In message to nuns, pope says Mother Teresa models 'Christian virtue'

VATICAN CITY -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is "an exemplary model of the Christian virtue" who showed the world that an authentic love for others opens the door to knowing and being with the God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Marking the 100th anniversary of her birth, the pope sent a message to Sister Mary Prema, the superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation Mother Teresa founded in 1950.

The Vatican released the message Aug. 26 after it was read in Calcutta, India, at the end of a special Mass commemorating the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth.

In Calcutta, most of the Missionaries of Charity nuns gave up their regular seats in the motherhouse chapel to accommodate hundreds of pilgrims and volunteers who arrived for the early morning Mass.

After the Mass, the bishops, priests, nuns and visitors processed to Mother Teresa's ground-floor tomb. Sister Prema handed Cardinal Telesphore Toppo of Ranchi a lamp, and he lit a candle to mark the beginning of the centenary celebrations.

Dozens of Missionaries of Charity novices gathered around the tomb and sang "Happy Birthday."

In his message, Pope Benedict said celebrating Mother Teresa's birth centenary "will be for the church and the world an occasion of joyful gratitude to God for the inestimable gift that Mother Teresa was in her lifetime, and continues to be through the affectionate and tireless work of you, her spiritual children."

The pope said Mother Teresa was a living example of St. John's words: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we must also love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection."

He asked the order's sisters, brothers, priests and lay members to let God's love continue to inspire them to give themselves "generously to Jesus, whom you see and serve the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the abandoned" and to draw constantly from Mother Teresa's example and spirituality.

After the visit to the tomb, Sister Prema read a message from the congregation, and the group processed to the motherhouse's L-shaped courtyard. Sister Prema and Sister Nirmala Joshi, retired superior general of the order, released white pigeons and blue and white balloons amid cheers from those packing the balconies on the three floors surrounding the courtyard.

Similar events were planned worldwide, including at Washington's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Archbishop Lucas Sirkar of Calcutta said anniversary celebrations being held throughout India had brought "a ray of hope and joy to thousands of poor, underprivileged, disadvantaged, and marginalized in India," especially as the nation struggles with violence, injustice and natural disasters.

The events were receiving wide media coverage, which was helping make the Gospel message better understood in India, he said in an Aug. 26 interview with Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Construction of cathedral named for Mother Teresa to be featured in documentary

As the 100th anniversary of Bl. Mother Teresa’s birth approaches, the Catholic Radio and Television Network has produced a documentary about the construction of a new cathedral being built in the Kosovo to be named for the famous Missionary of Charity.

The Cathedral of Mother Teresa is being built in the Prishtina, Kosovo with the support of the pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

The documentary about the project, titled “On New Foundations,” will include interviews with the local bishop, politicians and Muslims. It explores the plans for the new cathedral and the place of Catholics in the culture of the Kosovo, as well as Mother Teresa’s own roots in the region. CRTN is producing the documentary in cooperation with its Bosnian partner, MC Media.

An excerpt of the documentary, posted on YouTube, shows the father of a Catholic family in Kosovo reminding his family to contribute money to the cathedral fund.

As a special service to television producers and others involved in the Catholic media, CRTN has also created a directory for resources about Mother Teresa.

Those who have produced media resources about the saintly woman may upload information on their production to a special section of the CRTN website.

Registration on the CRTN website is required.

At present, resources listed in the CRTN directory include Mother Teresa’s speech at World Youth Day in 1984, a miniseries about her life and ministry, a documentary about her death and state funeral, and Petrie Productions’ Emmy award-winning film “Mother Teresa.”

Mother Teresa was born to Albanian parents in Skopje, Macedonia on August 26, 2010. She worked in the slums of Calcutta in India until her death in 1997. She received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the sick and the poor and was beatified by the Vatican in the 2003.

In a letter to media producers, CRTN noted that media attention to the anniversary of her birth is growing.

According to its website, CRTN has had the backing of Aid to the Church in Need. The network aims to present to Christians and non-Christians the different expressions of Christianity through documentaries, dramas and catechetical programming.

Film Tribute on Mother Teresa's Birth

Mother Teresa, arguably the most famous Kolkatan, would have been turned 100 this month. The city is getting ready to pay a grand tribute to the missionary who changed lives, helping thousands of the poor and the destitute ignored and slighted by the society live with the dignity.

A series of films that depict and the document various stages of her life and work in Kolkata and elsewhere will be screened as part of a film festival that kicks off at Nandan on August 26 her birth centenary. It includes the controversial In the name of God's poor' by Dominique Lapierre that had been objected to and its screenings disrupted in the early Nineties. But it is documentary filmmaker Ann Jeanette Petrie's film on Mother's journey across the world that is being looked forward to.

An exhibition of paintings on Mother Teresa's life and work is also on the anvil. To be held at the St Xavier's College auditorium from August 27, it will feature paintings by artists like Ritu Singh, Nemai Sengupta and Sunita Kumar among others. "A business house that has got a fabulous collection of the Mother Teresa paintings has agreed to lend us the portraits. That apart, we shall have works by young artists as well," said Father Robin Gomes, in-charge of the exhibition.

Made in 1986, Petrie's film titled Mother Teresa' is being screened in the Kolkata after a gap of about a decade. It traces her journey across the globe and features short interviews with her. The film is regarded as the only authentic chronicle of Mother's experiences.

"Petrie had travelled with her through 10 countries across four continents. She saw and filmed her closely during the period Mother had travelled the most. The film is a fantastic account of her interaction with religious and political leaders. It is, in fact, a biography on celluloid and was shot over a period of seven years," said Sunil Lucas, documentary filmmaker and chairman of the festival committee.

The sequel to the film The Legacy' will also be screened. "It depicts the latter half of her life and focuses on her spirituality," added Lucas. Other than these two, three other films from the US are part of the package. Four Indian films, two films from France and one each from the Italy, Spain, Canada and Japan will also be screened.

The Indian section comprises My Karma' by Korak Dey, The Living Legend' by Sunil Jindal, From Saint to Sainthood' by Payal Mohanka and A Call Within a Call' made by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the India.

"We felt that remembering Mother's contributions would be the best way to pay respect on her centenary. Some of these films are a wonderful document of what she stood for and how she braved all odds to help the poor," said Father Gomes. While Petrie will be in Kolkata to speak on her film, some of the other directors are also expected. Her Mother Teresa' has been screened at the Vatican, White House, Parliament House and several other important venues.

Once the three-day festival ends in Kolkata on August 29, it will travel to countries like Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam and Bangladesh. "The package of films will also be screened at the other Indian cities like Guwahati, Nagpur, Shillong, Indore and Bangalore," said Lucas.