteries
without revenues,
for I was certain
God would never fail them"
[ See Foundations: Ch.20: #12 ]
Recalling from Ch. 19: #10
"for it is of little consequence
whether the house we have
is good or bad:
on the contrary,
it is a great pleasure to us
to find ourselves in a house
out of which we may be driven
at any time,
remembering
that the Lord of the world had none.
It has been often our lot,
as may be seen
in the history of these foundations,
to live in a house that is, or was,
not our own,
and the truth is
that I have never seen
one of the nuns
distressed about it".
Luke 9:58.
Jesus said to him:
The foxes have holes,
and the birds of the air nests;
but the Son of man hath not
where to lay his head
[ Foundations: Ch. 19: #10 ]
• But many of her foundations did begin
with the donation of property,
funds, and/or endowments.
But the accounts of those monasteries
which began with donations
showed the importance of prudent planning:
"but I have no heart
for founding monasteries
to be endowed
and that scantily;
I think it better
not to found them at all".
[ Foundations: Ch.20: #12 ]
From some of the accounts, it was shown that:
- if the town was too poor, too small
or too inconvenient / out of the way
it would be very dependent on the
sufficiency, continuity, and reliability
of the promised endowment.
"it would be necessary,
because (Alba) was a small place,
to have an endowment"
[ Foundation: Ch. 20: #1 ]
- because of the initial patronage
of the foundation,
it would be assumed by all
that the monastery would be
continuously subsidized by the patron.
If we recall the account
of the Foundation of Pastrano:
This plan began with the offer
of the princess of Eboli
to found a convent there at Pastrana
But the negotiations
continued to be troublesome
and the sponsorship was unrelliable:
"The princess wished the monastery
to be unendowed,
but the Saint would not hear of it,
for she knew
that the place was poor,
and
that the people,
supposing that a great personage
like the princess of Eboli
had taken care
of the temporal necessities
of the house she had founded,
would therefore suffer the nuns
to perish of want.
The generosity of the princess
was not to be relied on".
[ Foundations: Ch. 17: Foot note #15 ]
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▀ St. Teresa discusses the vision
of Teresa de Layz
■ Both Imagery and an Intellectual Message
"...the vision was
as much intellectual as imaginary"
■ Not an illusion or temptation / deception
"it could not be fancy or an illusion of Satan".
[ Foundations: Ch. 20: #7 ]
▪ Not an illusion or self-deception
because it had true and good results:
From the vision,
Teresa de Layz understood
what was God's will for her.
She no longer yearned
to have her own children,
"to praise His Majesty"
Instead by "carrying out our Lord's wish",
the convent would bring Him honor.
"In the first place,
it was no fancy,
because of the great results
that flowed from it,
for from that moment
she never again wished for children:
she was so persuaded in her heart
that it was the will ot God
that she
neither asked
nor even desired
to have children any more,
on the contrary
she began to think of the means
of carrying out our Lord's wish.
...
Being much amazed at the vision,
she said to her husband
that they might...found a monastery,
seeing that it was not God's will
(that) they should have children"
▪ It was not a temptation or deception
"Next it is clear also
that the voice came not from Satan,
because of the effects of it;
for nothing that comes from him
can do any good,
as the founding of a monastery is,
wherein our Lord is greatly served.
[Foundations: Ch. 20: #8 ]
And, again,
it could not be from Satan,
because
- it took place more than six years
before the monastery was founded,
and
- Satan cannot know what is coming".
[Foundations: Ch. 20: #8 ]
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▀ St. Teresa gives a lesson to parents
on the value of daughters:
"It certainly is a thing
much to be lamented
that mortal men
- not knowing what is best for them,
as persons wholly ignorant
of the judgments of God,
- discerning
neither what great blessings
may come by daughters
nor what great evils by sons,
should seem so unwilling
to leave it in His hands
to whom everything is known
and
by whom all things are made,
but must fret themselves to death
about that in which
they should rather rejoice."
"As people whose faith is asleep,
they will not
seriously consider nor remember
that it is God who thus ordains
— that they may leave it all
in His hands;"
St. Teresa asks
"how many fathers will suffer greatly
because of their sons
"and again
how many mothers will go to heaven
by the help of their daughters ! "
[ Foundations: Ch.20: #3 ]
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▀ Her purpose in writing these accounts
Although St. Teresa was directed
by her Superiors to record
the accounts of the founding
of the Monasteries,
she also hopes that these accounts
and the virtues and labors of the Nuns
will be a model for those nuns
who will join in the future.
"I began by giving some account
of particular sisters
in these monasteries,
my purpose was
to encourage those
who came to us
to go onwards
according to such a good beginning"
[Foundations: Ch20: #13]
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End of the Discussion
of Chapter 20
of the
Book of the Foundations
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
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