✍️ Wednesday evening, May 13th, 2026, 20:00 (European Central Time):

Edith Stein

📍 Kon. Emmaplein 13, 3016 AB Rotterdam

Edith Stein (1891–1942), later known as Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, was a Jewish-born philosopher who became a Catholic nun and martyr. Born in Breslau on Yom Kippur, she grew up in a devout Jewish family but lost her faith as a teenager. She studied philosophy at universities including Göttingen and Freiburg, where she became a student of Edmund Husserl and developed a strong intellectual career.

During World War I, she served as a nurse, and her search for truth gradually led her back to faith. After reading the autobiography of Teresa of Ávila, she converted to Catholicism and was baptized in 1922. She later taught, wrote philosophical works, and gave lectures on women’s roles and spirituality.

With the rise of Nazism, her Jewish background prevented her from continuing academic work. In 1933 she entered the Carmelite convent in Cologne, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. As persecution intensified, she was transferred to the Netherlands, but was arrested by the Nazis in 1942 and deported to Auschwitz concentration camp, where she died.

Edith Stein is an important thinker who has contributed to the personalistic tradition. This evening we will be introduced to Edith Stein by Prof. Dr. Richard Steenvoorde OP who has written on her life and thinking.

We will discuss the life and thought of Edith Stein. One of the questions we will deal with is: what must be said when evil is becoming public and respectable? Furthermore we will ask the question: how does a person remain inwardly steady when the world is burning?

Preparation

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The course is free. You are welcome to make a small donation to support the work of the ICP.