For Such a Time as This
Honoring St. Teresa of Calcutta
Feast Day September 5
As part of the redecorating project For Such a Time as This, we will honor St. Teresa of Calcutta in two significant ways. Known familiarly as Mother Teresa, she visited the Sacred Heart of Jesus, now since 2014 the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, on June 12, 1995.
First we will honor St. Teresa of Calcutta by including her in the reimagined triumphal arch that is part of the redecorating and repainting of the Sanctuary, included in Phase One B. The image or icon will be created at Conrad Schmidt Studios in New Berlin, Wisconsin, and then applied to the triumphal arch and is based on a familiar likeness of Mother Teresa.
June 12, 1995
Mother Teresa's Visit to Sacred Heart
She once said, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.” By an act of Congress, she was granted Honorary Citizenship in the United States in 1996 (one of only 8 so honored, two of whom were granted it while still living – the other being Winston Churchill). On June 12, 1995, while visiting Atlanta for the opening of the gift of Grace House, (where her Sisters, to this day, minister to homeless women with HIV/AIDS within our parish boundaries), Mother Teresa attended Mass and spoke here at the Basilica. She is the patroness of World Youth Day and the Missionaries of Charity, intimately united to those for whom she had spent her life.
During her visit to Sacred Heart, Mother Teresa delivered beautiful, and memorable remarks from the lectern. It was noted in the Atlanta Journal the next day that she was “barely taller than the lectern she stood behind”. The plan is to include that lectern in the Adoration Chapel as well
Listen to the heartfelt and inspiring remarks below delivered by Mother Teresa during her visit to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12, 1995. Her words continue to resonate with our community, embodying her spirit of compassion and humility.
Mother Teresa's remarks
The Adoration Chapel
As an additional honor, the new Adoration Chapel, will be dedicated to St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. Peter Chanel Marist priest and martyr. While the final plans for the design of the Adoration Chapel, have yet to be finalized, they will pay visual homage to both Saints including oil paintings by parishioner Cathy Ehrler.
Design Highlights
Our new Adoration Chapel will honor St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. Peter Chanel with thoughtful design elements that reflect their legacies. The chapel will feature: