A servant of humanity, Mother Teresa was an Albanian Catholic nun who came to India and founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. On attaining citizenship, she continued her selfless work among the poverty-stricken people of Kolkata (Calcutta). She was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Today is her 20th death anniversary and she is still inspiring millions around the globe.
The United Nations has been observing September 5 every year as the International Day of Charity to commemorate the death anniversary of Mother Teresa. She received the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace." Mother Teresa's single-minded mission was to serve the poorest of the poor, until the very day of her death on August 5th in 1997. She left the world at the age of 87.
On the first anniversary of Mother Teresa's sainthood on Monday, the Archdiocese of Calcutta, in eastern India, is set to declare her as a co-patron. "On 6 September we will have at 5.30 pm a Holy Mass in the Cathedral (of the Most Holy Rosary) and the Archbishop is going to declare Mother Teresa as co-patroness of the Archdiocese," IANS reported Sister Prema, Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, as saying on September 4.
Sister Prema declared the inauguration of a two-day exhibition of painting and sculpture of Mother Teresa in Kolkata, by the Indian National Forum of Art and Culture in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Church Art. They wish to commemorate the first anniversary of the Nobel laureate's canonization on Sept. 4, as well as her 20th death anniversary today.
According to Archbishop Thomas D'Souza of Calcutta, every diocese has a patron and the Archdiocese of Calcutta is dedicated to St Francis Xavier. "We wanted to make Mother our co-patroness. We seek her intercession and give her the prominence that is due especially in a city like Calcutta and the Archdiocese of Calcutta," Archbishop D'Souza told IANS.
