Alhambra, CA
Carmel of St. Teresa
Discalced Carmelite Nuns
April 1 Bl. Nuno Alvares Pereira, Religious
Nuno was born in 1360, and for many years pursued a military career, becoming the champion of Portuguese independence. After the death of his wife he joined the Order in 1423 at the monastery of Lisbon which he had founded, and took the name of Nuno of St. Mary. There he lived until his death in 1431.
He was noted for his prayer, his practice of penance and his filial devotion to the Mother of God.
April 18 Bl. Mary of the Incarnation, Virgin
Barbe Avrillot was born in Paris in 1566. At the age of sixteen she married Pierre Acarie, by whom she had seven children. In spite of her household duties and many hardships, she attained the heights of the mystical life. Under the influence of St. Theresa's writings, and after mystical contact with the saint herself, she spared no effort in introducing the Discalced Carmelite nuns into France.
After her husband's death, she asked to be admitted among them as a lay sister, taking the name of Mary of the Incarnation; she was professed at the Carmel of Amiens in 1615. She was esteemed by some of the greatest men of her time, including St. Francis de Sales; and she was distinguished by her spirit of prayer and her zeal for the propagation of the Catholic faith.
She died in Ponoise on April 18, 1618.