Cathedral Mass honors Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein stands next to a framed portrait of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta at the start of a Mass commemorating the 10th anniversary of her death that was celebrated on Sept. 5 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.

By Sean Gallagher

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta often looked to the Eucharist for the strength she needed for her more than half a century of tireless ministry to the poorest of the poor in the streets of Calcutta, India.

So it was fitting that the members of her religious order, the Missionaries of Charity, who serve in the archdiocese, gathered for Mass with Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis on Sept. 5, the 10th anniversary of the death of their foundress.

The Missionaries of Charity were joined on the occasion by residents of the emergency shelter for women and children they operate on Indianapolis’ near east side as well as more than 100 others who either support their ministry or who have a devotion to Blessed Teresa.

Sherrie Cornforth was a resident of the shelter who attended the Mass. She was glad to be present to show gratitude for Blessed Teresa.

“What’s special about Mother Teresa was that she gave to the poor and she helped the poor, and she wasn’t afraid to do that,” Cornforth said. “And the sisters do the same for us.”

The Gospel reading for the Mass told of how a large crowd at dusk one day brought to Jesus many who were sick or possessed to be healed. When he went off alone to pray on the following morning, the crowds came after him.

In his homily, Archbishop Buechlein gave thanks for two holy people he had known in his life: Blessed Teresa and Pope John Paul II. He said that both were like Jesus in the Gospel reading, always willing to respond to the needs of the people.

“Mother Teresa and the pope did what Jesus did,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “They made themselves available even when it was tiresome and unending.

“Mother Teresa told me she could rest when she got to heaven. Well, now she is resting.”

Stephanie Simmons, a member of St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis, came to the Mass with her husband, John, and their three young children.

After the Mass, she spoke about how Blessed Teresa’s example helps her be present to her children at the close of a tiring day.

“[I] want to emulate her virtues,” Simmons said. “I appreciated what the archbishop said about her tireless giving. That just reminds me to do that in my life when I’m tired and when you think the day is coming to an end and someone is asking you to give even more, to keep on doing it.”

The Missionaries of Charity who

follow in the footsteps of Blessed Teresa often have many volunteers to help them in their tireless ministry.

Leo LaGrotte and his family, who are members of Holy Spirit Parish in Fishers, Ind., in the Lafayette Diocese, regularly volunteer at the Missionaries of Charity’s emergency shelter. They attended the Mass at the cathedral.

“Mother Teresa made sacrifices beyond our wildest dreams,” LaGrotte said. “For us to take an hour out of our day to come here and pay homage to her is an honor and a privilege.”

The archbishop went on to note that the only way to be obedient to the will of God, to care for the crowds of those in need, is to return constantly to prayer.

“That was … the way of Blessed Teresa and it was the way of John Paul II,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “And that’s our way. And as we pray for that grace today, we thank God for Blessed Teresa and also the late Holy Father.” †