ASIA/INDIA Christians and other believers come together to pray and rejoice at the memory of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, on 7th anniversary of her death, first since her beatification

Calcutta (Fides Service) - All over the world the Missionaries of Charity, the Sisters of Mother Teresa, were joined by well-wishers in their prayers and joyful commemoration of the Mother 4 and 5 September, the 7th anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa and the first since her Beatification. In Calcutta, at the General House, 300 Sisters and novices were joined by many lay people for a solemn Mass on September 4. Many of those who had come to commemorate Mother Teresa were members of other religions. In his homily Archbishop Lucas Sirka of Calcutta reflected on the Gospel of the Beatitudes and he encouraged the “sons and daughters of Mother Teresa” to carry the good news of the Gospel and to serve the poorest of the poor following the example of the Mother.
After Mass 130 novices sung hymns while flowers were laid on Mother Teresa’s tomb which is inside the house. People came all day long to say a prayer at the place and to remember the Mother with gratitude especially for her service to the poor and the dying.
Special Masses and festivities were organised in the numerous communities of the Missionaries of Charity in Europe, Asia and Africa. In the town of Skopje, in Macedonia, where Mother Teresa was born, Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims prayed and laid wreaths at the foot of a statue erected to remember this remarkable woman..
Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Agnese Gonxhe Bojaxhiu) was born in Skopje in 1910. When she was 18 she left her home country for India where she spent her life serving the poor and the sick and died in Calcutta on 5 September 1997. In 1950 she founded the Missionaries of Charity and in 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Last year on Mission Sunday, 19 October 2003, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Mother Teresa, Blessed.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 7/9/2004 lines 27 words 267)