Sister Teresa de Los Andes, Chile’s first saint, born Juana Fernandez Solar in 1900.

As a young child, she was recognized for her religious devotion. She took her first Communion at the age of 10, which she described as her “first embrace with Jesus, after which he never let me go, taking me for his own.’’

From that time she devoted herself to the aid of the poor and needy, before entering the Carmelite order of Los Andes in May 1919. She died of typhoid just 11 months later.

In spite of her short life, those who knew her were impressed with her spiritual peace and united in their belief that she would perform miracles.

Pope John Paul II canonized her at the Vatican on March 21, 1993.