St. Teresa of Calcutta Declared Co-Parton

Kolkata, 6th September, 2017: On the first anniversary of the Canonisation of Mother Teresa as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, the Archbishop of Calcutta declared Saint Teresa of Calcutta as the co-patron of the Archdiocese along with St.Francis Xavier. Mother Teresa was declared a saint on September 4, 2016, by Pope Francis during a ceremony at the Vatican watched by more than 120,000 people. She was beatified in 2003. In the presence of the Apostolic Nuncio, His Excellency Most Rev. Giambattista Diquattro, Ambassador of the Vatican to India, Regional Bishops, priests and large number of religious and faithful; the Vicar General and Chancellor of the Archdiocese, Fr. Dominic Gomes, read the official decree proclaiming Saint Teresa of Calcutta as the co-patron of the Archdiocese. Archbishop Thomas D’Souza in his introduction welcomed the Apostolic Nuncio, Bishops and Congregation. He also explained the significance of declaring Mother Teresa as Copatron of the Archdiocese.

After the Proclamation of the decree all the bishops and The Apostolic Nuncio gathered around the beautiful bronze statue of Mother Teresa and lit the light around the statue. In his homily His Excellency, spoke of the great virtues which Mother Teresa practiced in her life time. She renounced everything and embraced poverty and lived in the imitation of Christ.

Before the final blessing all the dignitaries were felicitated with garland and melodious singing by the choir. The children choir from ‘Daya Dan’ sang beautifully the hymn “Shine Jesus Shine”. They captured the attention of all the people gathered in the Cathedral. 

The Pro-vicar, Fr. Siluvai Pitchai proposed the vote of thanks. He thanked all the bishops, priests, religious and faithful for their prayerful presence. The celebration concluded with the final blessing imparted by His Excellency Most Rev. Giambattista Diquattro. Fr. Rodney Borneo, the master of ceremony for the occasion conducted with precision and solemnity.

Ms. Angelina Mantosh Jasnani worked tirelessly behind the scene to make the necessary arrangements for the celebration.Mr. Charles Mantosh generously provided for the food  and refreshments.