Happy Feast Day of Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew!

JMJT! Praise be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!

   

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Blessed Ann of Saint Bartholomew, 1549 – 1626

Shepherdess in her youth. Lay Carmelite at age 20 under the direction of Saint Teresa of Avila. Secretary to and close friend of Saint Teresa; Teresa died in Anne’s arms. Worked on the Carmelite reform in France. Prioress at Tours and Pontoise. Founded the Carmelite house in Antwerp in 1612. Wrote poetry, some of which has survived to today. Born: 1 October 1549 at Almeneral, Spain as Anne Garcia Died: 7 June 1626 at Antwerp, Belgium

Bl. Anne was the Secretary and travelling companion of St. Teresa of Avila, who died in her arms. She received many spiritual and mystical graces from a young age, and would later bring the Teresian Carmel to France and Antwerp.  

She overcame many obstacles to join Carmel. Once she arrived, she entered a darkness of the soul that left her confused and alone. She relates,

“Scarcely had I passed a few days in the Monastery of St. Joseph than it pleased our Lord to hid Himself from me and leave me in darkness. My desolation was great. I said to this Adorable Master: “how is this? Why have you abandoned me? If I did not know you, I would think you had deceived me, and if I had known you would go away I would not have come to the monastery.”
This abandonment lasted ruing the entire year of novitiate. At the end of the year I entered one day the hermitage of Christ at the Pillar to pray. Scarcely had I knelt down than I became supernaturally recollected, and our Lord appeared to me fastened to the cross. The first words He addressed to me were in reply to a desire I had to know whether the thirst He experienced on the cross was a natural thirst. he said to me: “my thirst was only a thirst for souls. From henceforth you must apply yourself to the consideration of this truth, and you must walk in a different path from that you have followed until now.” As if He has said to me, “child, no longer seek Me.” He then caused me to see all virtues in their perfection; they were exquisitely beautiful. I was the more impressed when I realized how far I was from their beauty and perfection. After having favored me with this light, the Divine Master disappeared, leaving my heart deeply wounded with His love, as well as by seeing Him on the cross so deeply wounded with the love of souls. This grace remained so indelibly impressed in my souls that it was with me day and night; my heart was with my Adorable Master, and my Adorable Master was in my heart; this was my usual state. Wherever I might be I experienced a zeal beyond expression for the salvation of souls and for the acquisition of those virtues that the Divine Master had shown me in the vision I have just related. He told me that it was by the way of the cross I would acquire them.”

Bl. Anne had the following conversation with Our Lord one day: It seems that she reminded the Lord that most of the young French women joining their community were from rich, noble families. She explained to him that she was only a shepherd. Within her heart, Blessed Anne heard the Lord's answer: "With straws I light my fire."

I will leave you with one her quotes: “Silence is precious; by keeping silence and knowing how to listen to God, the soul grows in wisdom and God teaches it what it cannot learn from men.”