In honor of Mother Teresa of Kolkata’s canonization Sunday, Saint Mary’s students reflected on the life of the saint, who visited the College in 1974.
According to a 1974 article in the South Bend Tribune, Mother Teresa came to both the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s campuses and gave a speech at O’Laughlin Auditorium. The Sisters of the Holy Cross and Fr. John J. Egan, then head of Notre Dame's pastoral institute on social ministry, sponsored her visit.
Ministry assistant for Le Mans Hall senior Helen Kovach said it is exciting to know that a saint from her lifetime visited campus.
“I’ve served Mass in [O’Laughlin], and it’s cool to know she was in there too,” Kovach said. “It’s like walking in the footsteps of a saint.”
Kovach said Mother Teresa was an inspiration for service.
“She’s an awesome new saint,” Kovach said. “A real inspiration for our time on how you can serve others.”
Junior Marta Thuente said she wished she was there when Mother Teresa visited because the recently canonized saint influenced Thuente's career choice.
“[I’m] kind of sad we missed out on it,” Thuente said. “Growing up I read a graphic novel about the life of Mother Teresa. Reading it inspired me to go into nursing.”
Senior Rachel Faircloth said it was great that Saint Mary’s has a connection with the newly canonized saint.
“She was an amazing woman and it’s awesome that someone who was canonized came to Saint Mary’s and has a connection to us,” Faircloth said.
Faircloth said Mother Teresa’s messages were not exclusive to Catholics.
“You don’t have to be Catholic to understand her teachings,” Faircloth said.
Senior Adrienne Bruggeman said Mother Teresa’s visit was good for the College because she was a living example of the teachings of the Catholic faith.
“It shaped the character of our college,” Bruggeman said.
Senior Margaret Davis said the visit was a positive experience for the College because Mother Teresa was a role model for faith by her small acts of service.
“I think being in an all women’s Catholic college, that she can come here and share her life experiences to be inspirational and show that ordinary people can do great things in the world,” Davis said. “She’s given me hope that I can do small daily things to help others.”
Junior Caroline Beecher said Mother Teresa had a large influence on the world.
“She had a big impact on people outside the faith as well as Catholics,” Beecher said.
