“Mother Teresa reminds all that the evangelical mission of the Church is expressed in charity, nourished in prayer and in listening to the Word of God.” – St. Pope John Paul II
GARY – The life of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was celebrated and her legacy, which lives large in the hearts of charitable faithful, was an energizing spirit for those gathered at St. Joseph the Worker church.
On Sept. 5, the diminutive Albanian-born nun who served the poor in India, established her Missionaries of Charity throughout the world, challenged national leaders, and graced the cover of countless publications, was remembered as a positive force for each human being she encountered.
“When people would ask (St. Mother Teresa), ‘How could you go to those who were the poorest of the poor, and go to those who are suffering and go to those who are the most outcast – How can you do that?” said Bishop Robert J. McClory, who presided at the traditional diocesan Mass with a small group of local priests. “She basically repeats in our time what we hear in the Gospel today, and that is, ‘In each (human person) I see Jesus himself.’”
The bishop continued, unpacking how St. Mother Teresa’s humanitarian work continues to be relevant and relatable for today’s Christian who confronts the suffering of others, be it psychological, physical or spiritual.
“We honored the Missionaries of Charity serving in the Diocese of Gary and their 25-year presence earlier this year. And we honor St. Teresa of Calcutta, so we can, as we hear in this prayer today, respond with outstanding charity … and ask her to grant us an even deeper way to minister to Christ in our suffering brothers and sisters.”
Present were the three Missionaries of Charity, whose convent is located on the old St. Mark parish property in Gary. Sister Christa, m.c., arrived early to lay out holy cards, medals and information about her order’s foundress. Sister Maria Jyoti, m.c. and Sister Anima Christi, m.c. set up a framed portrait of St. Mother Teresa next to a floral arrangement.
During the reading of intentions at Mass, Sister Christa asked that the Lord hear the faithful’s prayers, through the intercession of His servant, concerning issues of serving “the poorest of the poor,” and defending “religious liberty and the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.”
After the liturgy, Bishop McClory returned to the sanctuary where he invited others to approach and reverence a first-class relic of St. Mother Teresa. Since the nun’s passing in 1997, the motherhouse in Calcutta has sent such relics to the order’s convents throughout the world.
Visiting from his work as a missionary in Africa, Father John Gibson, O.C.D. spoke about his association with the saint. The priest, who is from a Catholic family of 13 siblings and brother of diocesan priest Father Steven Gibson, said a crowded but joyful upbringing reminded him of the charisms associated with the Missionaries of Charity and its foundress, whom he knew.
“If you follow Mother Teresa’s rules of silence, the joy will come,” said Father Gibson. “Joy is part of the order’s charism. They must seek the joy of Jesus at every moment and they must believe that Jesus is offering it to them at every moment.”
Eighteen-year-old Christina Ahearn, though she was not yet born during the life of St. Mother Teresa, said she learned much about the nun who “believed in what God was asking her to do.
“It’s not like she could finish the job in her lifetime; it’s a continuous job,” said Ahearn in the presence of her family, including three younger brothers who served at the altar for the memorial Mass. “I always admire people who persevere; I think she is a very good example.”
Others in attendance at the Mass and lunch fellowship that followed, included longtime Lay Missionaries of Charity John and Kathleen Ferrone. They were drawn together by the organization that struck a balance of prayer and fidelity to the Catholic Church and ministering to the poor.
“Mother Teresa said that the worst poverty in the West is not like the worst poverty seen in India, but it is a poverty of being unwanted, uncared for and unloved,” explained Kathleen Ferrone, who married her husband on the feast day of the founding of the Missionaries of Charity, not knowing that fact until much later. “The LMCs are supposed to bring charity into our homes and it’s not easy; we’re all human beings.”
Nearby, Sister Jyoti encouraged people to taste the chicken and pasta salad. The superior of the Gary convent said she will always remember the heartfelt lessons of the superior of the convent where she was formed in Calcutta – St. Mother Teresa. She sees serving in Northwest Indiana and presently assisting 17 women in a residential setting as a blessing and a vocation that is met daily with great joy.
“When we were in formation, Mother always taught that when you pray, God will fill you, and you give it to others. We love God and we show our love for others,” Sister Jyoti said. “For me, Mother Teresa was so simple, like one of us. But the special gift to us was that she was very close to God.”
The issue of formally remembering St. Mother Teresa was addressed by Bishop McClory, who jokingly said he could share “insider” information from a recent meeting with his fellow U.S. bishops. Though the faithful and the greater culture in general will not soon forget the influential religious sister, a permanent date on the U.S. calendar of feast days and saints is being sought by the American shepherds.
“When we made this request through the Holy See, they said, ‘To get that permission, it would actually be better if you requested that she be on the calendar throughout the whole world … in the universal calendar of the Church,’” explained Bishop McClory.
Hoping the modern-day saint is recognized in this way, the bishop added, “Pray God this happens.”
Caption: At a Mass for the Feast of St. Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity Sister Anima Christi reverences a first-class relic of the modern-day saint as Bishop Robert J. McClory holds a reliquary on Sept. 5 at St. Joseph the Worker parish in Gary. Bishop McClory implored the faithful to follow the lead of the modern-day saint, maintaining a close relationship with God and responding with "outstanding charity" to those around them.(Anthony D. Alonzo photo)