THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 38, NO. 6 | SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
ST. TERESA OF CALCUTTA
‘Do small things with great love’
Indian-born priests filled with pride
ALCUTTA, India (CNS) — A favorite motto of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was: “Do small things with great love.” But the “small things” she did so captivated the world that she was showered with honorary degrees and other awards, almost universally praised by the media and sought out by popes, presidents, philanthropists and other figures of wealth and influence. Despite calls on her time from all over the globe, Mother Teresa always returned to India to be with those she loved most — the lonely, abandoned, homeless, disease-ravaged, dying, “poorest of the poor” in Calcutta’s streets. On Sept. 4, Pope Francis, who has spent this year preaching about mercy, canonized Mother Teresa, who traveled the world to deliver a single message: that love and caring are the most important things in the world. Her influence is worldwide. The Missionaries of Charity, which Mother Teresa founded in 1950, has more than 5,300 active and contemplative Sisters today. In addition, there are Missionaries of Charity Fathers, and active and contemplative Brothers. In 1969, in response to a growing interest of laypeople who wanted to be associated with her work, an informally structured, ecumenical International Association of Co-Workers of Mother Teresa was formed. The members of the congregation take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, but the vow of poverty is stricter than in other congregations because, as Mother Teresa explained, “to be able to love the poor and know the poor, we must be poor ourselves.” In addition, the Missionaries of Charity — Sisters and Brothers — take a fourth vow of “wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor.” The tiny, wizened Mother Teresa in her familiar white and blue sari opened houses for the destitute and dying, for those with AIDS, for orphans and for people with leprosy. She founded houses in Cuba and the then-Soviet Union — countries
By Marc and Julie Anderson mjanderson@theleaven.org
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building to the saint. Now, the statue serves as an even greater reminder of the saint’s life and example, which is particularly meaningful for the college’s nursing students. “I think her canonization means a lot to the nursing program, especially because we get a lot of her influence in our classes and the way our professors teach about how we should act as Catholic nurses,” said Anna Hagenkord, a senior
OLTON — It’s official. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is now St. Teresa of Calcutta, but it might take a while to get the new name right. “We may have some difficulty in calling her Saint Teresa. Her holiness is so near to us, so tender and so fruitful that we continue to spontaneously call her Mother,” Pope Francis said. For Father Marinand Mendem — pastor of St. Dominic Parish in Holton, St. Francis Xavier in Mayetta and Our Lady of the Snows Shrine on the Potawatomi Reservation — and Father Reginald Saldanha, associate pastor of the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, the saint touched their lives earlier than most archdiocesan priests. Both priests were born and raised in India. For them, the new saint represents the pride of their country of birth, as well as holiness and maternal love. “Everyone looked at her with a great regard,” said Father Mendem. As a teenager, Father Saldanha remembers homilies during which priests encouraged people to imitate her, something many took seriously. For example, in his parish of 300 families, 50 women became religious Sisters. Ordained Sept. 10, 1997, just five days after her death, Father Saldanha remembers the time as bittersweet. “I was saddened by her passing and yet joyful in preparing for my ordination,” he said. “The way people showed their love and honor and respect to her — that was a great spiritual moment, a moment of inspiration for not only me, but also for those who went to the convent.” Her funeral is also a vivid memory for Father Mendem. “She was given the highest state funeral India has,” he said. “That’s how much she was esteemed. “We could see the whole
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CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
Pope Francis celebrates the canonization Mass of St. Teresa of Calcutta in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sept. 4.
Benedictine celebrates canonization with week of special activities By Moira Cullings moira.cullings@theleaven.org
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TCHISON — The Benedictine College campus here was buzzing the 11 days leading up to Mother Teresa’s canonization. “Everybody’s grown up learning about Mother Teresa and everybody knows about this, so we’re all excited,” said Alysa Guzman, a junior at Benedictine.
The school celebrated the now-saint with cake on her birthday, a showing of the Mother Teresa movie “The Letters,” a watch party on her canonization day and several other special activities. One of these was the dedication of a new St. Teresa statue, which was unveiled on Sept. 2 outside the Mother Teresa Center for Nursing and Health Education. On the 100th anniversary of St. Teresa’s birth, the school dedicated the remodeled