E.A. Bucchianeri ~ Author ~ Official Site

The Month of Saint Teresa

Thirty-One Days in the School of Prayer

with Saint Teresa of Avila

“Let nothing disturb thee;
Let nothing affright thee;
All things are passing;
God never changes.”

~ Saint Teresa of Avila

Saint Teresa of Avila was a reformer, mystic, spiritual writer, and one of the great teachers of prayer in the history of the Church. Her writings illuminate both the heights of contemplative union and the practical daily struggle required to grow in humility, courage, detachment, and love of God.

Fr. Marin de Boylesve, S.J. composed The Month of Saint Teresa in 1882 to commemorate the three-hundredth anniversary of the saint’s entrance into eternity. Drawing upon her spiritual writings, he selected a passage for each day of October and transformed it into a concise meditation for prayer and reflection.

Translated into English for the first time, this slender devotional offers readers an approachable path into Saint Teresa’s wisdom—one thought, one prayer, and one day at a time.

A Month in the School of Prayer

Saint Teresa’s spiritual teaching is profound, but it is never detached from ordinary life. She understood distraction, discouragement, illness, misunderstanding, human weakness, and the temptation to abandon prayer when progress seems impossible.

Her answer was perseverance: to return faithfully to God, cultivate humility, place complete confidence in His mercy, and continue along the path of prayer regardless of consolation or difficulty.

The daily selections in this collection provide brief points for meditation upon the interior life. They may be used throughout October in honour of Saint Teresa, as a month-long novena, in preparation for her feast, or at any time of the year when encouragement in prayer is needed.

A Wise and Practical Guide

Saint Teresa is sometimes approached as though her mystical writings were intended only for contemplatives or advanced souls. Yet her counsel remains remarkably practical.

She teaches the reader to recognise self-deception, resist discouragement, practise detachment, accept trials with patience, grow in self-knowledge, and maintain confidence in God. Her vivid intelligence, honesty, and good sense make her a companion for anyone seriously attempting to advance in the spiritual life.

Fr. de Boylesve gathers these counsels into a form that can be read in only a few minutes each day, while leaving the reader with a thought capable of nourishing prayer long afterward.

Inside This Edition

This First English Edition Includes:

Thirty-one daily selections from the spiritual writings of Saint Teresa

Concise reflections suitable for meditation and prayer

A devotional arrangement for the month of October

Material that may also be used as a month-long novena

Additional prayers and quotations by Saint Teresa

Prayers to Saint Teresa by Saint Alphonsus de Liguori

A biography of Fr. Marin de Boylesve, S.J.

Fifteen sacred illustrations and explanatory annotations

For Those Who Wish to Persevere

The Month of Saint Teresa is especially suited to readers who desire a deeper prayer life but feel intimidated by lengthy mystical works or discouraged by their own difficulties.

It does not promise effortless spiritual progress. Instead, it places the reader under the guidance of a saint who knew that perseverance in prayer gradually transforms the soul.

For those already familiar with Saint Teresa, the book offers a convenient devotional companion. For those encountering her for the first time, it provides a gentle doorway into the writings of one of the Church’s greatest spiritual masters.

“Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed.”

~ Saint Teresa of Avila