erings. From that day on, she stated that she improved in her spiritual life. Part of her conversion was to break away from human relationships and instead turn to God alone.Her idea of what an effective convent should be also changed during these years. Teresa felt that the Carmelite convent was far too large to be an authentic religious community, that it was too open to worldly distractions and the nuns were too worried about social standings. She wanted a poverty-stricken, small community that could follow true Carmelite rules. Teresa decided her nuns would pray and suffer deprivation to ward off the “reformation” that was happening in Europe by the Calvinists. When she wanted to found her own house to follow strict Carmelite Rule, there was much opposition. The Sisters of the Carmelite Convention of the Incarnation objected because they wanted to retain their relaxed lifestyle. Other opposition was due to the poverty, Teresa did not wish to accept dowry or endowments for the order. Teresa felt when contemplating Christ’s suffering on the cross that she could not bear wealth. If not for her internal voices and visions to keep her focused, Teresa would not have been able to stand firm against the objections of the theologians, local bishop, cathedral chapter and other authorities. Their arguments were not unreasonable because many towns had other houses and convents established and why did she need to start another.Teresa’s first Carmelite Convent under strict Rule was Saint Joseph’s, opened in Avila in 1562. She began with four companions initially and they set out to follow what they thought was the original Carmelite Rule. They did not wear shoes. Their life was one focused on prayer and penance, which gave them the name of “Discalced Carmelites”. Teresa believed that the “holier” her nuns became, the more sociable they would be to each other. Throughout the first...
