Mother Teresa canonized

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was canonized on Sunday. Pope Francis carried out the ceremony, then distributed pizza to the homeless who were there for the cermony.

TNS

Park Street, the main commercial road in Kolkata, was renamed for Mother Teresa. photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Times

by Natalie Telep, Staff Writer

Mother Teresa was declared a saint by Pope Francis last Sunday. The canonization Mass was held in St. Peter’s Square, and close to 120,000 people attended. Mother Teresa’s tomb, located at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity was covered in flowers. People in Kolkata clapped and cheered as they watched the ceremony on TV.

Pope Francis honored Mother Teresa by giving a short speech detailing her life’s work and good deeds. “She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity,” said Francis.

A wide variety of people attended the ceremony, including 1,500 homeless people, Catholics and Christians, hundreds of members of the Missionaries of Charity group, and 13 heads of state or government.

Mother Teresa was born Aug. 26 1910, and died Sep. 5 1997. Throughout her later life, she worked to help those pushed out by society, including people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and other debilitating diseases. She founded several homes and hospices for less-fortunate people who were not able to pay for proper care. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and was beatified as “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” Oct. 19 2003.

After the canonization ceremony was over, Pope Francis and the Vatican brought in 20 pizza bakers. They used three mobile ovens and several hundred pounds of pizza crust to make pizzas for the 1,500 plus homeless gathered in the Vatican City. The pizzas were distributed by more than 250 of Mother Teresa’s sisters, as well as some of the male missionaries of the branch founded by Mother Teresa.