Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven Traveling Around the World

Lord, let me be able to serve the world, Serving fellow countrymen in poverty and hunger. Let our hands give them their daily bread on this day Let us, through understanding love, Give peace and joy. --The favorite prayer of Peter, a volunteer of the Missionary Sisters of Charity, From: Hand of Pope Paul VI running around the world 10 years passed quickly. In 1960, the Missionary Sisters of Charity successfully passed the probationary period stipulated by canon law with its outstanding performance, and at the same time was allowed to establish a congregation anywhere in India except Calcutta.In other words, Mother Duran and her nuns can go to work in other cities and regions in India.In fact, before the trial period was over, the sisters received many sincere invitations. Many people hoped that the sisters and the nuns could go to work in their hometowns so that the poor there could also receive the same help and care.

Once she was allowed to work outside the parish, she was quickest to say yes to those ardent invitations.In the year 1960 alone, Mumu opened 25 asylums and 25 children's homes across India. At the founding of each new order, the nuns must understand their mission.This divine mission is based on the simple thought of Sister Delam: that every human being, no matter how ragged or miserable he may be, is God hidden behind a mask of pain.To show our love for God, we must show loving concern for everyone.When we pray, we believe; when we believe, we love; when we love, we serve.Only by serving Christ in the garb of poverty can we make God's love a living action.

That is to say, from this year, Sister Duran began her travels around the world. The so-called missionary means never-ending running.This kind of running for decades continued until her deathbed. With this kind of running, she went to heaven. From 1928 to 1960, Mumu had lived in India for more than 30 years.In these thirty years, she has never left India.And when she left India for the first time, the place she went to turned out to be Las Vegas, the casino city of the United States. The annual general meeting of the United Catholic Women's Federation of America was being held there, and Mother was invited to speak at the meeting. This was the first time that Mother gave a speech outside of India. Giving speeches and spreading the simple words of her faith to the masses until her death.

"I'm not begging people, I'm just telling them - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, I'm telling them, I'm here to give you a chance to do something good for the Lord," said Mumu. I just tell them and they automatically help." Then she went to Europe. During her short stay in Europe, she met her elder brother Lazar who had been away for many years. He called her by her nickname and hugged her very excitedly.Brother said: "Gong Sha, you look like a mother." After leaving Italy, Mum visited the Nazi prison in Dachau with Ms. Ellen Egan of the Catholic Relief Administration in New York.It's a totally dark visit.Everything in the prison made Mumu feel extremely shocked and painful: human beings can do such incredible things to their fellow man.After being released from prison, she has been silent.Ms Ellen Egan said later: "She felt very sad and prayed all the way."

But she took solace in her last stay in Europe, that is, visiting the Pope in the Vatican. The Pope warmly received the nun, who is small in stature but of great faith. The witty sister took the opportunity to make a request: that is, to ask the Missionary Sisters of Charity to become an international congregation under the direct jurisdiction of the Pope.Mumu said: "In this way, we can set up churches anywhere in the world to serve the poor." The Pope graciously accepted the mother's application, and he seemed unable to refuse any request made by this frail nun, as if there was a magical force pushing him.However, according to the laws of the church, for a local religious order to become an international religious order directly subordinate to the Pope and possessing apostolic authority, it must go through a lot of procedures, just like when the sister asked to work outside the monastery.This is also a long process, and she must wait patiently.

Then she returned to India. Missionary Brotherhood of Charity formed After returning to India, Mumu did not wait for the approval of the Vatican.She continued to open various service centers across India without stopping.A year later, in the spring of 1963, a male branch of the Missionary Sisters of Charity was officially established.Here it is: The Missionary Brotherhood of Charity. In fact, before this, some young men were already working with Mumu.That is to say, for a long time, not all girls followed Mumu, but also young men. The first ones who came to express their wishes to Mother and asked to join the Missionary Society of Charity were a student and a friend of Calcutta Theological Seminary.The young man said: "We should have come a long time ago. We have known about your deeds a long time ago, and we admire the sisters in white sari very much."

Mumu looked at the two young men carefully. They both had dark skin that is unique to Bengali people. Although they were more reserved, it could be seen that they were indeed sincere and trustworthy. So Mumu said, "Didn't God say it? All arrangements have a time. As long as it is for the Lord, everything must have its order, so the time is not a problem sooner or later." The young man asked, "So, nun, can we work from now on?" Mumu said happily: "Of course, the strength of sisters is limited. Many things are difficult to achieve with their abilities. From now on, they will use your strength to do more good things for the Lord."

In this way, the two young men began their careers serving the poor, mainly engaged in heavy physical work and taking care of male patients.before that.Carrying patients lying on the side of the road and unable to walk, as well as heavy physical work such as moving the remains, are all done by the nuns.And now, it can be borne by them. Soon after, the young man offered to rent an apartment in Jeddahpur, near the port of Calcutta, so that he could take care of the many poor men working in the port. Mumu immediately agreed.In fact, a long time ago, Mumu knew that there were many poor men without jobs and homeless staying in Jidapur, but due to lack of manpower, she was still unable to take care of it.Now, since the two young men are willing to take care of them, it is the best.

Soon, news of the two young men helping impoverished men in the port of Calcutta disappeared.It didn't take long for ten young people to gather in this small apartment, all of them eager to follow Mother Duran's example and dedicate their lives to the poor. The small apartment obviously couldn't accommodate 10 people, so they rented 3 rooms on the second floor, so they had a sanctuary dedicated to reading scriptures, praying and worshiping the Lord. In the spring of 1963, to be precise, on March 28, the Missionary Brotherhood of Charity was born in this small church. From then on, these young monks wore simple twill clothing and a simple wooden cross. Like the nuns, they walked through the streets of Jeddahpur and Calcutta, serving the poor among the poor.In their view, all the sufferings of the world are the dreary garments of Christ, and if they ignore the poor, they also abandon Christ.

However, Sister Delam does not take an all-inclusive attitude towards every follower.In the early 1970s, a young American named Francis found out through various channels that Mumu was in London. At that time, not many people knew about Mumu, so he came to London from New York.After finding Mumu, he immediately said that he would go to Calcutta with her to devote himself to helping the poor. Francis has long hair and looks like a typical hippie, but it can be seen that he is sincere .After listening to his statement, Mumu said: "Helping the poor is a sacred cause, but you don't have to go to India because of it. You have ideas and determination, but where is God's will? What is God giving you?" Where is the way pointed out? You must wait for the Lord to guide you."

So Francis left disappointed. At that time, Francis was at a loss, not knowing the meaning and value of life? So not long after, he ran from London to Rome and made a request to his mother again.But Mother still said, "You need to seek God's guidance." Francis asked, "So, how can I get God's guidance?" Mother said, "You must seek. You seek, and you will always Find it. When you find it, you'll know." Later, Francis finally found the guidance of the Lord - he became a monk in the Trappist Monastery of San Sisterhood in the southern United States.He then wrote a tearful letter to Mother Durham, telling her that he had found God's guidance. No matter in which era or culture, there will always be some people like this who are willing to give up all the wealth and luxuries of life in this world, and spend their whole lives in a place isolated from the world to find God's hope. purpose and meaning of life. In fact, Mumu has already seen that this is the path that Francis should obey.Although the Missionary Sisters of Charity followed a simple path of faith, it was not suitable for Francis. bearded priest from the jesuits One day a year later, a priest with a white beard came to Calcutta, but he did not go to No. 54, Lower Ring Road, the headquarters of the Missionary Sisters of Charity. Instead, he came directly to Jeddahpur. He told the young monks who came to meet him that he came from the Society of Jesus and came to learn about the work of the Missionaries of Charity.His name is Andre and he is Australian. The young monk looked at the man who claimed to be a Jesuit priest, and felt that he was not a priest, but a university professor full of knowledge. The monk asked: "Father Andrea, have you seen Mother Teresa?" The priest shook his head: "I haven't seen it yet, but I have admired the nun's name for a long time, and I know her deeds very well." The monk asked curiously: "You haven't even seen a nun, is it enough for you to know the work of our brotherhood?" The priest smiled and replied, "I'm sure you'll arrange for me to meet her, won't you? So I'm not in a hurry." The young monk shook his head puzzled.He thought, this man is probably not yet 40 years old, but the beard on his chin is all white, which is really strange.What is even more strange is that the first person who comes to visit the Missionaries of Charity should be Mother Teresa.But this man came to Jidapur. But the monk's doubts did not last long. On this day, the monk took Father Andre to a sanatorium in Jidapur.Except for a small number of critically ill patients who receive treatment and care in this sanatorium, the rest are leprosy patients. Therefore, when entering the gate of the sanatorium, the young monk felt that it was his duty to inform the priest in advance, so he Said: "Leprosy is a terrible disease, Father Andrey, do you know this disease?" The priest didn't speak, just nodded slightly.Then he went straight to the leprosy ward and immediately started helping the monks and nuns with the care of the sick. One of the nuns asked, "Where did this monk come from?" The young monk answered her quickly: "He is not a monk, he is Father Andrew of the Society of Jesus." The monks and nuns were all taken aback, and they couldn't help turning their eyes to Father Andre again.The priest stroked the white beard on his chin embarrassingly, and said, "Everyone, don't call me a priest, just call me a monk." What surprised the nuns even more was that Father Andre didn't seem to be afraid of leprosy patients at all, and he was very skilled in helping the nuns deal with the patients, just like a well-trained senior caregiver. At this moment, Sister Delam came to this sanatorium in Jidapur.She came to remodel a house. As soon as Father Andre saw Sister Mumu, he immediately held out his hands to hold her, and said: "Mother Teresa, I really saw you, I came to follow you, please allocate a monk's Work for me." After listening to Father Andre's self-introduction, Mumu felt very surprised and thought she had heard it wrong, so she looked at the priest who looked much younger than her for a while, and then asked puzzledly: "You mean, You want to come here to work as a monk?" Father Andre nodded affirmatively again and said, "Yes, nun." In the Catholic Church, it is not easy for a monk to be a priest.And if a priest wants to give up his status as a priest and start from a monk again, it will be even more difficult.Moreover, it is not an easy matter for a clergy member who has joined a certain order to transfer.Especially a priest must obtain the special permission of the Pope.What's more, Father Andre is from the famous and long-established Society of Jesus. Then, why did Father Andre do this—abandon his status as a priest of a famous religious order, and become an ordinary monk in the Missionary Brothers of Charity? Why did he do this? To this question, Father Andre gave a very simple answer. He said: "Sister, the reason why I voluntarily came to work with you is because the Lord has given me a will. I am sure I heard his voice." Mumu was taken aback, and even her heartbeat accelerated obviously.Because she had prayed to the Lord many times, hoping that he would send a priest of good character and learning to lead the Brotherhood of Missionary Charity.So, maybe this Father Andre from the Jesuits in front of you was sent by the Lord? So Mumu said, "Father, as long as it is the will of the Lord, I will absolutely obey it." The priest said happily, "Then, sister, you have promised me." Mumu said sincerely, "No, I'm the one who troubled you." In this way, from that day on, Father Andrea began to work in the Missionary Brothers of Charity. However, it was not until a year later, in 1965, that Father Andrea received special permission from the Pope to transfer from the Society of Jesus to the Fraternities of the Mission of Charity.From that day on, he was no longer called Father Andre, but Brother Andre.Sister Delam also appointed him as the head of the Missionary Brotherhood of Charity as quickly as possible. Since then, the first Missionary Brotherhood of Charity in the port area of ​​Calcutta, under the leadership of Brother Andrew, has carried out more works of love. Up to now, the cause of the Missionary Brotherhood of Charity has expanded to all over the world. From Los Angeles in the United States, Tokyo in Japan, to Hong Kong in China, Bogota and Medellín in Colombia, there are footprints of monks working, where monks help Alcoholics, drug addicts, victims of violence, and illegal immigrants who end up on the streets, as well as those with disabilities in need of care, have no right to splurge and waste. Before waiting for the approval from the Vatican to arrive, our beloved Mother Teresa was not idle for a minute, traveling everywhere, both to check the work of various religious orders, and to prepare for the founding of new orders: in order to save money , she tries to take the cheapest transportation method, but in many cases, she has to take the plane. Once, while waiting for the ticket to be checked at the airport ticket gate, Mrs. Delam had a whim: It would be nice if there was no money for the flight.So she walked over and said to the staff: "If you allow me to fly for free, I am willing to be your assistant or flight attendant on the plane." The staff laughed.They knew the famous nun.But they have no right to decide this matter. Later, the matter of Mother Duran's application for free flight was somehow heard by the Indian Prime Minister Nehru, and soon, the problem was solved in a peculiar way. On that day, a children's home in New Delhi, the capital of India, was established. Many distinguished guests came to the scene, including Indian Prime Minister Nehru.This surprised Mumu.Mumu said to Nehru: "Do you know the nature of our work? Do I need to introduce you?" Nehru replied, "No, Mom, I know all about it, that's why I'm here." Mumu smiled in relief.Nehru added: "Not only that. I also know that you will have to travel around, so I got you a free boarding pass with Air India." In this way, a sudden whim of Mumu turned into reality. And during the flight journey of Mother Durham, there have been many interesting stories, let us share a few of them. Anyone who is lucky enough to have lunch at a church run by the Missionary Society of Charity knows that the tissues, knives and forks on the table there are all printed with the logos of various airlines.Not only that, sometimes the lunch food provided by the congregation is exactly the same as the one on the plane. It turned out that these foods were brought back from the passenger plane at the international airport. The nuns reprocessed them and gave them to patients or guests. In Calcutta, Mumbai, New Delhi and other big cities, the nuns have to take them from the airport every day. Back to plenty of leftover fast food. Here's how things started: Once, Sister Delam returned to Calcutta from London by plane. Three hours after the plane took off, the stewardess delivered lunch. Sister Delam examined the lunch in front of her and found that it was much better than those served in hospices and children's homes. Food is much better.So she thought, "How wonderful it would be if poor children could have such a big lunch." While she was thinking this, the girl sitting next to her was asking the waiter to take away her lunch. "Have you eaten yet?" the waiter asked the girl. "Yes, I have." The girl replied But Mumu found that lunch was as if she had never eaten it.So she couldn't help asking the waiter: "What happened to that lunch? It seems that you haven't touched it. Excuse me, how do you usually deal with these things?" The waiter was surprised because no one ever paid attention to a leftover from someone else's lunch.But she still smiled and patiently answered Mumu: "When the plane lands, throw them all away." Throw them all away? "Mum was very surprised. The waiter replied more affirmatively: "Yes, throw them all away, which is what we usually do. Because these things are no longer useful." After hearing what the waiter said, Mumu suddenly felt sad, very sad. She thought, there are still many people in this world who not only don’t have lunch, but also don’t even have dinner. Most of them have never eaten such good food in their whole life.But here, it is thrown away as garbage.They will be very happy if I can bring these things back to them to eat.So Mumu said to the waiter: "Can you give me those things? Anyway, if you want to throw it away, just give it to me?" Mumu's words surprised the waiters and the passengers on the plane, and they all looked at her, but Mumu didn't care at all.The waiter smiled, and she said friendlyly: "Okay, please take it back. Besides, there are a lot of untouched lunches, you can take them back too." In this way, our beloved Sister Durham had a good harvest that day. She packed all the leftover lunch on the plane and carried it back in big bags. Sisters said to the nuns: "From now on, we will go to the airport Bring back those leftover lunches and feed them to the kids, so everyone can eat." It was a really fancy idea, but one that quickly gained support from various airports.In this way, in a whimsical way, Mumu has opened up a new food supply channel for her poor and children, and it is a rich channel. It seems that this idea of ​​Sister Delam is fresh and strange, like a sudden inspiration, but in fact, it is because there is such a simple idea in her heart.Mumu once said: "The resources in our world, especially food resources, are very limited. It belongs to all of us. No matter who you are, you have no right to squander and waste. Everyone has an obligation to make these limited better and more efficient use of resources.” Indeed, waste is also a sin, which I am afraid is ignored by us, especially now that our food is very abundant, but at the same time, our waste is also extremely alarming.In her long career traveling the world, not being able to buy a plane ticket has been a constant problem for Sister Durham, but every time someone shows up in time to help her out.Once, in Madrid, Spain, she urgently needed a ticket from Madrid to Zagreb via Zurich, because there was an important ceremony that night she had to attend.Time was running out and it seemed hopeless.At this moment, a Spanish young man working in a travel agency suddenly appeared. His name is Basca, and he is an admirer of Mumu, who has extraordinary admiration and love for her.So all the problems were solved.Baskar said that his travel agency can not only help Mumu solve the air ticket problem, but is also very happy to pay for all the travel expenses for Mumu, but there is one condition, that is: Mumu must leave some money for the staff of the travel agency who admires her. souvenir. This is of course no problem. So everyone gave Baskar the honor of driving Mumu to the airport. At the airport, when Baskar handed the ticket to Mumu, he suddenly asked, "Sister, you are the only one going to the airport." Is it an airplane?" Mum smiled happily and said, "No, we are usually three—Jesus, the guardian angel, and me." Pascal was very surprised. He said, "No way? Sister, you can use one ticket for three people?" There is also a little story. After listening to it, everyone will feel that although our beloved Sister Durham is regarded as a saint, she is also an ordinary person. The wit, intelligence and joy she showed in that matter, Let us feel that she is so real, simple, amiable and lovely. Once, Air India gave the Sisters of Missionary Charity 6 free air tickets out of goodwill.When Mother Delam got the ticket, she was very happy.It turned out that the free ticket did not indicate the upper limit of luggage, but only said "6 nuns and their luggage", and under normal circumstances, a ticket can only carry 20 kilograms of luggage.So Mumu felt that there was an opportunity to use the airline to do good for the poor.In other words, they can carry items that exceed the specified weight, and the airport staff will have nothing to say. Therefore, six nuns moved 1,000-pound cloth bags and cardboard boxes to the airport check-in desk. The airport attendant was really surprised because they had never encountered such a situation.However, in addition to letting go, they cannot have other options. Afterwards, Sister Delam said: "So, we gave these six nuns medicine, blankets, food, and everything we needed in relief work. Think about it, when the nuns moved What is the expression of those customs officers when the huge luggage is going through the customs? All the belongings are passed through, and no one can stop them. This is the benefit of extreme poverty and complete dependence on the Lord, and you don’t have to pay for anything.” When Sister Delam said these words, she looked proud, like a child who took advantage and was complacent. When Mumu travels alone, she often puts the things she carries in a paper bag and ties it up carelessly with a rope, which is regarded as luggage. In India, this kind of paper bag is usually used by the poor. a package, Once, in Rome, Sister Delam still bundled things casually in a paper bag as before. The difference was that this time, there was a precious chalice in the paper bag. It was a gift from the French Bishops' Conference. When the paper bag tied so-so with rope appeared among other leather goods and luxurious packages, the staff responsible for sorting luggage recognized this special paper bag at a glance.He took out the paper bag and handed it to Mumu respectfully. Then, he kissed Mumu's hand and said, "This is the respect you deserve, and you should have more." No matter which country Mumu shows up at the airport, there will always be some people who will recognize her, some will take a photo with her, some will ask for her autograph, some will ask her for a photo, and even more Applause to her.But Mumu always smiled modestly and put her hands on her head to salute everyone. Another time, Sister Delam even went to the United States to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Detroit chapter with a straw basket.The co-workers who came to greet her couldn't help crying when they saw her stepping off the plane with a straw basket.It was June 1979, just over five months after she won the Nobel Peace Prize. The co-worker later said: "Only from a human point of view, we cannot understand Mother Durham. She is a miracle God has placed before our eyes, a blazing testimony of God's love for mankind. She said to me:' The gift I can give you is my nuns, and you must guard their holy poverty.' At that time, I strongly felt the radiance of 'Jesus presence' radiating from her. Her sincerity and modesty made Even when we meet her for the first time, we can experience an indescribable inner joy."