Mother House in Kolkata a ‘mini-Vatican’

The Mother House in Kolkata turned into a mini Vatican City on Sunday after Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, in Vatican City. Hundreds of admirers from across the country and the world assembled at Mother House on Sunday to be a part of this historic event and offered their prayers to the Mother.

The sisters, a large number of foreigners and people from all walks of life and belonging to different religious faiths erupted in joy with a loud round of applause at the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity 54 A, A.J.C. Bose Road, popularly called Mother House, when Pope Francis canonised Mother Teresa as saint.

A decorated gate had been put up at the entrance of Mother House. In the courtyard, a giant flex of Mother’s portrait was hung with the message “Saint Teresa of Calcutta Pray for Us”. Visitors’ entry was restricted to the ground floor while about 300 nuns from across the city had gathered at the chapel. In the morning, there was special mass at 6 am to celebrate the day.

“There will be a special mass at about 5 pm on Sunday and again at 6 am on Monday. The archbishop will organise a special programme on October 2 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium,” said one of the sisters at Mother House.

To honour Saint Teresa of Calcutta on her 19th death anniversary, a rally will be taken out on Monday from St. Teresa Church in Moulali.

Instead of witnessing the ceremony in the Vatican City, many foreigners preferred to pay a visit to the city where Mother Teresa had lived and worked.

Admirers from US, Mexico, Spain, France and other countries were present at Mother House on Sunday.

“I have worked in this country for a long time and Mother’s work had inspired me. I have come to Calcutta to witness this moment and I see that people belonging to different religious faiths are also celebrating this occasion. It shows how great she was in spreading the message of peace and harmony,” said Salvador, who had come to the city from Barcelona.

Even people from across West Bengal paid a visit to Mother House. A large number of school students were seen paying floral tributes to the late Catholic nun. An Octogenarian, Sukumar Sen, who lives in Sodepur in north Kolkata, donated Rs 1,00,001 to the Missionaries of Charity.

Meanwhile, members of the Darjeeling branch of the Lay Missionaries of Charity (LMC) on Sunday took an 8-km ride on the iconic Darjeeling toy train to retrace the trip Mother Teresa took on September 10, 1946.