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On Sunday, September 29, 2024, in Brussels, Pope Francis beatified Venerable Anne of Jesus (1545-1621), a Spanish companion of St. Teresa of Avila who bravely defended Teresa's legacy and the constitution of the Order and who established the Carmelite Reform in France and in Belgium. In 1896, she appeared to St. Therese in a consoling dream which Therese recounts in her memoir, Story of a Soul.
An Interpretation of St. Therese's Dream
In The Hidden Face, Ida Gorres interprets this dream. She pairs it with Therese's earlier dream in which Mother Genevieve of St. Teresa, who founded the Lisieux Carmel, said to Therese three times: "To you, I leave my heart." Gorres writes: "Therese had the consolation of knowing herself to be in accord with the great tradition of the Order, with its founders and with the deceased nun who had established the Lisieux Carmel." Gorres then recounts the dream in which Mother Anne of Jesus appeared to Therese, and writes: "Between these two dreams lay Therese's life in the convent: nine years of complete obedience with deep commitment and simple fidelity to the ideal of the Order as represented by its saints."
The Hidden Face, by Ida Friederike Gorres (New York, New York: Pantheon, 1959, pp. 236-237.
A Short Video and an Article about St. Therese's Dream and about Mother Anne's life:
- A seven-minute video by ICS Publications, with a reading of Therese's account of her dream of Mother Anne of Jesus and commentary about Anne's adventurous life:
- For a brief and lively account of the dream and of Anne's life and extraordinary gifts, please see Jennifer Sokol's story "Miraculous Vision: How St. Therese's Dream Pointed to Blessed Anne's Beatification" in the Natioinal Catholic Register, September 29, 2024.
Pope Francis's homily at the Mass of Beatification
- For the remarks of Pope Francis about Blessed Anne of Jesus, see the last three paragraphs of his homily at the Mass during which he beatified Mother Anne of Jesus, who founded several monasteries of Discalced Carmelite nuns in Belgium and died in Brussels in 1621
A documentary in French by KTO-TV about Blessed Anne of Jesus:
- If you understand French, KTO-TV broadcast an excellent 21-minute documentary about Blessed Anne, with many images of her, photographs of her mantle, and commentary by Church and academic authorities: