In a Decree signed on 14 December 2023, Pope Francis approved of a miracle attributed to Sister Anne of Jesus, the spiritual daughter of St. Teresa of Avila and friend of St. John of the Cross. This decision opens the pathway towards the Beatification of Sister Anne (Ana de Lobera y Torres, 1545-1621).
Orphaned at the age of 9, Anne met St. Teresa in Toledo in 1569. Teresa recognized Anne’s virtues and invited her to enter Carmel. Later, St. Teresa would call Anne “the lady-captain of Prioresses”. Anne had a very strong personality and great discernment and was renowned for her charity. Following the death of Mother Teresa, she collected all the writings of the Saint and had them published. She developed St. Teresa’s heritage by founding monasteries in France: (Paris 1604; Pontoise 1605; Dijon 105; and in Belgium: (Brussels 1607); Louvain and Mons (1608). She encouraged a foundation in Cracow (Poland) in 1612, as well as another monastery of English emigrants in Anvers (Belgium) in 1619. Throughout all these years devoted to founding monasteries, Anne of Jesus excelled in unconditional fidelity to the spirit and work of St. Teresa of Avila.