Days began with prayers, ended with Adoration of the Eucharist
Special to The B.C. Catholic
I went to Kolkata to work as a volunteer at Shishu Bhavan, a Home for Children, run by the Missionaries of Charity, in 1990. I had written to Mother Teresa asking to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity. She requested I contact the Sisters in Vancouver to organize supplies that I could take with me.
I was inspired by Mother Teresa’s visits to Vancouver. I was there when she spoke at Habitat in 1976, and 12 years later during the Marian Year when she spoke at a Rosary Rally at the Pacific Coliseum.
What had started out as a desire for a vacation in a country that had always fascinated me ultimately became two months of volunteer work in Kolkata.
I travelled with my friend Mariette Stevenson, who had suggested we to ask if we could volunteer. We both worked at George Pearson Centre in Vancouver. Many of the residents wanted to donate money, so we carried about $150 with us to give to the Missionaries. That would then have been worth at least 10 times that amount in India.
I think my mother was a great role model. She had worked as a nurse until she was 73, and I admired the way she had loved and cared for those in need. I began volunteering at a fairly young age, and the work in Kolkata was one of a number of experiences.
We lived in an Anglican church compound at a bed and breakfast with other volunteers from every country imaginable, across the street from the mother house and Shishu Bhavan. This made life easier; travelling further would have been an added stress in a city that was exciting and vibrant, but could be characterized as highly polluted, crowded, and very noisy.
Each day commenced with morning prayers in the mother house chapel and concluded there with Adoration of the Eucharist in the evening. During the day we helped out at the Home for Children, where we bathed and clothed the youngsters, helped to feed them, and joined in their games.
Mother Teresa insisted we not work every day, but take time off each Thursday. She made sure we followed this request, and would often insist we must not become too tired.
In addition to volunteering at the home for children, many of us chipped in and purchased food and gifts to distribute to various groups of those in need. I was there at Christmas, so festive street parties were organized which many poor people attended: children, lepers, and others.
My impression of Mother Teresa was that she had a great fondness and concern for the volunteers who came from all over the world to work with the Missionaries of Charity. During the two months I was there she would ask the volunteers to remain many evenings after Adoration, and would converse with them, sometimes up to 50 people.
Her messages ranged from thanking us for responding to God’s call to offer service to the poor, to encouraging and challenging us to return to our own countries and continue the work there.
It could be a next-door neighbour, or someone on our own doorstep. She would point out we had been given a great gift in coming to Kolkata, that perhaps many had been offered the same gift but were not able or willing to respond, and our mission when we returned to our own countries was to help those in need. We were reminded every drop does make a difference in our world, no matter how small it might seem.
Working with the Missionaries of Charity was the most all-encompassing and fulfilling experience I had ever had. Mariette and I prayed with the sisters, worked with the children, and lived with other volunteers who were very supportive.
Not only were we able to enter to an extent into the life of the people and gain a better understanding of the country, but we also learned what a diverse and rich culture exists in India.
I feel I was blessed that I was able to respond to God’s call to volunteer in Kolkata, and I am grateful for the countless experiences that deepened my spiritual life. It was a life-changing encounter: my focus shifted as I became much less preoccupied with the material world and more Christ-centred.
I wrote to Mother Teresa on my return thanking her for the experience and she wrote back to me, expressing gratitude that I had been able to see “the face of Jesus in the poor.”
I had been struck repeatedly by her humility; how she cared for everyone, including the volunteers; and the fact that she took the time to write to me, not just once, but twice. She had time for everyone, and showed her appreciation of those who were on the journey of helping the poor and others in need.
When Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint, I was reminded I had had the privilege of being in the presence of this great woman. What at times seemed like routine and ordinary work was, in fact, life-changing and extraordinary.
