Faithful fondly recount Saint Teresa's love as Mother

PUNE: The canonization of Mother Teresa, who will now be known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was celebrated in the city at St Ignatius Church, Khadki.

Hundreds of people from different parts of the city flocked to the church to attend Holy Mass and the canonization ceremony held in her honour. Former president of India Pratibha Patil addressed people at the church recalling her meeting with the saint.

"We discussed a few things. Just one look at her and you could see what a fountain of kindness she was. She was like God to the less fortunate and worked towards reducing the grief, pain and helplessness of the poor across the nation," she said.

Reverend Thomas Dabre greeted the guests on the occasion and addressed the audience with a message from Mother Teresa emphasizing her endearing spirit for the downtrodden.

"At all times, Mother Teresa stood for the lower, lonely and lost. And in today's time, when spirituality and morality are on the decline, we need these virtues to be preached and practised arduously," said Dabre.

Police commissioner Rashmi Shukla was also present. She spoke of the manner in which the saint lived in a new country that opened its arms to her. "Mother Teresa came to India and never thought of going back. She served the poor here and took care of the ailing. She set an example for people who visit different countries and make it their home," said Shukla.

Mother Teresa founded a sisterhood that runs 19 homes and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. The ceremony was attended by pilgrims from distant places and different walks of life. Samantha Augustine, a believer, told TOI, "This canonization spreads the message of peace and love far and wide. We need love more than ever in today's times. I am happy to be here with my friends and family."

Sister Showrina, in charge of the Mother Teresa's home, Missionaries of Charity at Tadiwalla Road, said, "It's a day of joy and gratitude,"recounting the numerous teachings of Mother Teresa.

Others present at the ceremony were mayor Prashant Jagtap who praised the work of Mother Teresa. Sister Thomas, in-charge of Mother Teresa's home in Chinchwad and Sister Gonza in-charge of the Wakad centre were also present for the occasion. Latif Magdum represented the Muslim community and lauded the saint.

Mother Teresa, who was born to Albanian parents in 1910, grew up in the Macedonian capital city of Skopje and moved to Kolkata in 1946 to serve those in need. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 which has over 4500 nuns worldwide. She died in 1997 at the age of 87 and was beatified in 2003.

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Photgraphs - Shyam Sonar

Pune: As the world celebrates the canonization of Mother Teresa also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, the event was celebrated with aplomb in the city at St. Ignatius Church, Khadki.

The venue was flocked by hundreds of people from different parts of the city to attend the Holy Mass and canonization. Former president of the country, Pratibha Patil addressed people at the church recalling her meeting with the saint. "We discussed a few things together, and upon seeing her, you could see what a fountain of kindness she was. She was like God to the poor who worked towards reducing the grief, pain and helplessness of the poor across the nation," said Patil.

Two miracles have been attributed as the reason behind Mother Teresa's canonization. Reverend Thomas Dabre greeted the guests at the occasion and addressed the audience with a message from Teresa emphasizing on her endearing spirit to chase the good in life.

"In all times, Mother Teresa stood for the lower, lonely and lost. And in today's time when spirituality and morality are on the decline, we need these virtues to be preached and practiced arduously," said Dabre.

Also present at the event was Rashmi Shukla, police commissioner of the city who spoke about the manner in which the saint lived in a new country that opened its arms to her. "Mother Teresa came to India and never thought of going back. She served the poor here and took care of the ailing. She set an example before people who would next visit different countries and dare to call them their own," said Shukla.

Mother Teresa founded a sisterhood that runs 19 homes and won the Nobel Peace Prize. The ceremony was attended by pilgrims from distant place who were more than glad to be there. Samantha Augustine, a pilgrim told TOI, "This canonization spreads the message of peace and love far and wide. We need love more than ever in today's times. I am happy to be here with my friends and family."

Sister Showrina, in charge of the Mother Teresa's home, Missionaries of Charity at Tadiwalla said, "It's a day of rejoice and gratitude," she said recounting numerous teachings of Mother Teresa.

Others present at the ceremony were Prashant Jagtap who praised the works of Mother Teresa. Sister Thomas, in-charge at Mother Teresa's home at Chinchwad and Sister Gonza in-charge of the Wakad centre were also present at the occasion. Latif Magdum also present at the venue said words in praise of the saint and represented the Muslim community.

Mother Teresa, who was born to Albanian parents in 1910, grew up in the Macedonian capital city of Skopje and moved to Kolkata in 1946 to serve the destitute. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 which has over 4500 nuns worldwide now. She died in 1997 at the age of 87 and was beatified in 2003.

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Pope Francis' statement at the St. Peter's Square at The Vatican: "After due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother bishops, we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to be a saint and we enroll her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church."

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