Bengaluru: It will be a proud moment indeed for India. On September 4, at a public mass led by Pope Francis at the iconic St Peter's Square in the Vatican, more than 5,00,000 people will assemble to witness the canonisation of Mother Teresa. There will be a special papal audience as well.
Celebrations are not going to be restricted to Rome. City churches are preparing to mark the great event. St Francis Xavier's Cathedral in the city has planned a big celebration on September 11.
“Next Sunday we have organised a Eucharistic Celebration in the evening followed by a public function,” said secretary to archbishop and Rev Fr A S Anthony Swamy, Chancellor and Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier's. The grand occasion will be a time to rejoice for all the archdiocesan priests, religious and faithful of the archdiocese.
Sister Superior Rosily MC of Nirmala Shihsu Bhavan, Missionaries of Charity in the city, cannot contain her joy over the canonisation. “I wish I could be there at the Vatican, anyway it is indeed great news for everyone. And we will be celebrating it in a big way in the Cathedral. It is going to be a whole day celebration programme.”
The Albanian Roman Catholic nun and missionary, who served the destitute and needy on the streets of Kolkata and other parts of this country, will now be declared a saint.
The September 11 celebration in the city will start with a Thanksgiving Mass to be followed by tributes to her through dramas, plays, dance and an address by parish priest, Bengaluru Archbishop Bernard Blasius Moras.
Father Adolf Washington has a beautiful story to share. “I still cannot forget the day I met Mother Teresa. I was a young lad then, had just finished my graduation and had no clue that the great lady whom I met back in 1993 would become a saint. I still remember how she clasped my hand and whispered into my ear, ‘You are made for great things.’ I cannot forget that encounter. It was a divine experience.”
