The document summarizes the life and work of Mother Teresa, who was canonized as a saint in 2016. It describes the author's personal encounters with Mother Teresa in 1973, 1983, and 1986, where he witnessed her humility and dedication to serving the poor. The author notes that Mother Teresa heard God's call to serve the poor in Calcutta in 1946 and went on to found the Missionaries of Charity. She received recognition for her work through awards like the Nobel Peace Prize. The last meeting was in 1996, where she delivered a pro-life speech challenging views on abortion.

1. Mother Teresa: An Icon of Merciful Love
-A Humble Tribute-
On September 4, 2016, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa of Calcutta as
a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, who has become the ‘Mother of all’,
and an “Icon of God’s love,” through her life and dedicated works of mercy.
When I thought about Blessed Mother Teresa, the Mother of All, a question that
naturally popped up in my mind is: Can my words capture the mega-person
Mother Teresa, who has conquered the hearts of the millions of the people
across the globe, and especially, the hearts of the poor, the sick and the
dying? No, not at all! My words can't do justice either to the person or to the
activities of Mother Teresa. Hence I decided to limit myself to sharing a couple
of experiences I had with Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
For the first time I met Mother in 1973, when I was just a boy of seventeen, in
Ranchi, where I was studying at St. Xavier's College, staffed by the Belgian
Jesuit Fathers. I went for a meeting, presided over by the Mother, along with a
priest, who was an ardent fan of Mother Teresa. On reaching the site, he
pointed at a lady and told: "Look! Do you see a lady clad in white sari with blue
border? She is Mother Teresa, a great lady." Amazed I was, I replied: "Yah, I do,
but she seems to me a ‘tiny person'." He then stared at me and said: "Yes, she is,
but you know, she has a very large heart." Yes, Mother Teresa is not merely a
"princess of hearts" as Lady Diana rightly claims, but really she is "the Queen of
hearts."
During the days that followed, my interest was centred on the literature about
the Mother. There I learnt that Mother Teresa was born on August 27, 1910, of
Albanian parents in Yugoslavia, and she was christened Agnes. When she was
18, she joined the Loretta Sisters in Dublin, Ireland, where from she was sent to
India for her novitiate in Darjeeling in November 1928. In 1937 she took her final
vows in the Congregation of the Loretta Sisters.
The 10th of September 1946, was the "Inspiration Day" or the "Day of Decision",
as Mother puts it, in her life. When on a train to Darjeeling, Mother heard the call
of God and decided to commit herself to the poor and slum-dwellers of
Calcutta. Accordingly, in 1948 Mother laid aside her Loretta habit and clothed
herself in a white sari with a blue border. In the same year, Mother became an
Indian citizen, identifying herself totally with the Indians. In 1950 the new
congregation - The Missionaries of Charity- was approved and instituted in
Calcutta.
My second meeting with Mother Teresa was about two years later (in 1983) in
Calcutta, where I had the privilege of meeting Mother Teresa personally, and
witnessing for myself the tremendous work Mother and her co-workers carried
out for the poor, the sick and the dying. My spontaneous reaction was: "My
God! It's marvellous; merciful love in action!" I think this might be the very
response of everyone, who has had an encounter with Mother Teresa. That is

2. the very reason recognitions and laurels followed her all the way in the form of
awards and prizes- both national and international, including the most coveted
Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979 and Bharata Ratna, the highest civic prize of India
in 1980. Speaking on that occasion the former Prime Minister of India, late Mrs.
Indira Gandhi said: "Who else in this world reaches out to the poor and the
needy so naturally, so simply, so effectively as Mother Teresa." Quoting Tagore,
she continued: "[…] there rest Thy feet where live the poorest and lowliest and
lost. That is where Mother Teresa is to be found."
My next meeting with Mother Teresa was in 1986, when she came to Sagar, MP,
for the inauguration of their convent in the Diocese of Sagar. Having been the
Secretary to the Bishop, Bp. Clemens Thottungal asked me: "Would you
accompany Mother Teresa to the programmes of the day?" With great joy I
said: "O! Bishop, with pleasure," and I did accompany Mother Teresa the whole
Day. And I very well remember a couple of events that touched me greatly.
As we were coming out of the Bishop's house, we saw, to my great surprise, a
number of posh cars parked in front of the gate, along with Bishop's own
ordinary jeep. As they saw Mother Teresa emerging, they all immediately
stepped forward and said in unison: "Mother, to my car, please! To my car,
please!" Mother paused for a while, and with a smile said: "Let us say ‘our’ car."
And then she added, “I will travel with the priest”, and she got into the Bishop's
jeep. Naturally I was so delighted and said to myself: “Well done Mother! Well
done!” Slowly I also got into the jeep and sat next to Mother Teresa. Then I
thought: "Good heavens! This is the best chance to pick up an interesting
conversation with Mother." But, before I could start, Mother Teresa told me:
"Father, let us pray the Rosary, so that everything may end well." Yes, Mother
Teresa lives the truth of prayer. For Mother, to quote Pope John II, "prayer is
devotion, prayer is service. Service is her concern, her religion.”
My last meeting with Mother Teresa was in June 1996, when I had the honour of
organizing a civic reception to the Mother at the Holy Spirit College
(Naamsestraat 40, Louvain, Belgium). In the Public Gathering, I was fortunate to
read out the most challenging ‘pro-life speech’, which Mother Teresa delivered
in 1994 at the National Prayer Breakfast in front of the Clinton Administration:
“I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a
war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the
mother herself.” After the public reception, we the Indians had a private
audience with the Mother. Addressing the Indian priests and religious, Mother
said: "You priests should serve as heralds of good news of hope to those who
thirst for love." Once again, to quote Mrs. Indira Gandhi, "To meet her is ... to
sense the power of tenderness, the strength of love." Yes! Mother Teresa
symbolizes "a Spartan realization of our pretence of love" (Indian Express,
September12, 1997).
On September 04, 2016, when Mother Teresa of Calcutta was raised to the
status of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, I am sure, she might have spoken more

3. eloquently than ever before about the need for love, love for the Other and
others. May the goddess of the poor, the icon of merciful love and the angel of
peace, be a source of inspiration for us today and tomorrow!
Fr Kurian Kachappilly CMI
Bhopal, MP, India
September 05, 2016