A new documentary on Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta), produced by the Knights of Columbus, aims to show how her mission and spirit live on in the work of her order, the Missionaries of Charity.
"Mother Teresa: No Greater Love," directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker David Naglieri, was screened at the Vatican on September 2 and had its American premiere on September 11 at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington. On October 3 and 4, the film will be shown in approximately 900 theaters as part of Fathom Events' Saints series.
Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly explained to the audience that the film aims to reach a younger audience who may not be as familiar with the work of the Saint who died 25 years ago.
He also indicated that Pope Francis had praised the film in a letter.
The papal letter of August 25 states: "Thank you for promoting this type of initiative which helps, in a creative way, to make the zeal of evangelization accessible, especially for the younger generations who foster the desire to follow the Lord who loved us first."
The screening in Washington concluded a weekend of events dedicated to the Saint, including a special Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and the inauguration of the Mother Teresa Institute in Washington, designed "to preserve, protect, promote, and develop the authentic legacy of Saint Teresa of Calcutta for the Church and the world." The institute will offer resources to scholars and researchers.
During the Mass, which marked the 25th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington encouraged the faithful to consider the holy woman as a model and to "continue to fulfill what she left unfinished by serving and loving the poor."
"If we admire her work and her extraordinary example of love, simple admiration is not enough when it comes to Saints who inspire our lives," said Gregory. "Saint Teresa was a woman of astonishing abilities, and she used all the gifts God gave her for others. Her example must urge us all to imitate God's mercy by caring for those whose lives continue to be in danger."
The Cardinal noted that Mother Teresa "was not exempt from criticism in our contemporary world which always needs a way to find fault, even in the most generous and loving individuals."
"Saint Teresa herself would be the very first to recognize that there was so much more she could have and would have liked to do to care for God's poor," said Gregory. "Becoming a Saint does not mean a person did everything perfectly—simply that they did everything they did in a heroic and generous manner."
During a discussion about the new documentary after its screening, Naglieri said that the process of filming new interviews and searching for footage for the new documentary took 11 months and was "largely the work of the Holy Spirit."
The particular challenge was that there is not much archival footage of Mother Teresa available. She was not seeking personal publicity and only became famous when British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge made a documentary in 1969, "Something Beautiful for God," about Mother Teresa's work which began in 1948 in India to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the "poorest of the poor."
Public fascination with this practitioner of "radical poverty" grew instantly and built for the rest of her life. Mother Teresa, born in North Macedonia in 1910, later won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and was elevated to Sainthood by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016.
"We did not want to make a chronological biography," said Naglieri. The goal was rather to "show how her mission and spirit continue today."
Consequently, the documentary shows the Missionaries of Charity working with children and adults in Brazil, India, Kenya, and New York. The sisters are currently present in over 130 countries.
Sister Marie Bernice, a Missionary of Charity in the Bronx, New York, recounts in the film the story of Mother Teresa who, in the 1970s, encountered a gang-infested neighborhood in Chicago that quickly entered into legend.
She ordered the sisters: "Drive me now to the gate where they shoot at us."
"We couldn't believe it. As we walked toward the gate, all these buildings surrounding us, guns were aimed and kept shooting at us. Not a single bullet hit us. And when we reached the gate, this big man said to Mother Teresa:
'Mother, you cannot enter here. I have business to settle here.'"
"And Mother lowered her head. She looked at him and told him:
'I have business here too. Let's make a deal.'
The man was so shocked that Mother spoke that way. He said:
'You can come here, Mother. I cannot stop my business. But I will protect your sisters.'
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This article was originally published in English by CruxNow (Article Link). It is republished and translated with the author's permission.