I came to know about Mother Teresa when I was in my 7^th grade. In the catechism text book there was a lesson on Mother Teresa – an incident in her life.

One day mother was attending to an elderly man who was at the point of death. She asked the doctor to give him a shot – an expensive injection drug. The doctor objected saying, “This man is going to die any moment. Should we waste an expensive drug on him?” However, mother insisted and the doctor obliged.

As he was dying, the man said, “Mother, all my life nobody cared for me. I never knew what love felt like. Now I know” and he died. I was awe-struck and became desirous of seeing Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

I joined the seminary. I was 17, learning a little Latin and undergoing initial spiritual formation. One day Mother Teresa showed up. She had been invited by the city to give a talk about her ministry. She gave a brief talk and conversed with all of us individually.

Four years after my ordination, I worked in a parish with my classmate in North India. His parish had several villages scattered amidst jungles and hills. There was no electricity, no transportation and not even roads connecting those villages. Several times I had to walk for miles to reach the nearby village. I was there about two months, exposed to all types of mosquitoes.

While returning to Calcutta by train, I got sick and started throwing up. I was shuttling between my seat and toilet several times. Sitting opposite me were three nuns of Mother Teresa’s congregation. One of them looked intently at me and said, “Sir, you have jaundice. We are going to take you to our house for treatment.” Obviously, I was not in my priestly attire.

The doctor told me that I suffered from jaundice and malaria and had to be in bed for a month. By the time the sisters asked me to say Mass for them and started telling me about their lives, ministry and even personal stories. We spoke in English because each one’s mother tongue could not be understood by the other. They saved my life. I could have died that day. As I look back from where I am now, I can clearly see the design set by God for me and God’s providential love that has been guiding me.

In Calcutta I visited some important places where Mother Teresa began her ministry including the ‘Kali Temple’ and ‘Nirmala Shishu Bhawan.’

The Home for the Dying Destitutes in the abandoned Hindu Kali temple had been established by Mother in 1952, two years before she started her congregation, the Missionaries of Charity. Mother started the Children’s orphanage (Shishu Bhavan) in 1955 to care for the abandoned children and the youth.

I was moved with compassion when I was in the Children’s orphanage one day. There were hundreds of babies. As I was going from one to another, they held on to my fingers and wouldn’t let go. There were several international volunteers caring for them. There was love and only love.

In 1997 when Mother Teresa died, I was in Montreal. ‘Unity in diversity’ is the hallmark of Indian culture.  At her funeral Mass, representatives of all religions were present including the Chief Minister of West Bengal State who was a Communist. A State Funeral was arranged for Mother Teresa, a non-political figure, for her immense contribution to her adopted nation and the world.

I am joyful and proud to be the pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish. Before its inception in December 2018, parishioners had been asked to suggest names for the new parish. Of the suggested names we gave the top three names to the diocese and the Bishop chose the name of Mother Teresa.

Now it is our spiritual obligation to build up this parish. May through the intercession of Mother Teresa God bless us and mold us in accordance with His will and providence!