The Mother Teresa Institute in Washington, D.C., will launch this weekend with an inaugural symposium at The Catholic University of America in honor of St. Teresa of Calcutta’s life 25 years after her death.
The Mother Teresa Institute, which will be located on Harewood Road across the street from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, aims to support further research and study on her mission and spirituality. The Institute is a branch of the Mother Teresa Center, a nonprofit organization directed by the Missionaries of Charity.
The symposium will take place in the Della Ratta Auditorium in Maloney Hall on Saturday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the School of Theology and Religious Studies and the Mother Teresa Institute. The conference is free but registration is required.
“Mother Teresa impacted the world and as a saint she has much to teach us,” said Very Reverend Mark Morozowich, S.E.O.D., dean for theology and religious studies. “Hopefully, together we can not only expand devotion to her as a saint, but also expand an intellectual study of her works…I believe that her ability to unite people indicates a sure path for evangelizing efforts.”
The symposium will open with Mass celebrated by Most Reverend William E. Lori, archbishop of Baltimore, in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. George Weigel, a biographer of St. John Paul II, will deliver a keynote address on the friendship between Mother Teresa and the late pope. Reverend Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., director of the Mother Teresa Institute, will speak on the holiness and life of Mother Teresa. Jonathan Reyes of the Knights of Columbus will moderate a panel discussion on the saint’s impact on the new evangelization.
“The impact of Mother Teresa of Calcutta continues to grow, even 25 years after her death,” said Reverend Steven Payne, O.C.D., ordinary professor of historical and systematic theology, who will be one of the panelists speaking at the panel discussion at the symposium. “The new Mother Teresa Institute in Washington, D.C., will be a wonderful resource not only for researchers but for anyone wanting to be nourished by the life and message of this saint who inspired our world.”
On Sunday, Sept. 11, a noon Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, in the Basilica. Later that day, the institute will host a premiere of the new documentary “Mother Teresa: No Greater Love” at 2:30 p.m. at the St. John Paul II National Shrine. A holy hour led by the Missionaries of Charity Sisters will follow from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and conclude with Benediction by Bishop Emeritus Robert Harris of St. John, in New Brunswick, Canada.