Edith Stein, also known as St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross, was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Roman Catholicism and became a Discalced Carmelite nun. She is canonized as a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. She was born into an observant Jewish family, but was an atheist by her teenage years. From reading the works of the reformer of the Carmelite Order, Teresa of Ávila, she was drawn to the Catholic faith. She was baptized on January 1, 1922 into the Roman Catholic Church. She was admitted to the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Cologne the following October. She was arrested by the Nazis on August 2, 1942 and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where she died in the gas chamber on August 9, 1942. Patronage- Europe; loss of parents; converted Jews; martyrs; World Youth Day Feast Day - August 9th *Amazon Affiliate links help the ministry of Catholic-Link at no additional cost to you! Thank you!