[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 24529-24530]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            ON THE OCCASION OF MOTHER TERESA'S BEATIFICATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 14, 2003

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, on October 19, 2003, 
Mother Teresa will be beatified by Pope John Paul II. In the Catholic 
canonization process, beatification is the last step before sainthood. 
This step formalizes what much of the world has known for

[[Page 24530]]

years: That Mother Teresa selflessly gave her life, her energy, and her 
love to those most in need.
  The name Mother Teresa has become synonymous with charity and 
commitment to the poor the world over. Born in 1910 in Albania to 
middle class parents, Mother Teresa realized early on that she would 
dedicate her life to serving God and her fellow man. She joined the 
Loreto Sisters of Dublin, Ireland and trained to be a teacher. She 
taught History and Geography in Calcutta, India for 15 years.
  Though she loved teaching, Mother Teresa felt she was destined for a 
different calling. With the blessing of Pope Pius XII, Mother Teresa 
began serving the poor and neglected in the slums of Calcutta, India. 
She taught the illiterate children of the area to read and write, but 
soon realized that her energies were desperately needed elsewhere. With 
so many homeless people dying in filth and indignity, she put her 
efforts toward caring for the poor and afflicted of the community, many 
of whom were near death. She took in the patients that nobody else 
wanted. Mother Teresa cared for and loved people dying of leprosy, 
AIDS, cancer, and many other deadly diseases. She brought comfort and 
human dignity to the final weeks, days, and hours of so many suffering 
people.
  Mother Teresa found her true calling in helping the poorest of the 
poor. She loved the people that no one else would love. People with no 
families, no homes, no access to medical care, and no place to go to 
die in peace, with dignity.
  In 1950, Mother Teresa started her own Order, the Missionaries of 
Charity. The goal of Missionaries of Charity is to look after those who 
have no one to love and care for them. The Missionaries of Charity now 
have thousands of nuns serving the poor in 125 countries around the 
world. This is truly a remarkable legacy.
  Mother Teresa has been recognized internationally for her 
contributions to humanity. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 
and the Congressional Gold Medal, one of our country's highest honors, 
in 1997.
  After Mother Teresa's death in 1997, Pope John Paul II waived the 
customary five-year waiting period to begin the process of her becoming 
a saint. This unprecedented consideration for this well-deserved honor 
confirms the importance and greatness of Mother Teresa.
  Mother Teresa once said, ``I slept and I dreamed that life is all 
joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that 
service is joy.'' Mother Teresa serves as a shining example of the 
profound impact one person can have in the world. She is a model for 
selflessness and eternal optimism. Mother Teresa is a role model and a 
hero to us all.