by Nirmala Carvalho

According to the Bishop of Baruipur, who first met the Blessed in 1968 and continued to work with her until her death, the religious "is a perfect example of how Christian mission should be in the twenty-first century."

Baruipur (AsiaNews) - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta "is the best missionary of the century if not of the Millennium as she committed herself totally for the cause of Christ.  Mother was absolute in her total surrender to the Lord, right up to her last breath and made her life so simple for herself and the Missionaries of Charity", says Bishop of Baruipur, Mgr. Salvadore Lobo, who headed the diocesan Commission of Inquiry into the beatification of religious, speaking to AsiaNews. Last August 26 to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Blessed, the bishop celebrated a Mass with 13 priests of the diocese. In his homily, Mgr. Lobo recalled: "The Eucharist was the central point of the life of Mother Teresa, who attended Mass every morning." 500 faithful gathered outside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary - highly desired by Mother Teresa and inaugurated in Baruipur last November 13 - the bishop asked  them to "be channels of peace, as she has always asked her missionaries."

Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr. Lobo recalled: "My association with Mother began as a young seminarian the 4th August 1968,when she had come to Morning Star College and she spoke to us of the Love of Christ, her simplicity and her devotion to her mission was palpable. She was totally dedicated to the cause of Christ, in her absolute submission to God until her last breath". It is this dedication that had a particular influence over the Indian people.

The case of Kapil Dev, captain of Indian cricket, is exemplary. As the bishop said, "the player had no children. In 1995, he met Mother Teresa, telling her he had been trying to have children for 14 years without success. The Mother blessed him saying not to worry, because God is good. Months later, Kapil's wife gave birth to a daughter. As Dev said “little Amiya is a gift of Mother Teresa”.

"For me – continues Mgr. Lobo - Mother Teresa was a real mother and often she was my counsel and guide and gave me peace of mind and direction in life, I cannot divulge additional details as I had to take an oath of confidentiality for the commission, but she was a light for all India".

• India
• mother
• teresa
• missionary
• centenary
• missionaries
• of
• charity