By Mary Morrell | Correspondent
Twenty-one years ago, a diminutive nun, a living saint, stood in the sanctuary of St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, and asked 12 seminarians of the Diocese to pray for her.
“I remember with gratitude Mother Teresa’s visit to the Cathedral,” said Father Pablo Gadenz, associate professor of Biblical Studies, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange.
Praying for vocations was one of the reasons for Mother Teresa’s visit to the Diocese on June 18, 1995.
“At the time, I was a seminarian preparing for the priesthood,” Father Gadenz remembers. “During her visit, she greeted all the seminarians of the Diocese and gave each of us a Miraculous Medal of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which I wore around my neck for a number of years before inadvertently losing it.”
Father William Lago, pastor, St. Denis Parish, Manasquan, almost missed the soon-to-be saint. “Father Chuck [Schwartz], one of my classmates, called to tell me Mother Teresa was coming. I told him I couldn’t go because I had parish responsibilities. But Father Chuck insisted, ‘You have to go. It’s for vocations.’
“I went at his urging and was surprised to find that we would be seated in the front row. We knelt with our hands folded, and she came and prayed with each of us briefly, holding our hands. I remember her words, ‘God bless you.’ Then she asked us to pray for her and her sisters. It was very striking,” he said.
For Father Charles Schwartz, pastor of St. Dorothea Parish, Eatontown, the prospect of seeing Mother Teresa was very exciting. “She was, after all, a living saint. And to have a living saint praying for you, along with her sisters, was really rather exciting and, in some ways, humbling that with everything else they had to do, they would take the time to pray for us,” he said.
Mother Teresa had requested a list of all the priests and seminarians in the Diocese. The names were distributed among the Missionaries of Charity, who “adopted” them in prayer.
All for the Lord
Father Vicente Magdaraog, parochial vicar, St. Veronica Parish, Howell, was also in his pastoral year as a seminarian when he took his seat in the first pew of the Cathedral.
“We were told by the police not to touch Mother Teresa, but she came to us, shaking our hands,” he said, recalling the impact of the experience on his life as a priest.
“I was so amazed by what she did, serving the poor throughout the world through her extraordinary gifts and strong faith in the Lord,” he said.
“Every priest needs to have a stronger way of life and dedication to Christ. We learn from Mother Teresa that we need to go to difficult places and be Christ to others. To persevere, you must strengthen your prayer life and devotion to Mary,” he added.
The visit was also memorable for Father Michael Manning, pastor, Holy Cross Parish, Rumson, who recalled Mother Teresa’s compelling guidance for his vocation. “She greeted us one by one and shook hands. I expected her hand to be frail given her appearance, but it was strong. She looked at me and, when told I was a seminarian, said, ‘Do everything for Jesus.’
“I remembered what she said, but [at the time] was more impressed with all the crowds and the security. Years later in ministry, what she said began to take on more and more importance for me, and was the most important advice I got about priesthood. I preach about it sometimes, since everyone can use the focus on Jesus as the reason we act in charity toward others,” he said.
Mother Teresa frequently spoke about preaching as the first duty of a priest, and exhorted her Missionary of Charity priests to speak often about the need to focus on Jesus, highlighting Jesus’ words on the Cross, “I thirst,” and reminding the priests that Jesus thirsts powerfully for the love of God’s people, especially the poor.
Expansive Love
Though small in stature, a heart expanded by the love of Christ led Mother Teresa to establish Missionaries of Charity houses on almost every continent to serve the poorest of the poor around the world. Beginning with the original congregation established in 1950 in Calcutta, the Missionaries of Charity serve in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America.
Prior to Mother Teresa’s visit to the Diocese, it was at a home for women with AIDS run by the Missionaries of Charity in Chester, Pa., that Father Lago was first introduced to the order.
“A classmate who had a devotion to Mother Teresa took me to this home where we did painting and yard work. I saw there a great respect for the individual that was very formative for me as a seminarian,” said Father Lago, who also shared that following ordination, he sometimes celebrated Mass for the sisters in the Asbury Park convent.
“Wherever they are,” Father Lago said, “their joy is present, even in the midst of difficult situations. It’s very contagious. For me, their joy of commitment to God flows into their works of mercy. It’s pretty awesome.”
Looking forward to Mother Teresa’s canonization, Father Gadenz said, “Mother Teresa continues to be an inspiration to me and many others. Certainly, her prayers and the prayers of the Missionaries of Charity have supported me in my 20 years as a priest.
“After Mother Teresa’s death in 1997, devotion to her spread among the faithful,” he continued. “From time to time, I have asked her intercession, using the prayer found on her prayer cards. Moreover, her life of service to the poor remains a model for us, inspiring us to serve those in need and to live a life of simplicity and detachment.”
Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Middletown, was about to be ordained a transitional deacon when Mother Teresa visited the Diocese.
“What impressed me was her humility and the feeling that you were in the presence of a saint,” he said, calling the experience shaking her hand a cherished moment.
He emphasized that the soon-to-be saint’s legacy is beautiful in its simplicity.
“Mother called us back to an innocence just by living her life, which is highlighted in a similar way by Pope Francis calling us back to the basic message of ‘love your neighbor,’ and ‘love the poor.’”
“Being canonized by Pope Francis accentuates her whole life message,” he said.