New Delhi (AsiaNews/CBCI) The dedication of a church and the unveiling of a statue of the Blessed of Kolkata in two different Indian states have given Christians, Muslims and Hindus an opportunity to commemorate Mother Teresa.
In the village of Malvalayanvayal in Tamil Nadu (southern India), Mgr S. Edward Francis, Bishop of Sivagangai, consecrated a church that locals had wanted for a long time.
"It was a dream come true for the villagers. They pooled their resources together towards the church building," Fr Arul Singarayar, parish priest at Our Lady of Mercy Church of Andavoorani.
The new chapel, which was dedicated on May 29, is located six kilometres from the Andavoorani parish church where some 4,000 local Christians worship.
Father Singarayar said he was impressed and moved when the poor villagers approached him a couple of years ago with the money for a chapel of their own. Altogether they raised Rs. 10,000 (177 euros, 220 US dollars)
"I made a request to our bishop for a contribution of Rs 40,000 towards the construction cost and soon the villagers began building the chapel," Father Singarayar said.
However, the construction work came to a standstill when the money ran out.
As word spread that the church would be dedicated to Mother Teresa, people of all faiths came forward with donations.
"Soon the chapel fund swelled to Rs 400,000 and we completed the work. It is really a miracle of sorts," Father Singarayar said. "A certain Ramalingam, a Hindu from Erode district, sent Rs 3,000 (53 euros, 66 US dollars) as his donation for the chapel."
There was a similarly enthusiastic reaction at the unveiling a statue dedicated to Mother Teresa in Punjab in northern India.
Oscar Fernandes, Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation, presided over the ceremony, which representatives from various Christian denominations and other religions also attended.
The authorities present stressed Mother Teresa's essential role in the war against poverty. But as Mr Fernandes pointed out, this war was not over yet since nearly 260 million Indians still lived below the poverty line.
But, as Punjab's Local Bodies Minister Chaudhaiy Jagjit Singh put it, everyone could take some comfort from the fact that "Mother Teresa was the mother of all poor and downtrodden and she helped all those who had lost all hope in life."
