# Celebrating Saint Teresa of Calcutta
*2020-08-14*

> Bill Young reflects on Mother Teresa’s canonization in Rome, shares a favorite saying of hers, and offers prayers inspired by her life.

## A Holy Week in Rome

I’m back in South Florida after a wonderful pilgrimage to Rome. The highlight of the trip was the canonization of Mother Teresa, now Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The ceremony drew over a hundred thousand faithful, and the sun shone brightly on a day that was both beautiful and emotionally intense. My wife, despite feeling ill, stayed for the entire Mass and received communion—thank you, Lord, for giving her strength. Hearing Pope Francis speak in Italian was a moving experience; the language feels like a musical prayer to me.

## Friends and Fellow Pilgrims

I want to thank everyone who traveled with me from Domus Australia (our Rome group) and the many new friends I met—Father Terry, Sister Elizabeth, David, Timothy, Denise, and others who shared photos and prayers. You are all in my prayers, especially David, who is recovering. If you’d like to stay in touch, my email is w.r.young12@yahoo.com.

## A Saying of Saint Teresa

Father Terry gave me a beautiful quotation from Saint Teresa that I’d like to share:

“God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. He is the friend of silence. Look at nature—trees, flowers, grass—they grow in silence. The stars, the moon, the sun move in silence. We need silence to touch souls.”

I’ll try to meditate on this today and let the silence draw me closer to God.

## Prayer Inspired by Saint Teresa

Let us pray together:

God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. He still loves the world and calls us to be His love and compassion to the poor. Amen.

## Looking Ahead

Tomorrow I’ll share my impressions of a day‑trip to Assisi, where I visited the basilicas of Saint Francis and Saint Clare. I hope you’ll join me for that journey.

*In the quiet of our hearts we encounter the love of God, just as Saint Teresa taught.*