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Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD (), born Élisabeth Catez (18 July 1880 – 9 November 1906), was a French Discalced Carmelite, a mystic, and a spiritual writer. She was known for the depth of her spiritual growth as a Carmelite as well as bleak periods in which her religious calling was perceived to be unsure according to those around her; she however was acknowledged for her persistence in pursuing the will of
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and in devoting herself to the charism of the Carmelites. Elizabeth was a gifted pianist and had strong feelings for the Carmelite charism. Of that experience as a professed religious she wrote in a letter: "I can't find words to express my happiness. Here there is no longer anything but God. He is All; He suffices and we live by Him alone" (Letter 91).
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
celebrated her beatification in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
on 25 November 1984;
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
approved her canonization on 3 March 2016. The date was decided at a gathering of cardinals on 20 June 2016 and she was canonized as a saint on 16 October 2016.


Life

She was born on 18 July 1880 as Élisabeth Catez at the military base at Avord in
Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...
as the first child of Captain Joseph Catez and Marie Rolland. She was baptized at the camp's chapel on the following 22 July. Elizabeth's father died unexpectedly on 2 October 1887 and as a result the family moved to
Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...
. During that same year she made her first confession. Her
First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...
was on 19 April 1891 at , and her
Confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...
was at Notre-Dame on the following 8 June. Elizabeth had a terrible temper as a child. After receiving her
First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communion (ot ...
in 1891 she gained more self-control and had a deeper understanding of
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and the world. She also gained a profound understanding of the Trinity to which she cultivated an ardent devotion. Elizabeth visited the sick, sang in the church choir and taught religion to children who worked in factories. As she grew older Elizabeth became interested in entering the Discalced Carmelite Order, though her mother strongly advised against it. Men had asked for Elizabeth's hand in marriage, but she declined such offers because her dream was to enter the Discalced Carmelite monastery that was located from her home. Elizabeth entered the Dijon Carmel on 2 August 1901. She said: "I find Him everywhere while doing the wash as well as while praying." Her time in the convent amongst other Carmelites had some high times as well as some very low times. She wrote about when she felt she needed a richer understanding of God's great love. At the end of her life, she began to call herself . Elizabeth wanted that to be her appellation in
Heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
because it means 'praise of glory'. She said: "I think that in Heaven my mission will be to draw souls by helping them to go out of themselves in order to cling to God by a wholly simple and loving movement, and to keep them in this great silence which will allow God to communicate Himself to them and to transform them into Himself." Her spirituality is considered to be remarkably similar to that of her contemporary and compatriot Discalced Carmelite sister,
Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin; 2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), religious name, in religion Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, was a French Discalced Carmelites, Discalced Carmelite who is widely v ...
, who was cloistered at the Carmel in
Lisieux Lisieux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pa ...
; the two share a zeal for contemplation and the salvation of souls. Elizabeth died at the age of 26 of
Addison's disease Addison's disease, also known as primary adrenal insufficiency, is a rare long-term endocrine disorder characterized by inadequate production of the steroid hormones cortisol and aldosterone by the two outer layers of the cells of the adr ...
, which had no cure. Though her death was painful, Elizabeth gratefully accepted her suffering as a gift from God. Her last words were: "I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!"


Beatification process

The process for Elizabeth's beatification started in 1931 in Dijon, and lasted until 1941. Her writings were gathered and after careful investigation were incorporated into the cause and approved as being valid additions on 28 January 1944. A second process opened in 1948 and closed in 1950; the official introduction of the cause came on 25 October 1961, and she received the title of
Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
. The third and final process was opened in 1963 and closed in 1965, and two decrees ratified the prior processes in 1969 and on 13 March 1970; this allowed the Congregation of Rites to assume control of the cause to further investigate her life and her spiritual works. After an extensive investigation that spanned more than a decade, on 12 July 1982 she was made
Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...
after
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
acknowledged the fact that she had lived a full life of
heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...
. The miracle needed for her beatification was investigated from 1964 and closed in 1965; it received validation in 1969. John Paul II approved the healing as being a legitimate miracle in 1984, and beatified Elizabeth on 25 November 1984, on the occasion of an apostolic visit to Paris. The second miracle needed for canonization was investigated in the diocese of the healing's origin from 11 July 2011 until 25 August 2012; it received ratification several months later on 28 June 2013.
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
on 3 March 2016 approved the second healing as being a miracle attributed to Elizabeth's intercession and thus approved her canonization as a saint. A date of canonization was determined at a gathering of cardinals on 20 June 2016. Her canonization was celebrated on 16 October 2016. The postulator of the cause at the time of her canonization was Romano Gambalunga.


Feast and patronage

Her
liturgical feast The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
is celebrated annually on 9 November. Her most famous prayer is: "Holy Trinity Whom I Adore",Order of Carmelites
Holy Trinity, Whom I Adore
, accessed 8 November 2019
written out of her love of the Most Blessed Trinity. Elizabeth of the Trinity is a patron against illness, of sick people, and of the loss of parents.


See also

* Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, patron saint archive


References


External links


Saints SQPN
* * Elizabeth of the Trinity. ''Complete Works''. 2 vol. Trans. Alethia Kane and Anne Englund Nash. Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 1984, 1995. * Moorcroft, Jennifer. ''He Is My Heaven: The Life of Elizabeth of the Trinity.'' Washington, DC: ICS Publications, 2001.
Lilles, Anthony. "Elizabeth of the Trinity: A Saint for Our Time", ''National Catholic Register''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elizabeth Of The Trinity 1880 births 1906 deaths 20th-century venerated Christians 20th-century Christian mystics People from Cher (department) People from Dijon Discalced Carmelite nuns 20th-century French nuns Carmelite mystics Deaths from Addison's disease People with Addison's disease Beatifications by Pope John Paul II Canonizations by Pope Francis French Christian mystics French saints Carmelite saints Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II