Mother Teresa A Saint from Skopje By Dr. Hiromi Josepha Kudo Ph.D. 2006 Gujarat Sahitya Prakash P.B. 70, ANAND – 388001 GUJARAT, INDIA We would like to remind our readers that 10 years have passed since this book was originally published, and accordingly the situation both in the houses of the Missionaries of Charity as well as in the rest of the world has since changed. Cyril Veliath SJ © 2006 Hiromi Josepha Kudo Ph.D. ISBN 81 89317 09 1 Published by K. T. Mathew, S.J., Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, PB 70, Anand – Gujarat, India Published by S. Abril S.J., Anand Press, Anand, Gujarat, India 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements-9 Foreword -11 Foreword to the Digitalized Version of this Book-13 Preface-19 Chapter I: Early Life in Skopje-34 Birthplace, Historical Background, and Youth-34 Preliminary Procedure-35 Problems and Sources-3634 Albanians in Macedonia and Mother Teresa’s family background-42 Mother’s Relationship to Skopje-47 Population and Conflicts-51 East-West Religious Conflicts and Discriminatory Political Policies-53 Her Mother Drona’s influence and the Love of Neighbors-59 Ethnic Conflicts and Language Issues-66 The Effect of her Father’s Death-68 Regional Conflicts of the Albanians-74 Mother Teresa and St. Francis of Assisi-79 India and the Jesuits-86 Mother Teresa’s Family—Torn by walls between States-88 Chapter II: Religious Life in India and Mother’s Second Vocation-92 Living well with differences-92 Conducting Interviews and obtaining of Data-92 The Loretta Congregation that Mother Teresa joined-93 Mother’s Novitiate and the influence of St. Therese of Lisieux-98 Saint Therese of Lisieux-100 Mother Teresa and the Little Way of St. Therese-102 Beatification and Canonization-96 The Carmel order and Mother Teresa-108 Appropriate Categorization of Mother’s Activity-111 Missionaries of Charity as Contemplatives in Action-117 3 Life at St. Mary’s School and Inculturation-120 The Second World War and Independence of India-125 Mother’s Second Vocation-134 Mother Teresa and the Five Jesuits-140 The Gamble of Archbishop Perrier-141 Beginning of the Missionaries of Charity-147 Chapter III: Principal Activities-161 The Mother House-161 Shishu Bhawan-164 Prem Dan-168 Gandhiji Prem Nivas–The Home for Leprosy Patients-170 Shanti Dan–The Comprehensive Institution-172 Nirmal Hriday-172 Criticisms against Mother and her Activities-176 Criticisms against Mother’s Christian Mission-178 Chapter IV: Mother Teresa and Her Adopted Homeland of India- 183 The Great Indian Vote-184 Who is an Indian-192 The Indian People’s Feelings toward Mother Teresa-187 The Catholic Church and Hinduism-188 Tolerance and Reconciliation in the Ellora Cave Temples-192 History and the Background of Religious Disputes-193 Trust between a Hindu Believer and Mother Teresa-195 Mother Teresa as an Incarnation of a Goddess-196 Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi-200 Chapter V: Reflections on the Dark Night of Mother Teresa-207 The Dark Night-207 Psychology of the Dark Night-209 The Dark Night under the Sway of the Divine Will-211 The Spiritual Directors-213 Ten years of Active Purification-215 Fr. Celeste Van Exem—Mother Teresa’s lifelong Spiritual Director-218 Burning of the Documents of 45 Years-219 4 Principal Events in the Life of Mother Teresa and Her Dark Night-223 Appendices: 227 Appendix 1. God’s Plan and Mine-227 Appendix 2. The Carmelite Sisters and Myself-229 Appendix 3. My First meeting with Mother Teresa-231 Appendix 4. Mother Teresa’s Letter to Archbishop Perrier-233 Appendix 5. Letter of Mother Teresa to President George Bush and President Saddam Hussein-238 Appendix 6. Two who offered their lives for Mother Teresa-240 Appendix 7. The Baptism of my mother and myself-242 Appendix 8. Ancient Scriptures of Hinduism-244 Appendix 9. Volunteers see Poverty as Richness-246 Letter of Archbishop Thomas D’souza-249 Letter of Fr. Marc Lindeijer, SJ-250 Articles Concerning Fr. Van Exem-251-252 References and Bibliography- 253 5 6 To Th e People of S k opje a n d Ca lc ut t a A n d t h e Mot h er W h o b r o u g h t t h e m t og eth er 7 Message of Rev. Fr. Jerome Francis, SJ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, known as the “Saint of the gutters” is well known all over the world. Her simple, poor, faith-filled life and selfless loving work among the poorest of the poor has inspired many people across the world to reach out and help the poor. Mother used to say, “This is why the work for the poorest of the poor is so beautiful and attractive, because it fills the heart with great joy and with great love. And the more we are in love with the poor, the closer we come to the heart of God, the more we come to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him.” HIROMI JOSEPHA KUDO has done an excellent research on Mother and her works. She had taken a lot of pains to visit Calcutta and meet Mother personally a number of times, and had personally seen the works the sisters do in many places. She also met a number of Jesuit priests in Calcutta and elsewhere who had helped Mother, especially in the initial stages. She had also visited Mother’s native place. I had the opportunity of meeting Hiromi Josepha Kudo in Tokyo in January 2004, while I was the Jesuit Provincial of the Calcutta Province. She had a mind for details, a desire to do a thorough work, and worked very hard to get as much authentic data as possible. This book is a well-researched work and it will inspire and offer deeper understanding of Mother and her work among the poorest of the poor. I strongly recommend this book for your reading, so that you too may come to know about Mother and the spirit that moved her. Jerome Francis SJ Calcutta, India 13-12-2005 8 Acknowledgements My research on Mother Teresa has so far carried to me to several nations and put me in touch with numerous individuals, all of whom made great efforts to support and encourage me in my work. I realize however that attempting to thank them all in the space of a few lines is impossible. All the same though, it would be inexcusable on my part not to mention at least a few individuals, without whose backing this research would never have got off the ground. To begin, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Kosta Balabanov for his guidance regarding various historical details, to Stojan Trenchevski, Anton Serechi, Vlado Lesnikovski, and Kazu Lesnikovska for cooperating in my fieldwork, and to all who graciously accepted my interviews. I am also grateful for the backing I received from Trajan Gocevski, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Skopje, Sadao Kurosawa, President of Urawa University in Saitama, Akira Momiyama, Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Macedonia in Tokyo, Keiji Iimura, Managing Director and Secretary General of the Japan Macedonia Friendship Association, and Akira Imamura, Director of the Central and South-Eastern European Division of the European Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, all of whom assisted in promoting my research with their precious counsel. I would also like to thank in a special way Fr. Don Lush Gjergji of St. Anthony’s Church in Bincha, Fr. Noel MC of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, Fr. Masakazu Tachibana of Tokyo Cathedral, Fr. Leo Schumacher SSC of St. Anselm’s Church in Tokyo, Sr. Machiko Wada RSCJ of the University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo, Fr. Mukengeshayi Matata CICM, director of the Oriens Institute for Religious Research in Tokyo, Fr. Masatoshi Yamaguchi OFMC, Jeffrey D. Trambley of Komazawa Junior College in Tokyo, Biljana Jovanovska of the magazine Zum in Skopje, Djordje Djordjeski, President of Pro Alloy Co. Ltd., Takeshi Ogino of the Central and South-Eastern European Division of the European Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, Tony Josifovski, the nephew of Mother Teresa’s father’s cousin, and Pina Markovska, Mother Teresa’s own cousin on her mother’s side, for their many useful bits of advice. My gratitude goes out also to Vesna Blazevska who helped me with translations, Aneta M. Cubrinovska and Iskra Petrovska Sesova who taught me Macedonian, and Rita Hemron who was raised in Shishu Bhawan in Calcutta and who 9 taught me Hindi. I also express my deepest appreciation for the assistance I received from his Lordship Dr. Kiro Stojanov the Bishop of Skopje and the Jesuits of Sophia University in Tokyo, especially Frs. Anselmo Mataix, William Currie, Koso Toshiaki, José M. de Vera, Arturo Martin, Koichi Matsumoto, Jorg Mauz, Isao Kida, Osamu Takeuchi, Shinzo Kawamura, and John Joseph Puthenkalam. Last but not least, I thank my guide Fr. Cyril Veliath SJ of Sophia University for his supervision of this thesis, in particular the philosophical and theological aspects, my mentor Dr. Divna Lakinska and others linked to the University of Saints Cyril and Methodius, such as Dr. Kiril Temkov, Dr. Slobodanka Markovska, Dr. Lidija Georgieva, and Dr. Violeta Achkovska for their guidance, and Mr. Navin Chawla of New Delhi for his inspiration. Without the generous assistance of these many kindhearted people, this work might never have been completed. To these and many others including my mother Tomoko Kudo and my father Tadayoshi Kudo, I render my heartfelt gratitude. Hiromi Josepha KUDO October 21, 2005 10