A Pilgrim's Tale

(Mother Theresa's Shrine)

Rexy Joseph is one of the Trustees (Kaikaran) of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of Boston. He loves reading historical and autobiographical books, enjoys long drives, and visiting new places.

He lives in Hopkinton, MA with his wife Anu and two boys, Rian and Rohan.

A Pilgrim's Tale

Continuing on my sojourns in and around Kolkata, this time, I would like to take you to the resting place of the woman who was once known as the "Living Saint".

The woman who draped a simple white saree with blue borders and showed the world what it means to be compassionate.

Kolkata, with its many convents, provincialates and generalates, has only one Mother House. It is said, if you seek for a Mother House in Kolkata, you will invariably be directed to one and only one place.

The Mother House, located on a very busy road in central Kolkata, is the International headquarters of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Charities. Its been the home of Mother Teresa since she established the congregation some 70 years ago.

I had the opportunity to visit the house and the shrine it holds, multiple times. First, as a bachelor and the last time with my family. This is the story of those visits.

The Backstory

Just like my last story about The Bandel Basilica, this time too it was my aunties, especially Marykutty Aunty who took me to visit the Mother House.

As an active member of the youth movement in my erstwhile parish, I had long nurtured an idea to volunteer in one of Mother Teresa's shelters.

My first exposure to the work of this congregation was when, as a youth leader in our parish, we organized to spend a day at a home for kids with Special Needs run by the MC Brothers.

It was a school and boarding facility for these kids and spending a day with these kids was an experience that truly touches your heart. During this visit, we were to shadow and assist a MC Brother and an inmate for a whole day. I still remember it was very exhausting by the end of the day, but it was a fulfilling and enriching experience.

As a young kid, that one experience was definitely a day of vast learning. It taught me...

1 - The patience and sacrifice one makes to live a life of poverty and service

2 - Empathy and a perspective to support the needy

3 - Appreciation of what I have without ever asking for it

Fast forward 10 years and I am in Kolkata with Marykutty aunty and sharing this experience. Next thing I know is she knowing what to do and planning a trip to the Mother House and an orphanage.

The History

There is a lot of history and autobiography written about Mother Teresa, her humble beginnings, her initiation into a convent and being sent to India to be an educator.

Mother Teresa was pulled into a life of mission while seeing the needy and poor around her convent. She decided to dedicate her life to work for the poorest of the poor. Though she started her service in a now defunct building "Nirmal Hriday", her organization had grown over the years to be the most service oriented attracting over 5600 religious workers into the MC Congregation.

The Mother House was first built in 1953 to be the home for Mother Teresa and her steady band of nuns, missionaries and volunteers. It was built close to some of the poorest localities in Kolkata and very much like all the other buildings in the neighborhood. The only piece of decoration being the statue of Mother Mary on top of the main entrance.

After having visited grand churches and well adorned tombs of saints, there is nothing that will prepare one for the fact that the Mother House holds the tomb of a Roman Catholic Saint.

Vision 1

"I saw a very big crowd - all kinds of people - very poor and children were there also. They all had their hands lifted towards me, standing in their midst. They called out 'Come, come, save us - bring us to Jesus' "

Vision 2

"Again that great crowd - I could see great sorrow and suffering in their faces - I was kneeling near Our Lady, who was facing them. I did not see her face but I heard her say "Take care of them - they are mine. Bring them to Jesus - carry Jesus to them. Fear not. Teach them to say the Rosary - the family Rosary and all will be well. Fear not - Jesus and I will be with you and your children."

The Stairs to Mother's Private Room

Saint Mother Teresa's Tomb

The Journey

Now coming back to the story, Marykutty aunty had as usual planned the visit on a Sunday. It was timed post lunch and she wanted us to first go to Mother House.

We took a taxi from her convent in Entally to AJC Bose Road. It was a quick drive and we talked about the time when Marykutty aunty first met Mother Teresa. She would speak about her pious nature, soft spoken and always attentive. There was no air around her even after knowing and having rubbed shoulders with some of the world's most powerful and famous people.

Mother Teresa had been recently beatified 19th October, 2003. Marykutty aunty was skeptical that there will be a huge crowd and we might have to wait before we get a chance to visit the tomb.

We reached the Mother house shortly after noon. Apart from the simple looking bluish-grey building, I actually couldn't find a giant gate which is typical of any convents in India. It was a busy day for sure, but the all knowing Marykutty aunty, slowly nudged me to the side road which had this very simple door with a MC nun sitting besides it. Seeing aunty, she invited us in which led to the small courtyard.

As you stand in the courtyard, there is no tour guide giving you directions towards the most important relic that is housed in the building.

This courtyard, surrounded in its entirety by the Mother House, has 3 main parts. The first was the Tomb of Mother Teresa, the second is a small museum which houses and displays some of Mother Teresa's personal possessions and finally the third and more private quarters of the nuns including Mother Teresa's.

Marykutty aunty prayed with me at the shrine and coaxed me to walk up the stairs to view Mother Teresa's room.

We spent an hour or so and then we headed to our next destination - Nirmal Sishu Bhavan, an orphanage run by the MC Sisters.

The Nirmal Sishu Bhavan is a quick 10 mins walk from the Mother House. Marykutty aunty was holding my hand for support and leading the way. I was skeptical if they will allow us in.

But, I had Marykuty aunty by my side. As we approached the giant gate, seeing a nun in a habit, we were let in. She showed me around and finally we came to a room full of toddlers. One of Marykutty aunty's favourite activity was to volunteer at the Shishu bhavan when she got an opportunity and that is how she was very familiar with the surroundings.

For the time that I spent at the Shishu Bhavan, I played with a couple of toddlers who had escaped from their cribs, helped change some soiled beds and assisted in putting the very few toys that were littered on the floors.

The Experience

In the hustle and bustle of Kolkata and a cacophony of sounds from the streets, its quite possible that we may miss the fact that the final resting place of the Mother is inside this simple looking Mother House.

The Mother House is the international headquarters of one of the fastest growing missionary organization, but that courtyard, betrays it all. There is no sign of comfort, no sign of grandiose and more importantly no sign of unwanted noise.

A walk up the stairs to the room of Mother will reveal what it means to live a life of poverty, but at the same time command the richness of love from the people she interacted.

During my second visit, after Mother Teresa's Canonization, new features like a grotto to Mother Mary had come up. However, the simple nature of the shrine still remains.

She led a life of poverty and simplicity and her final resting place too is the epitome of simplicity.

What I didn't prepare myself that day back in 2004, was for the visit to Nirmal Shishu Bhavan. I had never been to an orphanage and in that first visit, it melted my heart away. I still remember the smile of the toddler who ran towards me that day. She was in the arms of a MC nun and on seeing me and aunty, climbed down and ran with hands held high. I knelt and received her with a hug but unsure if I should pick her up.

I would imagine, she did feel the slight hesitancy on my part, but she held me tight. A few moments later, the nun called her and she ran back with the same smile.

Years later I heard somewhere about the lack of loud cries one feels when in an orphanage. Looking back, I realized that I felt it that day too. A room full of toddlers, but it was silent. It was as if they had given up on their cries and have learnt to accept it.

In that deafening silence of the orphanage, that toddler who ran to my arms, her smile still rings loud in my memory.