On Sunday Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa of Calcutta a Saint, in an historic ceremony that took place in St Peter’s Square, Rome. Looking at it on television, they were blessed with beautiful sunshine and blue skies. Thousands of people attended while it was watched live on television by so many more. She is one person who will always be etched in our memory. Mother Teresa will always be remembered as an incredibly holy woman, who worked tirelessly with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. She gave so much of her time to be with the dying and those who had no voice. She set up homeless hostels, soup kitchens, leprosy clinics, HIV/Aids hospices, orphanages, schools, mobile dispensaries and mother and baby clinics. She also set up help centres for drug addicts and alcoholics. Her order the Missionaries of Charity ensured that her work spread to many other countries across the world too.



Her canonisation though has been shrouded in some controversy. There was surprise in how quick the process to make Mother Teresa a Saint happened. It was felt that it was pushed through too quickly. Others say that she treated the symptoms of poverty while ignoring the causes. She has also been criticised for her strong insistence that suffering was the will of God and that it had to be accepted in whatever form it came. But despite her critics no one can deny that she did an incredible amount of good work. She lived the message of the Gospel as she worked with those on the fringes and marginalised. Mother Teresa became affectionately know as “The saint of the gutters.” As a Nobel peace winner, Mother Teresa was one of the most influential women in the history of the Church. Her canonisation yesterday was a day of great rejoicing and blessing. We pray to Mother Teresa for blessings and we pray to her for any special intention that we may have.