By Press Release
The recent talk by Jim Towey, a close friend of the late Mother Teresa of Calcutta, at Quarr Abbey was ‘fascinating’, according to one member of the audience.
Many personal anecdotes gave a flavour of the life of the woman who was made a saint in 2016, almost 20 years after her death in 1997.
Mother Teresa came to world prominence after a TV interview with British journalist, Malcolm Muggeridge, leading her into a life where she rubbed shoulders with presidents and royalty and travelled the world, but never lost her essential humility or her love for her fellow man, whatever the circumstances he found himself in.
Born in Macedonia in 1910, she started life as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, but loved her adopted home of Calcutta and became an Indian citizen. She took her solemn vows to God in May 1937, and few could have taken them more seriously. Her work with the poorest of the poor earned her the nickname ‘Saint of the Gutters’, and she never discriminated between those she took into her heart. Although she was a devout Catholic, people of all religions and of none were made welcome by the nuns of the Missionary of Charity, the order that she founded in 1950.
Jim told of his travels with Mother Teresa and how she inspired him to give up a successful but unfulfilling political career in the USA after meeting her. Her message of love was simple but powerful. When she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she was asked “What can we do to promote world peace?”, she answered, “Go home and love your family”.
“It was a fascinating evening, listening to a fascinating man,” said one guest. “There are few opportunities to hear from somebody who was close to a woman who became one of the most recognisable faces in the world. I’m so glad I attended.”
Guests received a warm welcome from Abbot Xavier and enjoyed a delicious meal that was based on produce from the grounds of the Abbey.