What Made This Jewish Atheist Become a Catholic Saint and Martyr? (Joanne Wright) - 8/6/25

8/6/25 - St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, born Edith Stein (1891–1942), was a brilliant Jewish philosopher who became a Catholic nun and martyr at Auschwitz. Raised in a devout Jewish family in Germany, Edith lost her faith in her teens and became an atheist while studying philosophy under Edmund Husserl, becoming one of the leading minds in phenomenology. Her conversion began after reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Ávila, leading to her baptism in 1922. In 1933, she entered the Discalced Carmelite Order and took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, offering her life as a sacrifice for her people and for peace. Arrested by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz, she was martyred on August 9, 1942. She was later canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1998 and declared a co-patroness of Europe.