Singing nuns and followers clutching flowers flocked to Mother Teresa’s tomb in the Indian city of Kolkata to celebrate her proclamation as a saint at the Vatican.
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Her elevation to Roman Catholicism’s celestial pantheon came in a canonisation mass in St Peter’s square in the Vatican that was presided over by Pope Francis in the presence of 100,000 pilgrims.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was a nun who dedicated her life to the poor.
Globally revered by both Christians and non-Christians for her lifetime of service to the world’s most destitute and sick, Mother Teresa most notably worked in the slums of Calcutta, India, and a number of other countries.
Born Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910 to Kosovan Albanian parents in Skopje -then part of the Ottoman Empire, now the capital of Macedonia- Mother Teresa came to India in 1929 as a sister of the Loreto order.
“She had a great impact, this place was just shining like a star”, said Kaliea “She had a glow on her face, and she was a totally wrinkled woman, but still so handsome”.
The staunchly pro-life nun was not a stranger to controversy during her lifetime, when some criticized her for poor conditions at the clinics she ran in spite of millions in donations.
“I saw a spark of light emerge from mother’s photo and reflect on my tumor”, says Monica Besra, cured by Mother Teresa. Soon, Maria Theresa became known as the “saint of the gutters”. Catholic churches in the city will welcome the canonisation of Mother Teresa with prayers and meetings on Monday. Today, there are 4,500 sisters of mercy.
“Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded”, Francis said. Behind the pope, on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica, hung a banner-size portrait of Mother Teresa, one of the late 20th century’s most recognizable faces. Also, a hall in the church premise will be named after her.
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Mother Teresa’s work has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world.
