MANILA, July 12, 2013—The Indian government has donated a bust of Mother Teresa of Calcutta as its “gift” to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila.
The unveiling of the bust, carved by West Bengal-based Indian sculptor Gautam Pal, will take place at 3 p.m. at the university’s Santissimo Rosario Parish Garden on July 16.
Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Amit Dasgupta and UST rector Fr. Herminio Dagohoy will lead the unveiling ceremony. The nuns from the Missionaries of Charity will also offer flowers.
The UST’s Office of Public Affairs said the bust will be marked by a plaque with Mother Teresa’s famous saying, “Your strength lies in small things”, a phrase that encapsulates her work as a missionary nun.
“It also commemorates her role as a constant source of inspiration for the Thomasian community in upholding UST’s core values of competence, commitment, and compassion,” it said.
Mother Teresa was an Albanian born, Indian Catholic Religious Sister who founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. In her lifetime, she served and advocated for the poorest of the poor, earning her the moniker “The Living Saint.”
Her death in 1997 was a great loss to the international community that has recognized her as an icon for humanitarian work. She was beatified in 2003, giving her the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
Mother Teresa first came to the Philippines in 1976, and again in 1977 and 1984 when she visited the University of Santo Tomas.
The Regional House of the Missionaries of Charity in the Philippines runs an orphanage and home for the aged. Located in Tayuman, Manila, it is currently headed by Sister Anselm. (CBCPNews)
