Mother Teresa's Motherhouse

After walking all over central Kolkata, one of the places I did not want to miss was the Motherhouse, not far from there. Open at specific times to the public, because it is an active convent and a place of prayer and the home of the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, (it is not open on Thursdays, nor from noon til 3pm, and some holy days) I timed my trip to the address accordingly.

Jumping out of the taxi, I was greeted with a fairly nondescript building, with the entrance down an alleyway. There was a hopeful beggar eager to show me the clearly marked door, and ask for a tip....ahhh, India!

The Motherhouse actually warns you about the opportunists out the front, and have a sign advising that usually they ask that you take your shoes off to visit the House, but there have been thefts so they now urge you to keep them on.

The Motherhouse is a place of silence, so walking through the entrance and the courtyard in the middle is a reverent experience. Here, you can take in the several floors above where nuns are working, teaching, praying. You can also climb the stairs to peek into Mother Teresa's room, where she worked, slept, and died in 1997. Simple

There are two main features of the visit from the courtyard, one being the Museum, which chronicles Mother Teresa's life in pictures. The photos start with her childhood in Skopje with her parents, and then when she went off to join the Loreto Sisters when she was 18. As a Loreto girl myself, it was awe inspiring to see her in her familiar blue uniform, looking so young and bright-eyed...and remembering what an impact that girl made on the world in her life.

The Museum continues the story from Ireland to India, and her work setting up her missionary to help the poor of Kolkata. Forming a new religious order to help the "poorest of the poor", and the amazing journey that that was.

The other feature is the room that now houses Mother Teresa's tomb. A place of remembrance, reflection, meditation and prayer for many.

This was a really amazing visit, so inspirational about what one woman can do for the world.