Chennai: St Mother Teresa last visited Chennai in 1995 to dedicate the Annai Velankanni Church at Sastri Nagar in Vyasarpadi, says Fr Vincent Chinnadurai who has written a book on her.
“It was an unforgettable moment. She attended the service at the church after the dedication. She spent around three hours there. She blessed all the people who had approached her. Many of them are still thanking me for bringing Mother Teresa to the church, situated in a slum area,” said Chinnadurai after the release of his book — Bhoomiyin Devathai (Angel of the Earth) — at a function in Stella Maris College on Wednesday.
He said Mother Teresa had often uttered the words “I am thirsty,” echoing Jesus Christ’s words.
The priest said Mother Teresa had told the sisters at a convent in Royapuram where she stayed, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, I am an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”
Mother Teresa was fluent in five languages – Bengali, Albanian, Serbian, English, and Hindi, he said.
Chinnadurai said he had first met St Mother Teresa during his college days at Arul Anandar College in Karumathur in Madurai district. The meeting left a lasting impact on him, The Times of India reported.
He said, “Whoever had an opportunity to interact with Mother Teresa would definitely remember her simplicity. After I decided to write a book about Mother Teresa, I travelled a lot and collected data and rare photographs of her. I have included all these photographs in my book.”
Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras – Mylapore released the book, written in Tamil. Film director and producer S Lingusamy received the first copy.
Stella Maris College principal Jasintha Quadras presided over the function. Quaid-e-Millath Government College for Women principal Rasiya Parveen, Maruthi Builders Pyarealal Jain, Vasantha Bhavan managing director Ravi and actor and lyricist Joe Malluri participated.