By Deacon Sarfaraz Pinto, Marriage Tribunal, Archdiocese of Toronto

My aunt was a retired nun with the Sisters of Charity in Calcutta. On our annual vacation to Bombay in December of 1989, my wife Luiza and I decided to visit her as she wasn’t in good health.

In Calcutta for the first time and having heard so much about the charitable work of Mother Theresa, we thought our trip would not be complete without a visit to the Missionaries of Charity house. So when our hosts asked us if we had any places in mind to visit, our only request was to go to Mother Theresa’s Ashram.

Mother wasn’t in the house when we arrived, but showed up a short while later. We were surprised to hear her speak fluent Bengali to a man who presented her with a donation. What touched us most was her simple, unassuming demeanor. She came up to us, we exchanged a few pleasantries, posed with us for a photograph and blessed our 10-month old daughter, Froila. Mother was well known internationally at that time, but little did we know or think how privileged we were to spend a few minutes with a saint-to-be.

We thank the Lord for this opportunity and pray that Saint Theresa of Calcutta continues to intercede for us.