In Rome, an exhibition dedicated to Mother Teresa of Calcutta speaks to young people about the Jubilee
From the Dominican Republic to New Zealand, hundreds of young people are in Rome visiting the exhibition dedicated to the Saint, canonised in 2016. Guided tours are also available to see the room she used during her stays in Rome. Her testimony inspires young people, who tell AsiaNews that “she showed love in small things, not with words, but with actions.”
Rome (AsiaNews) – In Rome, for the Youth Jubilee, the Missionaries of Charity are curating an exhibition dedicated to the life of Saint Teresa of Calcutta at the Scuola Pontificia Pio IX, on a side street off Via della Conciliazione. “We don't give interviews. We let her, Mother Teresa, speak,” said Sister Maria Dolores speaking to AsiaNews.
After passing through the Holy Door of St Peter's, young men and women from all over the world visit the school, chat with the many nuns present, contemplate the relics, and arrange themselves for adoration in the designated chapel.
Mother Teresa, founder of the order present in 130 countries with charitable works for the most vulnerable, speaks, once again, with her disarming radicalism, especially to young people.
"I think she's my favourite saint," Mariely Rosario told AsiaNews. The 37-year-old, from the Dominican Republic, just saw the exhibition, which includes panels depicting significant moments in the life of the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, such as her decisions to leave the Loreto Order, wear a simple white sari, and approach the poor who "suffer unimaginable agony” as well as her decisive inner dialogue with Jesus.
“Mother Teresa has had an impact on the world, not just in India," Mariely adds. "From her, I learnt that it doesn't matter that doing good deeds may be a drop in the ocean. The important thing is to do it. I volunteer with my friends; it's like being Jesus in action. It's beautiful to see the nuns with that smile that no one can take away."
Last year during Holy Week, Mariely Rosario visited Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), where Mother Teresa moved in 1949, at 14 Creek Lane, and founded the congregation.
“It was transformative to see that it's not just young Catholics who are serving,” she says. “There are Hindus, agnostics, and even those who don't know what Catholicism is. With the Missionaries, they help people who are dying, or those living on the streets.”
What is most striking about the Saint of Albanian origin is her humility in saying, “Jesus, I don't want others to see me, I want them to see you in me.” “I think this is my fondest memory of that experience,” she notes. “It's what I pray for when I receive Holy Communion. That they don't see me, but see Jesus in me.”
During the Jubilee, at Piazza San Gregorio al Celio, number 2, near the Circus Maximus, the Missionaries of Charity are also offering guided tours of the room where Mother Teresa stayed during her visits to Rome. Young men and women flock here, too.
Helping with the organisation is Kasius Ackimana, a 19-year-old biomedical student originally from Zambia, who is undergoing a period of discernment in Sweden.
“For me, Mother Teresa is charity. In all the Missionaries of Charity chapels, next to the crucifix, there is the inscription 'I thirst’,” he says. “These are the words Jesus spoke on the cross before dying. But they don't mean he thirsted for water; according to Mother Teresa, he thirsted for souls. When the nuns see a poor person, that person is Jesus Christ, but incognito, you understand? It's not a representation of Christ, but Christ himself in another form.”
Betina Claure, 26, from Bolivia but in England for a volunteer project with the Lasallian Brothers, spoke to AsiaNews after visiting the exhibition on the saint canonised by Pope Francis in 2016.
“I love taking time to talk to Jesus. So I appreciated the space to pray. I've always admired Mother Teresa; she's a great example of service. A blessing."
For the young woman, the Saint of Calcutta still inspires her peers, like all people, to be there for those in need.
“Today, our world needs for everyone to act together to make an impact, because this is our home, the place God has given us. It is our duty and our responsibility to take care of it. Mother Teresa did a great job; she marked a starting point for us to inspire and follow her example.”
Locquahn Tukerangi, 29, a participant in the Youth Jubilee, is from New Zealand. To reach Rome, his group walked 140 km along the Via Francigena in seven days, starting from Rieti.
“I already knew Mother Teresa; my father-in-law always talks about her. But delving into her story here in Rome is an incredible experience," he says. "I was struck by how much she had Jesus in her heart, despite her inner darkness."
This is how Mother Teresa described the anguish she felt, a "terrible pain of loss," which over time she interpreted as a connection to the Passion of Jesus. “Today she inspires us because she showed love in small things, not with words, but with actions," adds Locquahn Tukerangi. "And I think that for us young people, actions speak louder than words."
A nun says as much speaking to AsiaNews. What strikes young people the most about the Saint's life are the facts. Going out to meet the poor. In poverty, in joy.
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31/08/2016 16:48
