Filipino Catholics venerate an image of Saint Teresa of Calcutta after a Mass to celebrate her feast day at the Immaculate Conception Parish Church along Tayuman Street in Tondo, Manila, Sept. 5. (Photo: R. Lagarde)
MANILA, Sept. 6, 2016— Filipino Catholics paid tribute to Saint Teresa of Calcutta after she was canonized by Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Masses of thanksgiving for were held across the country for the canonization of Mother Teresa on her feast day, Sept. 5.
In Manila, the Missionaries of Charity along with more than a thousand faithful attended a liturgical celebration held at the Immaculate Conception Parish Church along Tayuman Street in Tondo, Manila.
In his homily, parish priest Msgr. Jerome Reyes said Christians have a lot to learn from Mother Teresa who made several visits to the Philippines in 1977, 1978, and 1984.
“In Mother Teresas’s ministry, you will see one thing prevailing and that is her faith in Jesus,” he said. “If you have that principle, you will never get tired because it is Jesus Himself you are serving.”
The priest is hoping Filipinos could emulate what the new saint did and her remarkable ability to love the unloved.
For Reyes, Mother Teresa was an embodiment of mercy and compassion.
“She wants her life to be beautiful for God. That is the challenge for all of us,” he added.
For her work, Mother Teresa was given the Noble Peace Prize in 1979. A year later, she also received the Philippines’ prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award.
Few meters away from the church, Mother Teresa’s nuns still quietly serve the poor in two facilities for sick and abandoned children and for elderly Filipinos.
After Mass, churchgoers including volunteers and supporters of the Missionaries of Charity venerated an image and relics of Mother Teresa. (Roy Lagarde / CBCPNews)
