Edith Stein's life story
12 October 1891
born in Breslau as the 11th child of Siegfried Stein and Auguste, née Courant (she grew up with only 7 siblings, as 4 of them did not survive infancy).
10 July 1893
Death of her father Siegfried Stein
12 October 1897
Attends the Viktoria School in Breslau
May/ March 1906/1907
Stay in Hamburg
1908-1911
Attends the upper lyceum of the Viktoriaschule
1911
High school diploma in Breslau with excellent honours
1911-1913
Studies in Breslau: Philosophy, German Studies, History
1913-1915
Studies in Göttingen: Philosophy (Husserl), German studies and history.
State examination in Göttingen. Private lectures by Max Scheler
7. April -1. Sept. 1915
Service in the epidemic hospital of the German Red Cross in Mährisch-Weißkirchen
1916
Traineeship to become a teacher in Breslau
3 August 1917
Rigorosum in Freiburg. Doctorate "summa cum laude"
17. August 1916-1918
Academic assistant to Prof Husserl in Freiburg
1918
Encounter with Anna Reinach
1919-1923
Private scientific work; unsuccessful attempts at habilitation
Summer 1921
Reading the "Life of St Teresa of Avila"; decision to join the Catholic Church
1 January 1922
Baptism in the parish church of St Martin in Bergzabern in the name of Theresia Hedwig
2 January 1922
First Holy Communion
2 February 1922
Confirmation in the house chapel of the Bishop of Speyer
1923-1931
Teacher at the girls' lyceum and at the teacher education college of the Dominican Sisters of St Magdalena in Speyer. Translation work and other academic activities. Lecture tours at home and abroad, including: Ludwighafen, Munich, Nuremberg, Salzburg, Vienna, Cologne
29 February 1932
Lecturer at the Institute for Scientific Pedagogy in Münster
1932-1933
Further lectures in Essen, Augsburg, Berlin, Juvisy, among others
20 April 1933
Under public pressure, Edith Stein declares the end of her teaching activities in Münster
30 April 1933
Prayer in St Ludgeri's Church for the Carmelite vocation
21 May 1933
Meeting with Dr Elisabeth Cosack in Cologne and first visit to the Carmel. Return journey to Münster in the evening
17/19 June 1933
Conversation with the monastery commissioner Dr Lenné.
Conversation with the Carmelite nuns. Return journey to Münster
19 June 1933
Telegram “Joyful approval of the Carmel”
13 October 1933
Farewell to the family in Breslau
14 October 1933
Joins the Carmelite convent in Cologne as a postulant
15 April 1934
Dressing as Sister Teresia Benedicta a Cruce
21 April 1935
First vows, profession for three years
14 September 1936
Tod ihrer Mutter Auguste Stein
24 December 1936
Baptism of Rosa Stein in Cologne
21 April 1938
Eternal promises
31 December 1938
Relocation to the Carmel in Echt
1939-1942
Origin of her most important works: "Finite and Eternal Being"; "Science of the Cross"; also many smaller works
1 July 1939
Rosa Stein comes to Echt
26 July 1942
Pastoral letter from the Dutch bishops
2 August 1942
Arrested with Rosa Stein and transferred to the Amersfoort camp
4 August 1942
From Amersfoort to the Westerbork collection camp
7 August 1942
Transport of 987 men, women, and children from the Westerbork camp to the Auschwitz extermination camp, including around 60 Jews who had been baptised Catholic.
Short stop of the transport in Schifferstadt
8/9 August 1942
Arrival in Auschwitz, killing of 523 people by poison gas in Birkenau
1952
75th Catholic Congress in Berlin. The VkdL (Association of Catholic German Teachers) applies for beatification
4 January 1962
Opening of the ecclesiastical process for the beatification of Edith Stein
by the Archbishop of Cologne, Josef Cardinal Frings
25 July 1962
Opening of the process for Edith Stein's writings
7 July 1971
Celebration of the conclusion of the writing process in Cologne
7 March 1972
Opening of the third sub-process: "De-non-cultu"
9 August 1972
Conclusion of the diocesan process by Cardinal Höffner at a celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of Edith Stein's death in the Carmel in Cologne; subsequent transfer of all files to Rome.
1 May 1987
Beatification of Edith Stein by Pope John Paul II in the stadium in Cologne-Müngersdorf
11 October 1998
Canonisation by Pope John Paul II in Rome
1 October 1999
Declaration on the co-patroness of Europe
