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Encountering
Mother Teresa
Encountering
Mother Teresa
Linda Schaefer
Except where noted, the Scripture citations used in this work are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible — Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition), copyright © 1965, 1966, 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2019 by Linda Schaefer
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ISBN: 978-1-68192-378-9 (Inventory No. T2264)
eISBN: 978-1-68192-379-6
LCCN: 2019936259
Cover and interior design: Amanda Falk
Cover photo: Linda Schaefer
Cover Art: Shutterstock
Interior photos by Linda Schaefer unless otherwise noted
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I dedicate this book to all the Missionary of Charity sisters, brothers, and priests who have worked with Mother Teresa from the day the Missionaries of Charity were founded in 1950, and to the men and women who will one day take their vows in the order.
“I am determined to make every effort to spread joy wherever I go, the fragrance of Christ’s joy.”
“Remember that the passion of Christ ends always in the joy of the Resurrection. So when you feel in your own heart the sufferings of Christ, remember the Resurrection has to come, the joy of Easter has to dawn; never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to forget the joy of the risen Christ.”
Holy Mass at St. Mary’s Church in Calcutta following the Profession of Vows ceremony. Hundreds of sisters were present for the holy occasion. (November 1995)
Contents
VII. Father Flavian Wilathgamuwa and Father Michael Van Der Peet
Mother Teresa poses with the author at the Mother House in Calcutta. (October 1995)
Introduction
I first met Saint Teresa of Calcutta in Atlanta, Georgia on June 15, 1995, on the tarmac of the airport. I was with a group from the archdiocese awaiting her arrival to see in person a new AIDS hospice. When she exited the private jet, I had my first experience of being awestruck by this living saint. She came up to me through the crowds, enfolded my hands in her own, and in my heart I heard her say, “Come and see.” At that moment, for the first time in my life, I experienced a sense of total surrender to God, and I responded with a “Yes.” Just two short months later, I would be on a flight to India. Little did I know then that encountering this saintly mother figure would lead me to my life’s purpose for the next twenty-three years. Since my first exchange with her at the Atlanta airport, I have been on a quest to interview people who worked with her since the formation of the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. In this book, I share some of those stories.
I could not know on that fateful day in Atlanta that I would in time attend both the beatification and the canonization of Mother Teresa. In between those two events, I would enter the Catholic Church along with my son. Her influence changed the direction of my whole life, including my work as a photographer and writer, and guided me as a mother.
Mother Teresa steps off a corporate jet at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport. A red carpet was rolled on the tarmac for her arrival, and two grounds crew members held up umbrellas to shield her from the drizzling rain. (June 15, 1995)
This tiny woman, who was and is so revered by the world, communicated one simple message: “Love until it hurts.”
Over
