Top Ten 20th Century Women Saints

The 20th century (my century) belongs to the women saints (including the not-yet-canonized). On my "top saint list" they outnumber men 10 to 5. The men are: St. John Paul (the great), St. Leopold (4'4" icon of Mercy), Charles deFocault (handsome, hidden, anonymous), Father Solonus Casey (humble but powerful intercessor) and St. Maximilian Kolbe. There are twice as many women. Working backwards (more or less) from date of death: St. Teresa of Calcutta, Catherine deHueck Doherty, Dorothy Day, Adrienne vonSpeyr, Madeleine Delbreil, St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), St. Faustina, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Elisabeth Leseur, and St. Therese (who died just before the century but greatly influenced it.) They were all holy, strong yet humble women. VERY pronounced in their femininity! Certain patterns emerge:

- Five worked fiercely with the poor: Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Dorothy Day, Catherine Doherty, Adrienne Speyr, Madeleine Delbreil.

- All seemed to have suffered profound and prolonged desolation and loneliness: most notably Mother Teresa for 40 years, Adrienne Speyr's Holy Saturday experiences, Elisabeth's personal loneliness in her faith and physical suffering, Dorothy in her "long loneliness,"  and St. Therese in her excruciating and prolonged death,

- Half are canonized, half are on the way.

- Three were married, two were married twice (Adrienne and Catherine whose first was annulled).

- Three underwent radical conversions from disbelief: Dorothy Day, Madeleine, Edith Stein.

- Adrienne and St. Faustina were mystics in an extraordinary manner. All cultivated the mystical life of prayer and union with God, especially St. Elizabeth. Others buried themselves in the drudgery of poverty and service, especially Mother Theresa and Dorothy Day.

- Five lived the consecrated life; five were laywomen. Two were mothers: Dorothy and Catherine.

- Four died in obscurity to exert immense influence almost immediately after their death: St. Faustina, St. Elizabeth, Elisabeth, and St. Terese. Six were known and influential in their lifetime and sometimes suffered from it, especially Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day.

- Chronologically they fall into three groups:  St. Elizabeth and Elisabeth are contemporaries of St. Therese, died early in life and in the century and lived lives of quiet anonymity. St. Faustina and St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross died in midlife and mid-century. Catherine, Dorothy, Adrienne, Madeleine, and Mother Theresa all lived long, fruitful lives that virtually spanned the entire century.

- One was technically a martyr, St. Theresa Benedicta.

All were icons of ferocious but gentle, passionate but chaste, humble but magnanimous Femininity!