Shortly after Mother Teresa’s death in 1997, our +Sister Mary Charles wrote an icon showing her in the fullness of her mercy as an elderly nun tenderly holding a baby. In the traditional style of icons, she placed a halo around Mother Teresa’s head, recognizing the popular sentiment that she was surely a saint. However, the halo could be deemed inappropriate so soon after death. The long canonization process, which includes waiting for two miracles that give witness to the saint’s intercession for the needs of people on earth, must come first.
Earlier this year, the Vatican announced that (then) Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata would be canonized on September 4, 2016. At our monastery, we celebrated by displaying a print of this icon written nearly 20 years ago. Just as +Sister Mary Charles knew in her heart, this holy woman is now universally recognized as a saint.
The original of this icon is kept at Conception Abbey, Conception, MO.