Honoring Mother Teresa on the 100th Anniversary of Her Birth
Resolution honoring Mother Teresa of Calcutta on the 100th anniversary of her birth adopted by the 128th Supreme Convention on Aug. 5, 2010.
WHEREAS, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was born in Skopje on August 26, 1910, and this month marks the 100th anniversary of her birth as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, of Albanian descent; and
WHEREAS, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was known and honored worldwide for her work with the poorest of the poor and founded the Missionaries of Charity religious community that continues her work today; and
WHEREAS, the Knights of Columbus shared a close friendship with Mother Teresa and enjoyed the great privilege of collaborating in her charitable works, responding to her plea for Knights to “help us with the soup kitchens … with the poorest of the poor,” by launching a program called “Operation Share” in 1987; and also has been honored to provide printing services for the Missionaries of Charity, including the printing of the community’s Constitutions, daily prayer book and prayer cards; and the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council headquarters was privileged to host a visit from Mother Teresa in 1988, when she addressed the employees; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa received many other honors, including the inaugural Gaudium et Spes Award in 1992, the highest honor bestowed by the Knights of Columbus; and
WHEREAS, His Holiness Pope John Paul II declared her “Blessed” and beatified Mother Teresa on October 19, 2003, at a Vatican ceremony; and
WHEREAS, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has held up Mother Teresa as an example of Christian charity, stating in Deus Caritas Est that she lived out the Gospel by showing that “Love of God and love of neighbor are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment,” and citing her as an example of prayer in action, writing, “In the example of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we have a clear illustration of the fact that time devoted to God in prayer not only does not detract from effective and loving service to our neighbor but is in fact the inexhaustible source of that service”; and
WHEREAS, the Knights of Columbus Museum is currently hosting an exhibition on Mother Teresa that tells the story of her response to God’s call and includes many relics and mementos from her life;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that all Knights of Columbus councils increase their charitable programs and outreach to the poor with renewed vigor, inspired by the example of Mother Teresa, including a recommitment to “Operation Share,” assisting the work of the Missionaries of Charity, or serving at their own local soup kitchens and food pantries in a concerted effort to serve the poor; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be presented to Sister Mary Prema, M.C., Superior General, as a tangible memento of the Order’s high esteem.