It was Mother Teresa who gave her a profound insight into the spiritual life, says Sister Joanne, a Missionaries of Charity (MC) Councilor.

“I always remember her advice to me, to always say: ‘Jesus whatever you want,’” says the Indian nun, who joined the MC congregation in the 1970s. This prayer, according to Mother Teresa, allows one a deeper experience of one’s calling as a Christian, says Sister Joanne.

The 59-year-old  nun shares how she came to join the MC congregation and her personal experiences of Mother Teresa ahead of the late nun’s birth centenary on Aug. 26.

Mother Teresa was born  to Albanian parents in Skopje, Macedonia. She came to Kolkata, eastern India, as an aspirant nun in 1929. She made the city her base and began the MC congregation in 1950 to “work among the poorest of the poor.”  She was buried at the MC headquarters in Kolkata after her death on Sept. 5, 1997. Pope John Paul II beatified the Nobel Peace Prize-winning nun in October 2003, just six years after her death, the fastest beatification process in modern Church history. Beatification, which bestows the title “blessed,” is one step away from sainthood.

"Sister, your vocation is not to go out to the poor but to belong to Jesus."

I remember Mother Teresa telling me this when I was struggling with the accounts in the Missionaries of Charity [MC] office in Kolkata.

It was tough work and prevented me from going out and serving the poor, which I really wanted to do.

Mother, however, said she understood my work and supported me in taking care of the congregation’s accounts.

I always remember her advice to me, to always say: “Jesus whatever you want." This prayer, Mother said, takes one beyond the work one does, beyond how one lives — to something much deeper.

It was Mother who led me to Jesus and taught me to trust and totally surrender to his will.

Being in the MC community with Mother has been a beautiful experience for she would joke and tell stories.

She also loved to hear our stories.

On Sundays, some nuns and I would go to a parish to teach Sunday school. When we returned, Mother would listen with great interest to all our experiences.

Mother Teresa giving the traditional Indian gesture of welcome

I think I was somehow extra special to Mother because I suffer from asthma. When I fell sick, Mother would look after me and even tuck me in bed.

I also remember her concern when my mother died in Delhi after suffering a stroke. As I had no relatives living near my mum, Mother told her MC sisters there to look after matters for me right until the burial.

She also arranged for my flight to Delhi from Kolkata.

Mother’s personal touch is so beautiful.

I have been a companion to the present MC Superior General Sister Prema for six years now and it is beautiful to see the grace of God at work in our community.

It is God’s work. He does it, not us. So surrender and trust are very important.

It does not matter if we feel we are not prepared. What is important is to allow God to work and everything else just flows.

How did I become an MC nun?

I have been attracted to the Religious life since I was 10 and used to visit the Delhi MC Shishu Bhawan (Children’s Home) during my school days.

Though I was attracted to the work, I feared it would be too difficult for me.

It was in June 1974, when I was reading Psalm 16, which speaks of how God is our portion and cup, that I overcame all my apprehensions. I then decided to give myself totally to God by joining the MC congregation.

I had met Mother Teresa earlier in Bangalore and I phoned to tell her of my decision to join the congregation.

I came to Kolkata and spent my first year visiting families. In my second year, I was put in charge of accounts.

I took my first vows in 1977 and my final vows in 1982. I was later made regional superior until I moved to Delhi in 1992.

Six years later I moved back to the Kolkata motherhouse and have been elected Councilor twice.

As Councilor I travel to many countries to coordinate a course on early child development.

I also attend MC meetings on Religious appointments and assess the readiness of novices to take their vows.

I find the different MC communities vibrant and their work beautiful. They all have the same lifestyle and the openness of the sisters makes me feel at home in any of their houses around the world.

Related reports
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