By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor
Not every Diocese can honestly say a saint has visited and prayed with its Bishop, priests, religious and laity in its Mother Church. But on Sept. 4, when Pope Francis canonizes Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and its faithful will be able to do just that.
Many priests, deacons, religious and lay women and men from around the Diocese fondly recall June 18, 1995 – the grace-filled day when Mother Teresa and several Missionaries of Charity attended the 8 a.m. Mass celebrated by then-Bishop John C. Reiss in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.
“To witness Bishop Reiss inviting and welcoming the Missionaries of Charity to the Diocese of Trenton was quite an experience emotionally as well as spiritually,” recalled Msgr. James J. McGovern.
Msgr. McGovern, who is now retired, was pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, at the time of Mother’s visit and was among the many priests who concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Reiss.
Though Mother Teresa’s visit had been in the planning stages for months, the official announcement that her visit would occur came rather suddenly – a mere six days before she arrived – leaving little time to prepare, diocesan officials remembered. The short notice, however, did not deter the thousands of people who flocked to the Cathedral hoping to see the nun who dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor. More than 1,000 were packed into the Cathedral proper; hundreds watched the Mass on a closed-circuit TV in the Cathedral undercroft, and hundreds more stood outside and listened on the public address system.
Bringing Mother to Trenton
Though it was ultimately Bishop Reiss who extended the invitation for Mother Teresa to visit, there were many people from the Diocese, Cathedral staff and the City of Trenton who worked behind the scenes to make the visit happen – smoothly, safely and most of all, prayerfully.
Among those who helped were Msgr. Leonard F. Troiano, who served as one of the masters of ceremonies, and Father Robert Tynski, who was director of vocations recruitment, at the time. Both had met Mother Teresa on several prior occasions.
The logistics of providing security for Mother Teresa was one area of concern that Msgr. Troiano, current vicar for planning, vividly recalls, recounting how a seat for Mother Teresa had been set aside in the sanctuary.
When Msgr. Troiano informed Mother Teresa about the seating arrangement before Mass, Mother Teresa responded that she wanted to sit with her sisters in the front pew. Though he told her that it was a precautionary measure requested by Bishop Reiss, Mother Teresa said “tell Bishop Reiss to come and see me.”
“She wasn’t about to change her mind,” Msgr. Troiano said with a smile, and Bishop Reiss “wasn’t about to tell Mother Teresa what to do.” Mother remained seated with her sisters.
For Msgr. Edward Arnister, meeting Mother Teresa was one of the “most exciting” events he ever experienced during his time as secretary and master of ceremonies for Bishop Reiss.
Msgr. Arnister, current pastor of St. Rose Parish, Belmar, specifically recalls when Mother Teresa and her sisters arrived at the Cathedral in a white mini-bus. They had just come from a Missionaries of Charity convent in Chester, Pa., where they had attended a profession of vows.
As Msgr. Arnister assisted Mother Teresa stepping off the bus, he remembered her being “tiny and frail.”
“She had such a beautiful face and smile,” he said as she gazed upon the throngs of people who surrounded the streets.
Msgr. Sam Sirianni, who was director of the diocesan Office of Worship and pastor of Holy Angels Parish, Hamilton, said Mother Teresa may have been frail but she had a firm handshake when he greeted her.
“She had a good grip,” he said, “and she looked right into my eyes.”
Msgr. Sirianni, who now serves as pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, recounted the number of young people who assisted with logistics and the respectfulness they showed. He especially remembered how moved the altar servers were when Mother Teresa made her way up the steps and entered the Cathedral.
“They had tears in their eyes,” he said. “It was moving to see someone who is living their faith in such a radical way.”
Prayers for Vocations and the Poor
Looking back, many remember the anticipation in the Cathedral as Mass was about to begin. Mother Teresa and her sisters were invited to participate in the entrance procession as the Diocesan Festival Choir and cantor, Donival Brown, led the congregation in singing “Christ, Be Our Light.”
Among those who served in various liturgical ministries during the Mass were Marianite of Holy Cross Sister Margaret Cronley from the diocesan Vocations Office, who proclaimed the First Reading; seminarian Pablo Gadenz proclaimed the Second Reading in Spanish, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Anne Fulwiler, director of the Office of Religious, read the Prayers of the Faithful.
A main focal point of Mother Teresa’s visit was to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, so it was arranged that 12 diocesan seminarians would attend the Mass. Together, they gathered in the front pew opposite Mother Teresa, giving Mother Teresa an opportunity to greet each seminarian.
In his homily, Bishop Reiss preached on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, which the universal Church celebrated that day, and on the need for vocations.
“Because the Eucharist is the center of our Catholic Church, it is also very necessary that we have the ministers of the Eucharist present,” he said. “That is the purpose of our gathering together and praying together for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.”
“We need to pray very seriously today and offer our prayers that the Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of young men to draw them to the priesthood and young ladies to the religious life.”
Addressing the vocation of the Missionaries of Charity, Bishop Reiss praised Mother Teresa and her sisters for their tireless efforts in working with the poor throughout the world.
“Mother’s presence is a sign here of the working of the Lord among the people. In our society, with so much stress on consumerism and materialism, it’s a marvel to find that there are persons who can put all of that aside and bring the love of Christ, the consolation of Christ, the inspiration of Christ to those who are suffering and those who are in most need,” said Bishop Reiss.
On behalf of the clergy, religious and laity of the Diocese, Bishop Reiss said, “We assure you of our prayers that your work may continue and your example will be an example of Christ’s love that will inspire us to try to emulate you and bring the Word of the Lord to everyone we meet.”
At the end of the Mass, Bishop Reiss asked Mother Teresa to send some of her sisters into the Diocese to establish an apostolate, which was eventually brought to fruition in 1999. In turn, Mother Teresa asked Bishop Reiss for a list of the priests and seminarians of the Diocese so her sisters could pray for them by name.
After Communion, Mother Teresa briefly addressed the congregation from the sanctuary and spoke about the work of her order.
“The aim of our congregation is to satiate the thirst of Jesus on the Cross for the love of souls by working for the salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor,” she said.
“We are fully consecrated in giving tender love to the sick, the dying, the crippled, the downhearted, the unloved.”
Along with the invitation to establish a residence, Bishop Reiss presented Mother Teresa with a 17-inch candle embedded with a Miraculous Medal. Inscribed near the bottom of the candle was “the Diocese of Trenton” and the date of her visit.
Another gift Bishop Reiss gave to Mother Teresa, at her request, was a list of the priests in the Diocese – which at the time included 264 diocesan, 50 religious priests and 12 seminarians – in order for the Missionaries of Charity to “adopt” them in prayer.
Msgr. McGovern recalled how Mother Teresa and the priests in attendance gathered in the Cathedral rectory, where she imparted a very special blessing upon the priests.
“What a truly humbling experience – to receive a blessing from this Servant of God,” he said. Though Mother Teresa was frail, “She was the power that was moving throughout the universal Church.”
Msgr. Arnister recalled Mother Teresa signing a picture of herself that was given to Bishop Reiss during the Mass and her speaking after Holy Communion.
“She spoke simply and beautifully,” he said. “She had a message of love, for us to be Christ to one another.”