MOTHER TERESA: 2016'S SAINT OF MERCY

Mother Teresa In Manilla during The Visit Of Jean-Paul Ii In Manila, Philippines In February, 1981.

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From the Editor

A highlight of this issue is a tr ibute to Blessed Mother Teresa who will b e c a n o n i z e d o n December 17th this year. Truly she was, in her own words “…. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong to Jesus”. Following the recent launch o f the book 'Baker, Butcher, Doctor, Dip lomat ' by Selma Carvalho, we have a brief glimpse into the life o f a p i o n e e r G o a n woman who ventured into a remote part of Kenya i n t he ea r l y 1 9 0 0 s . O n e o f o u r articles in the last issue of FEMNET on dealing w i t h d e m e n t i a h a s prompted a reaction from our subscribers. We have a poem on old age and a brief look at the problems facing senior citizens in Goa, India.

We continue with our a p p e a l t o o u r subscribers and readers to keep up with the flow of mater ia l to keep FEMNET going from strength to strength.

The Editorial Team

FOUNDER

Sister Thecla Pereira (Goa, India)

INDEX

Mother Teresa: 2016's Saint of Mercy

A Goan Pioneer Woman in Kisii, Kenya

Plight of Senior Citizens in Goa

Old Age

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She neither condescended to, nor judged, those whom she helped. What generosity and what a magnanimous spirit in life! Is it really true we must let go of everything we possess if we truly want to grasp life's meaning? We invest our faith, our riches in life and in normal times in persons, or in banks. This saint to be invested her life in the most wonderful treasure, wonderful gift of all that is a life of giving to the poor of the poorest, that they may live and die in dignity.

Blessed are the resigned that go quietly and generously. There is a spark in the experience of sharing beautiful things with some else that

It's official: Blessed Mother Teresa will be canonized in 2016 on December 17. Pope Francis approved the second miracle attributed to her intercession. Fitt ingly, Mother Teresa's canonization will fall during the Jubilee of Mercy and being on the canonization “fast track” in less than two years after her death. She was a woman known for her magnanimous spirit. (The word magnanimous comes from the Latin word meaning Great Soul, or Great Spirit).

On September 4, Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Calcutta a Saint. She died in 1997, at age 87.

Mother Teresa declared, “By blood and origin, I am all Albanian. My citizenship is Indian. I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the whole world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to Jesus."

Mother Teresa has been this wonderful woman, a Great Soul and a Great Spirit. Mother Teresa appeared calmly and steadfastly in control with her faith in God, giving her powerful inner peace. She had the quality of “Grace”. Criticism did not bother her. Praise did not affect her either. For Mother Teresa to disappear quietly leaving nothing behind her but her good works is the finest legacy possible.

Mother Teresa chose her life; chose a life of giving beyond even that of most who share her religious vows. She gave her all. She chose to live her life greater than any material possessions she could have had. She stood tall in the eyes of God, elegant and beautiful; though she appeared hunched and shriveled. Radiant beauty shone as clearly in the aged, wrinkled face as from the young, smooth ones.

On September 4, Pope Francis will declare Blessed Teresa of Calcutta a Saint.

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Elsie and Mervyn Maciel (U.K.)

A GOAN PIONEER WOMAN IN KISII, KENYA

Mascarenhas died aged just 38, leaving his young widow to run the shop and look after their newborn baby. She was fortunate in that her brother-in-law, Joaquim was there to help; but following a bout of ill health, Joaquim decided to leave. Marcilia, with baby Alex, was now left to run the duka single-handedly. The lady was certainly made of 'sterner stuff'! She developed a tailoring business within the shop which was well patronized by the local Africans who referred to her as Bibi Maskini (the poor woman) or Mogina (Gusii

for Mother). Not only did she manage to educate her son Alex in the following year but later moved to Kisii boma (the Administrative headquarters), and invested her fortune in property. She owned several buildings not only in Kisii but also in Kisumu.

In his published memoirs, Capt. Richard Gethin refers to Mrs. Mascarenhas as “one of the wealthiest people in Nyanza Province”. She may well have been rich, but her wealth was acquired by sheer sweat and hard work.

We were privileged to meet her and enjoy her hospitality on many an occasion during our time in Kisii.

Her's is truly a Rags to Riches Story.

In the early 1900s, not many a young Goan lady would have wanted to live in a remote area of a Kenya district, but one such individual who ventured out into the interiors of Kenya was Marcilia Mascarenhas.

A newcomer to Africa and recently m a r r i e d i n G o a t o T h o m a s Mascarenhas, the couple travelled on foot from the railway terminus at Port Florence (now Kisumu), reaching their small duka (shop) at Riana village in South Nyanza in 1912. Thomas, and his polio-afflicted brother Joaquim Luis, had earlier started this small business in 1901. Capt. Gethin, a retired Army officer, who later opened a flour mill in the area, remembers meeting “the barefoot and poorly dressed Mrs. Mascarenhas” who offered him a cup of tea. He was very impressed by this pioneering Goan lady and sorry to leave her for the boma at Kisii.

The area where they operated in was far from safe, since there had been revolts by the Abagusii tribesmen against the British in 1904 and again in 1908. The last revolt claimed the lives of one hundred Abagusii (Kisii), two Police guards at Kisii, two Asian traders and eleven African porters. Undeterred, the Mascarenhas brothers went about their

business quietly.

After such an introduction to her new home, one can well imagine the many thoughts that must have flashed through the mind of this young bride.

During World War I, the small duka (shop) owned by the Mascarenhases was looted by a group of Jaluo and Abagusii tribesmen. Practically everything they had was stolen, but the couple soldiered on and in 1916 completely re-stocked the shop.

A ray of sunshine was to appear in 1921 with the arrival of their brand new son, Alex. Fate can be cruel at times and within a yea r o f A l ex ' s b i r th , Thomas

resides in everyone reaching out to the other, as she did. Hope to those who lived in hopeless conditions. There is no scarcity of big hearted persons; in fact they keep the world going, generating hope in a world that is piled high with evidence of

selfishness.

We, he re on earth for a little while, should l i v e a s y o u would wish to die. Live the th ree ' L . s ' - Live, Love, and Leave a Legacy. Mother Teresa has been an e x a m p l e o f being the light of this world and the salt of the earth through her generosity a n d b i g h e a r t e d n e s s even in death. W e t h i n k sometimes that

poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest of all poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. Mother Teresa throughout her life on earth and now even more fully in the Kingdom stands as a beacon of light reflecting the heart of God to those who seek Him, who seek signs of His nearness and care in the darkness of human suffering and sin.

Through her message, proclaimed, not as much with words as deeds, rich and poor alike have felt inexplicably drawn into the mercy and solace of God's tender embrace. Her life has truly become "something beautiful for God" and what is more, something beautiful from God. She is indeed a sign for this generation an incontrovertible sign that God still loves the world today.

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enables us to see deeply our own identity... Here there is a fire of love and generosity. She lives in the hearts of all of us who are touched by her kind generous love, by those who met her and heard of her. This is the hope that

Mother Teresa: 2016's Saint of Mercy - continued

Marcilia as a bride

Live the three 'L.s' - Live, Love, and Leave a Legacy

In her way of touching the feet of this helpless girl could this saint of our era, St Teresa of Calcutta be experiencing the joy of knowing she is touching the feet of Jesus? and yes in this child she sees the face of Jesus and so must we begin to see the face of Our Lord Jesus in the suffering helpless people.

Every year Florence trains the kids to perform at the Senior Citizens Home for the Aged at Christmas.

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Chari Kingsbury (Thika, Kenya)

OLD AGE

Florence Mendes (Goa, India)

A Counsellor in schools, a social activist, a Para Legal Volunteer and on Lol Adalat panels in the Courts. She has started a Voluntary Organisation by the name of Francine Martyres Memorial Crisis Counselling Centre, in memory of her young niece who succumbed to cancer in Canada. She helps victims of domestic violence, rape, child abuse, etc and mediates in marriage conflicts at various police stations. She also revived the local Village Child Committee of her village in Moira. As a Secretary, she is instrumental in helping to

make MOIRA a child friendly village.

PLIGHT OF SENIOR CITIZENS IN GOA

staff are rude, the inmates neglected, and one has to run from pillar to post to get admission for the elderly.

The Goa Government has started a senior citizens helpline 1091 and when called, the Police take immediate action against

any harassment meted out to them, under the Senior Citizens Act 2007.

Property matters have also made the younger generation so materialistic that even murders are committed. We have seen it in the latest news wherein a father shot his father over a property dispute and last month, his son too shot his father. What I would like to say is that 'what goes around comes around'. KARMA !!!.

It is also sad to see that Goa does not have a home for the mentally i l l . T r a n s p a r e n c y a n d Accountability is a MUST! A reputed NGO must be appointed

to check on these Homes so that our seniors who have given us so much, make their last journey in a happy and peaceful manner.

For a long time, I felt the need to do something constructive about reaching out to the vulnerable sections of our society. I was inspired to go ahead and achieve my dream of helping people in distress. Since 1983, I have been doing just that and it pleases me with the numerous blessings I have received until today.

This article is about my experience with injustice meted out to our senior citizens in Goa. The sad plight of senior citizens is on the rise at an alarming rate in our beloved peaceful Goa (not so peaceful any more)! My heart breaks to see the forlorn dejected faces of the elderly, especially those in Homes for the Aged, many abandoned by their children. The plight of bedridden people is the worst.

Many of them have their children working abroad or staying in nuclear families and have no time for their parents. There are very many real life stories of parents waiting anxiously to see their children and to die a happy death.

Many Institutions have turned these Homes into lucrative business ventures and a good number of inmates have lost their personal jewelry, in addition to precious documents which had been placed in the safe custody of the person in charge of the Institution. Sadly, the age factor easily influences these seniors to get conned by some unscrupulous owners of these Homes. They are left at the mercies of those in charge of Institutions and suffer in silence as they are extremely scared to voice their discomforts due to the backlash from their carers.

Retirement Homes are the latest 'in' institutions but here too, the elderly are lonely living by themselves with no help in the event of a calamity. A year ago, a lady was vocal about the injustice meted out to her by one 'sister'. She was promptly asked to leave the Institution. She approached me and I helped her get justice. The grand lady was a fighter, her lawyer wrote to the authorities, the higher ups and filed a case at the Human Rights Council and she is now happy with the new management of the said Institution.

In Goa Provedoria (Public Assistance) started by the erstwhile Portuguese to help the poor with shelter and finance has now become just a secure Government job opportunity for the lucrative income received. Some of the

I have seen old age face to face…I mean up close and personal!

The shaking hand which no longer obeys the brain's commands

Feet refusing to support or move forward

The back no longer straight, humped forward or tilted

Internal organs which groan and complain – a constant recital of misery.

Yes, I have seen old age face to face

Uncompleted sentences, fragmented ideas

Mistiness and foggy paths thoughts must tread

Forgotten faces, names, and places

“Do I know you?”

I have seen old age up close and personal

The fear in the eyes as the body tries to shuffle ten steps, fearing the fall

The spark of anger in the fleeting lucid moment

Frustration at lost ability to do things once done facilely and with ease

Loneliness in the voice that says “Going so soon?”

Yes, I have seen old age face to face…up close and personal

And I recoil, want to run, flee the grasping claws of the specter - its ugliness

Fearful that this fate could be mine all too soon

Yet I cannot run, I cannot escape.

With tears obscuring my view, I grasp the shaking hand gently, stroking it to calmness

Lean closer and whisper through wispy, white hair “I love you Mom!”