[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 117 (Friday, July 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E910-E911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING HER HOLINESS MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI DEVI

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                        HON. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 12, 2019

  Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize Her 
Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known simply as ``Amma'' to her 
many admirers over the world,

[[Page E911]]

for her exemplary humanitarian and conservation efforts and her work to 
build bridges of love, peace and understanding not only to the people 
of India, but to all nations.
  Amma was born in 1953 in a small, coastal village in the South Indian 
state of Kerala. Drawn from a very early age to a life of service to 
others, Amma began her lifelong practice of trying to alleviate 
suffering by sharing food and clothing from her home while still a 
young girl. This devotion to service was not always appreciated by her 
family, who faced their own economic challenges and could ill afford to 
give away any of the little they had, but Amma persisted and soon began 
her practice of embracing those in need of comfort and support.
  As she matured, Amma grew to understand that hugging and personal 
acts of kindness were not sufficient to heal our world, and she began 
to speak publicly on the importance of selfless service, compassion 
towards all beings, conservation, the importance of inter-religious 
harmony, and against human trafficking and slavery. She founded two 
important charitable organizations, Mata Amritanandamayi Math and 
Embracing the World, which have provided essential disaster relief, 
food, clean water, housing, health care and education to thousands of 
needy men, women and children in India and in Mexico, Costa Rica, 
France, Spain, Kenya, Brazil, Slovenia and Australia.
  Amma is beloved by many as their guru and has a large following in my 
district. Her humanitarian efforts have been recognized and celebrated 
by, among others, the United Nations, the Parliament of World 
Religions, and Rotary Club International, and she has been awarded an 
honorary doctorate in humane letters from the State University of New 
York in Buffalo.
  Amma continues to share her vision of peace, understanding and love 
through speaking programs, meditation retreats and her willingness to 
embrace all in need of blessing. Madam Speaker, I want to recognize 
Amma's selfless and compassionate devotion to all people, the work of 
her charities to relieve poverty and provide health care and education, 
her outspoken advocacy against human trafficking, and her efforts to 
encourage sustainable practices and protect our shared ecosystem.

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