Affectionately known as the “saint of the gutter” for her unconditional love for the poor, abandoned and marginalized, Mother Teresa earned several international honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Now, a collection of previously unreleased writings by Mother Teresa will be published in August, weeks before the late Nobel Peace Prize winner is to be canonised.
Image, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, told the Associated Press that it has set an August 16 release date for A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve. The material in the book focuses on mercy and compassion and was compiled by Fr Brian Kolodiejchuk, who has led the cause for Mother Teresa’s sainthood.
On September 4, Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Calcutta a saint. She died in 1997, at age 87. Fr Kolodiejchuk also edited Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta, published in 2007.
Mother Teresa was beatified in 2003 by Pope John Paul II after a first miracle was attributed to her, answering an Indian woman’s prayers to cure her brain tumor, according to the Vatican. One miracle is needed for beatification — described by theCatholic Church as recognition of a person’s entrance into heaven — while sainthood requires two.
Pope Francis officially cleared Mother Teresa for sainthood on Dec. 17, 2015, recognizing her “miraculous healing” of a Brazilian man with multiple brain abscesses, the Vatican said. Pope John Paul II put Mother Teresa on the fast track toward sainthood.
Without dispensation from the pope, five years must pass from the time of the candidate’s death before an examination can begin. A bishop is placed in charge of the initial examination of the candidate’s life. Once deemed worthy by the Vatican, the candidate is called a “Servant of God.” In Mother Teresa’s case, the examination began almost immediately after her death in 1997, the Vatican said. She died Sept. 5, 1997, in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, the eastern Indian city where she spent decades doing her work. She was 87.