Missionaries of Charity: What after Nirmala?

Does Sister Nirmala’s absence change the hierarchy of the MoC?

No, it does not. Sister Nirmala was elected Superior General in 1997, when Mother Teresa was still alive. Sunita Kumar, official spokeswoman for the Congregation of the MoC, said: “Sister Nirmala was blessed by the Mother. Mother was very happy at Sister Nirmala being at the helm of things. For 12 years Nirmala served without changing anything, and she appeared as good as the Mother herself.” Sister Mary Prema was elected SG in 2009, after Sister Nirmala stepped aside on health grounds. Sister Prema continues in the post; MoC’s hierarchy remains intact.

What lies on the road ahead for the Missionaries of Charity?

Soon after taking over as Superior General, Sister Prema had pointed out in an interview that the MoC does not have a set plan. “The Mother left us to be holier and the only goal we have is to love God and Jesus and to transmit that love to others. That is the only legacy we are to carry forward,” she had said. “It is God who decides how the charity moves ahead. As far as the congregation is concerned, we never found Mother preaching. She testified through her own life.” Said Sunita Kumar, “The MoC moves ahead with that mission in mind.”

Even so, what is the next big thing for the Missionaries of Charity?

The Missionaries of Charity and the people of Kolkata eagerly await the attainment of sainthood of Mother Teresa. There is a strong belief that the Mother may be declared a saint on September 4, 2016. Father Felix Raj, principal of St Xavier’s (Autonomous) College in Kolkata, the Jesuit institution which has traditionally been the spiritual guide to the Missionaries of Charity, said: “Mother Teresa’s sainthood will happen in 2016. It will happen under Pope Francis. We are all waiting for that great moment.”

What has triggered this anticipation of Mother’s sainthood?

The anticipation is driven by media reports that the Vatican is set to declare Mother Teresa a saint during 2016, announced by the Pope in May to be the Holy Year of Mercy. Pope Francis met heads of Vatican offices to discuss preparations for the holy year — and Italian Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the office that leads the sainthood process, was among those at the meeting, it was said. But the Vatican subsequently clarified: “The sainthood process of Mother Teresa is still ongoing, so it is premature to talk of a date for the canonisation.”

So where does Mother currently stand on the way to sainthood?

Father D’Souza explained that Mother Teresa was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II, putting her on the road to sainthood. For beatification, a miracle was attributed to Mother Teresa — she had blessed a woman from Raiganj in West Bengal, leading to her being completely cured of her kidney disease. “It’s scientifically inexplicable, and is taken as a sign of divine approval,” the Archbishop said.

The process of declaration as a saint is called canonisation, for which a second miracle must be attributed to the Mother. This, Father D’Souza said, is under process.

Almost two decades after Mother Teresa passed away, where does the MoC stand?

Archbishop D’Souza, Sunita Kumar and Father Raj — all closely associated with the MoC — said the order continues with its dedicated service to the poor. Its commitment has not ebbed one notch, they claimed. The MoC’s 5,000 volunteers look after over 740 homes that provide a healing touch and care to the dying and the destitute in Kolkata. The MoC also runs another 145 centres around the world. God and Mother continue to drive the charity ahead, they said.