[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 146 (Friday, October 17, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2076]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING MOTHER TERESA

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                          HON. PETER HOEKSTRA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2003

  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mother Teresa, a 
beloved humanitarian revered throughout the world for her charity 
toward the poor and afflicted.
  Mother Teresa, who died on September 5, 1997, at 87 years old in her 
Missionaries of Charity home in central Calcutta, India, was truly a 
spiritual guide whom we admire and respect for her uncompromising 
generosity. Her impact was felt by millions worldwide, and she made all 
those she touched view the world with a kinder and gentler eye.
  A Roman Catholic nun and missionary, she served impoverished people 
unselfishly, never asking for anything in return. She firmly believed 
that the poorest of the poor required self-esteem and hope to escape 
poverty, and she devoted her life to providing it one person at a time 
until the day that she died.
  She was rightfully awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 following a 
lifetime of reaching out to the needy, the suffering and the dying. Her 
efforts have inspired generations to contribute to the well-being of 
humanity in both large and small ways.
  Mr. Speaker, I offer these remarks to honor the beatification of 
Mother Teresa by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003, in Rome. Her 
tireless, inspirational work is missed, but her legacy will live on for 
eternity.

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