TURA: “When I look around our country, the land God has given to each one of us to call our home, I see so much of his blessings and goodness; in the smallest flower, the tallest trees, the rivers, plains and mountains. But where do we find most of the beauty of our country? We find it in each man, woman and child. For God has created us in his own image and likeness; He has created us for greater things to love and to be loved.”
These were the very words Mother Teresa wrote to the then President of India K R Narayanan on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of India’s independence.
Today, her words continue to echo all around as her group of loyal and devoted followers continue her mission of caring for the sick and the abandoned and giving hope through love and prayer. The Mother will be canonised in the Vatican City on Sunday.
In Tura, where the Missionaries of Charity have been working for the last 31 years, excitement grips Mother’s home at Lower Chandmari ahead of the special event. Prayers are being offered and congratulatory notes and flower bouquets are flooding in.
Rt. Rev. Andrew R Marak, Bishop of Tura, also dropped in on Friday afternoon to meet the nuns at Mother’s home and offered prayers. “It is a joyful moment for all of us. We have no words to express our feelings. Whatever has happened is according to God’s will,” says Sister Superior Marie Rose of the Tura home.
Sister Marie Rose, along with four nuns from the Mother’s congregation, runs the home and looks after thirty inmates, both adults and children.
On Sunday, a special church service will be organised at 10am at the Sacred Heart shrine for the canonisation of Mother Teresa. Special arrangements are already being made on a war footing to accommodate the sea of devotees.
As part of the holy event, as many as 200 children will receive their first Holy Communion during the Mass. “I was a novice undergoing training to be a nun when I first met Mother. She would sit amongst us and talk to us. Whenever she spoke we could feel her tender love and care,” recalled Sister Miryam of Jharkhand who is currently based in Tura.
“Every night Mother would go and meet the sick and bless them with a touch and prayer. I was also one of the fortunate ones. She always made time for others,” added Sister Miryam.
In Tura, the dedicated service rendered by the missionaries of charity continues with much zeal.
Today a young orphan is on the threshold of completing her college degree after being looked after by the nuns all her life. Another has obtained a government job in the district while many others have gone on to start their own families and earning their livelihoods.
Those who were once part of their surroundings and have since moved on in life have also been invited for a special get-together on Sunday afternoon to celebrate Mother Teresa’s canonisation. “We want everyone to join in our celebrations. After all, it is a blessing of God to have worked with them,” said Sister Superior.
