St. Teresa: Originally known as Bank Head, after the nearby point of land, St. Teresa is one the last communities before the larger commercial town of St. George.

Originally known for its link to the French fishery, with the construction of the railway the community not only became "linked" to St. George where the residents went for its needed services and supplies to also to the various lumber camps that provided much needed employment.

Much later, in the 1940, many of the local residents were employed at the Harmon Field Air Base. Who named it for St. Teresa is unknown; there are a number of saints in the Catholic Church whose name is "Teresa", however the Spanish nun, Teresa of Avila is the best known so one can assume that that is the one that was chosen to be honored.

From the Britannica website, comes the following biography: St. Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, original name Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada, (born March 28, 1515, Ávila, Spain-died October 4, 1582, Alba de Tormes; canonized 1622; feast day October 15), Spanish nun, one of the great mystics and religious women of the Roman Catholic Church, and author of spiritual classics.

She was the originator of the Carmelite Reform, which restored and emphasized the austerity and contemplative character of primitive Carmelite life. St. Teresa was elevated to doctor of the church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI, the first woman to be so honoured. From the website, Catholic Online, St. Teresa is listed as the patron saint of headache sufferers and of Spanish Catholic writers.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/StTeresaNL