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While raised in the Jewish faith, Edith Stein distanced herself from all religion in young adulthood. However, she went on a pursuit of the truth, primarily through the study of modern philosophy.
This intellectual journey led her to explore Christian writings, such as the New Testament and St. Ignatius Loyola's Spiritual Exercises.
However, her head and heart were captivated by the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila.
The Vatican biography of her life explains how she came across this book.
According to the Institute of Carmelite Studies, St. Teresa of Avila's book is technically not an "autobiography" and explores many fundamental questions of life.
There was much for Edith Stein to learn from St. Teresa's life, including her struggles with prayer and the interior life.
Some months after reading the book, on January 1, 1922, Edith Stein was baptized into the Catholic Church and would eventually become a Carmelite nun, choosing the name of Teresa in honor of St. Teresa of Avila. Arrested with other baptized Jews in the Netherlands, she was sent to Auschwitz, where she was killed in the gas chamber.
Edith Stein is now known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
