As a young boy I wondered about the nuns with an Indian saree – white saree with blue stripes – who were constantly in the news; they were always shown working with sick and dying people amid deplorable condition, writes Father Satheesh Alphonse Caniton, a native of India and Chief Executive of the Saint Louis Center in Chelsea, a caring residential community for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, upon the Feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, September 5. Father Satheesh continues:
Yet, what amazed me was their constant cheerfulness; they were alive with joy. I discovered they were the Missionaries of Charity, a growing group of women led by one of the most unusual and striking figures of the 20th Century, Mother Teresa. Little did I know then how much she would change my life.
Today is the celebration of Saint Teresa of Calcutta (1910-97), one of the modern-day saints who has made a difference in the lives of millions with her dedicated service to humanity.
When I grew up in the 1980s in India, she was always looked at as a ‘living saint’ during her earthly existence. At that time, her Missionaries of Charity congregation was already widespread with many joining to serve the Lord by serving the poorest of the poor. Every person that she served was “Jesus” for her and she saw the “face of Jesus” in those among the “least and the lost.”
Led by her influence, I joined the congregation of the Servants of Charity to serve God through serving our brothers and sisters in need. I was sent to the United States in 2006; there, despite the fact I was in the richest country in the world, like Saint Mother Teresa, I was challenged to see Jesus in the everyone I encountered, especially the poor and those often ignored by society, the intellectually and physically disabled.
Growing up in 1980s in India where I was born, Saint Teresa had become, for me, a model of trust in God. As a youngster, I wondered how it was possible for a small foreign nun to make such an impact in an India which was primarily Hindu and anti-Catholic, even to the extent that the government authorities in India that she encountered would give in to any request that she made. She became a model of faith in Divine Providence.
This trust in Divine Providence was also powerfully reflected in the life of Father Louis Guanella 1842 – 1915), founder of the Servants of Charity, who began his journey in Italy seeking out and serving, like Mother Teresa, the poorest of the poor.
I was drawn to his desire to serve so many poor or disabled and displaced while forging ahead when there was no possibility of success. The life of this humble man echoed Saint Teresa’s complete trust that “God would provide.” I live this principle now in my approach to many of the difficulties, whether it be troubles with a resident in distress or some financial difficulty, that emerge in the daily life at Saint Louis Center.
The primary source of my desire to serve, however, came from the Eucharist, as it did for Saint Mother Teresa. For her, every day began early always in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament from which she drew her strength. Like her, Saint Louis Guanella’s focus was always on the Blessed Sacrament; he had a room in the Mother House in Como reconstructed for him so he could see the Blessed Sacrament all day. Many nights found Saint Guanella in prayer in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.
At the Saint Louis Center, myself and brother priests begin each day in prayer in our chapel in the presence of Our Savior; He gives us the strength to face the difficulties of each day with compassion and love. The passion to serve the downtrodden that Saint Teresa emanated gave me courage to take the big step of saying “yes” to the call of God to serve God’s “special children” – the poor, the dislocated, the intellectually and physically disabled cast-offs of society – as a member of the Servants of Charity.
One of the salient features of religious life is poverty and Mother Teresa profoundly lived it and asked her sisters to do the same. The joy that I have seen in the eyes of the Missionaries of Charity sisters was a point of reflection that God will be truly enough in everything that we do. That witness stays with me today.
Mother Teresa’s comment that “Not all of us can do great things; but we can do small things with great love” echoed Father Guanella’s perspective; and this has been a great inspiration to me.
Because of such focus on doing every little thing with love, she won over the entire nation of India and, indeed, the entire world. Her dedication to serve without any restraint attracted me to do the same – giving my life to God in the congregation of Servants of Charity where I sought to take care of orphans, street people, the elderly poor as well as persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I enjoy serving our residents in so many ways because doing small things with great love gives us real joy.
Unfortunately, I never met Mother Teresa in person; but the inspiration of her dedication and the example of the sisters and brothers of Charity in her congregations led me to dedicate myself to the care of the “least and the lost.”
May these two great Saints of Charity inspire each one of us to be more charitable at home and when we encounter those in need whom we meet in our own daily struggles. As it was for both these saints, it is easy to see Jesus in those who need our support and love when we have Him in our heart.
* To know more about the Saint Louis Center: https://stlouiscenter.org/