The Rediff Special/Archbishop Henry D'Souza

'The Mother was a blessing to us all; and today we have lost it'

Calcutta's Archbishop Henry D'Souza, who conducted the funeral mass of Mother Teresa, describes the service, in a conversation with Bian Lobo.

Today was a really sad day for Calcutta. The Mother was a blessing to us all; and today we have lost that blessing.

There were a lot of expectations for the funeral, and for the past few days the people of Calcutta and those who had travelled from afar shared a wish to be part of the funeral. Today, right from the early hours, there were crowds in the streets... Even those who were involved with the service at 10.30 am were ahead of time by hours.

However, from a different perspective, it's difficult to say whether everyone felt that sense of loss.

There were many, many people from the charities, most poor people were crying saying, `What will happen to us now that Mother is gone?' They probably felt that they would go back to being destitutes after Mother died, or the support would not come in.

But a lot of people who were not directly involved with Mother, came mainly to revere her. They saw her as sacred, someone who had a sense of god and they thought just by touching or seeing her they would get this touch of godliness. I don't really think it was a feeling of loss as it was a chance to revere the Mother and gain something from just being in her presence. You can't even say that these people felt love for her, more a sense of awe.

My own feelings were those of sadness though. Mother was a tremendous being, an inspiration. But what was most amazing about her was her ability to recognise the face of god in other people, in the faces of the poor, the suffering, no matter how disfigured they were, or how they appeared to be... She only saw god in them. In this respect especially she was a great influence in my life. She helped change my perception of things, in her divine gift to reach out to people.

As far as the funeral service is concerned, the arrangements were very good. We managed to solve all the difficulties. At first we were worried about the rain (it was raining when we came) but it didn't get bad. Right from the traffic to the priests and nuns, and guests, everything went fine. Everyone was co-operative and we managed to please everyone.

I think the army was especially co-operative and helpful and they understood the need of the Catholic church and gave their best. It may have seemed that there weren't as many people as expected but that was only because of the tight security. Other than that, the streets were thronged with people. Everyone came to pay their respects.

I was placed at the gate to greet all the dignitaries, the princesses, politicians, queens but I didn't actually have a chance to interact with any of them. It was more hospitality. But they showed a lot of love and respect for Mother. Some of them touched Mother's hand, others touched the coffin, or made the sign of the cross and you could just see the warmth exuding. It was beautiful.

Apart from the liturgy, what touched everyone and me in particular was the testimonies given by the different religious leaders and representatives. It related Mother and religions of all kind which was touching. I was liked the fact that people from far and wide, of big and small nations, all came together, through mother. It brought about a feeling of unity. But while Mother was a beautiful person, it wasn't her that was the common element for these people, it was the poor. And Mother's love for the poor was what brought these people together to revere and respect her.

After the funeral service we had another, more private service at Mother House which was where she was buried. It was attended by the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, co-workers and close friends, people who had a special link with her and her work. There must have been about 150 to 200 people there, but the nuns themselves were a large number. The service was held in the refectory which is as big as the chapel, where a grave four feet deep had been dug. It is in this refectory that Mother Teresa was laid to rest. This place will later become the chapel, or perhaps an altar will be built under which the Mother will lie.

The decision was made to bury Mother Teresa at the house because Calcutta's cemetery is no longer safe from vandalism. We used to have beautiful graves, built in marble, with paintings and all but these have been broken, dug up and stolen, wrecked by vandals. We tend to have a lot of that in Calcutta because people do not understand the sacred meaning that graves have for us.

The Christian sentiments of a grave is not appreciated, you often find people playing cards on the graves, chipping off bits of the tiles. How can we allow that to happen to Mother's grave? We have raised walls and tried all sorts of measures to prevent such vandalism but it has been no use. Hence, the decision to bury her in the house.

The thing I remember most about Mother Teresa is that she was a great optimist. She never saw a problem as a problem; she always saw it as a challenge given to her by God, something he was asking of her.

I guess my first meeting with Mother is most dear to me. I first came in contact with her in 1971 when the Bangladeshis were entering Calcutta. All of a sudden, the city was full of them and these poor people were living in the most horrid conditions. There was no shelter -- they were living in slums with no ceilings, or fans, no lights, no proper conditions for a human. I went to speak to Mother and she suggested we approach the army chief.

When we met him he asked her what he could do for her and she said, 'You have such a beautiful place right here. I would like to bring those people to live here and make use of this land.' Of course, he said this was not possible. So she persisted and then suggested that his men help clear the place and build some sort of shelter for these people. The men obliged and helped us a great deal and soon we managed to do something for the Bangladeshis. But this was the most admirable quality about her, the fact that she overcame any obstacle. She remained undaunted by the what seemed the most difficult circumstances.

From her I learnt about seeing difficulties as challenges, I started viewing things in a different light but she made all this possible only because of her closeness to god.

Mother said, 'If you can't recognise god in your own heart, unless you can forget yourself and find god within you, you can never feel that thirst for Jesus and you can never love as he loved.'

I don't know whether people will still give donations or if money will still come easy to the sisters. If those who have been contributing towards their work decide to stop, then they will. I can't imagine what the situation will be. But what I do know is that on the part of the sisters, they will do anything for the poor and destitute.

If the money doesn't come easily they will even beg if they have to feed the poor and themselves. But what they will deal out in abundance, as they have always done, is love. And the harder things get, the more they will give of themselves because that's what Mother has taught them. They will continue what Mother started and keep looking after the people. Mother had always told them that if they really love and work for the people then things will come naturally to them. So they will keep giving of themselves without worrying about money.

The memory that Mother leaves with us and the world is one of compassion, of a unique closeness to god, not by sitting in the chapel or being constantly in prayer, but from a closeness that came through finding god in the poor and suffering and reaching out to them. A memory of someone who did what she thought god wanted her to do. And for this, her memory will live on forever.

Mother Teresa taught her sisters and all of us something, a clue -- if you wish -- to the kind of life we need to lead. She said 'Unless you realise you are nothing, you cannot give of yourself, and more importantly.... give all the love you can or give nothing at all'.

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