I just got back from my yearly retreat. The retreat  was given by a Father Donald Haggerty from St Patricks in New York. He knew more about the spiritual life than anyone I have ever meet. He had given talks to Mother Theresa of C and her nuns many times, and not just in Calcutta but all over the world where the MC are. As well as giving retreats to Carmelites nuns etc.. 

Every talk it seemed  had gems from MT and St Therese. My attention was pricked when at the first talk he mention the Carmelite M in Buffalo, the first Carmel in the world named after St Therese, and it was founded by Fr Baker.

As you might know I did a novena to St Therese ending on Oct 1, her feast day. My intention was that I would be put in a parish where I would grow in Holiness and become a priest after the heart of Jesus.. As I was leaving the hospital for the last time a lady have me a vase of flowers with 2 pink roses. and my mass that morning was thanking St Therese for putting me in the place where she wanted me to be in my new assignment. My mass in my room that day, I read from the reflection from the magnificat.. Which was from St Therese on the day before she died. She wrote ‘Tomorrow I will begin a new life.’

When I went to visit the pastor at my new parish, last week.. His homily on the vigil of St Therese was all about St Therese.. As we are celebrating the 150 year of her birth. Sunday Oct 15 Pope Francis is writing a letter about this 150 anniversary, The pastor also talked about the first Carmel dedicated to St Therese in Buffalo. 

What also surprised me is that the Pastor told me he said ‘Welcome to Lackawanna the Home of Fr Baker.’ , not knowing my interest in Fr Baker. Deacon told me that on Monday he talked about ‘Fr Baker being a master evangelizer.’

This all seemed kinda curious. what are the odds. 

As you know might know I was in Calcutta the Summer of 92, and I walked up the stairs in the convent going to MT room, and meet her on the balcony, and asked her to pray 3 Hail Mary for my vocation. 2 weeks later, I called the chancery office from Calcutta and learned that I was accepted. MT had a role in my being accepted. 

I was packing my books into a huge boxes for my move on Thursday, small steps. And I came across this book that I had read “I Thirst. St Therese of Lisieux and Mother Theresa of Calcutta.’ This book is essentially the notes from retreat that I just got back from.

I think it is interesting that my first day at Holy Trinity is Oct 19. The day MT was beatified. Jacques Gauthier the author writes ‘In the midst of preparing the first pilgrimage, which was to end on Nov 2, 2003 with a session entitled ‘St Therese and the Communion of Saints’ news came that Mother Theresa would be beatified in Rome on Mission Sunday, Oct 19, 2003,  the same day, six years earlier, that St Therese of L had been proclaimed  a Doctor of the Church. I immediately made plans to include in the pilgrimage a trip to Rome for the beatification of M T who owed her name to St Therese. We would be going through Paris mainly to see the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the Church of ‘Our Lady of Victory.’ emphasis mine… churches which were important in the life of life of St Therese. ‘

This year we are celebrating the 150 year of St Therese birth, we are also celebrating next year the 150 anniversary of Fr Baker trip to Europe as a seminary where he devoted his life to Our Lady of Victory in Paris.

Last Summer I had the honor of being asked by a Sister Callisita, who was MT secretary. She came across the article about my summer in Calcutta and wanted to use my story for the MT center. I felt encourage when she wrote in a long letter.. she writes about the interviewer ‘ reminding Father about being inspired by St Therese when he ‘Fr Stefan ‘ about being inspired by St Therese when he shared about that holy daring story going up the stairs.’ 

What a confirmation.. being told by MT Secretary that it was St Therese that inspired me to go up the stairs in the convent in Calcutta to go to her room and ask M T to pray for my vocation. As providence would have MT was leaving her room so I didn’t need to knock on her door. 

In the interview I mention a dream that I just had where I saw St Therese become M T and roses were at M T feet. Sr Callistia wrote ‘I was struck so much by the dreams of Mother and Therese that Father had and also Mother ‘s maiden name: Gonxha means Rose Bud! Amazingly connected to St Therese. How much Mother shared about St Therese to us, helping us apply her little way teaching, her doing small things with extraordinary love. 

Then Sister shared ‘ Mother left us her last letter, written in the day of her death…. LDM Mother House 5th September, 1997.. September 10th is coming very close. This is a another beautiful chance to stand near to Our Lady that we can hear Jesus cry, ‘I Thirst.’…. and now I have heard that Jesus is giving us one more gift. This year, one hundred years after she went home to Jesus. Holy Father is declaring Little Flower to be a doctor of the Church. Can you imagine – for doing little things with great love for the Church us making her a doctor, like St Augustine and the big St. Theresa! it is just like Jesus said in the Gospel to the one who was seated in the lowest place, ‘Friend, come up higher.’ So let us keep very small and follow Little  Flowers’s way of trust and love and joy, and we will fulfill Mother’s promise to give saints to mother Church.’

St Therese, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Our Lady of Victory Fr Baker pray for us 

and pray for me, as I being my new assignment at Holy Trinity Oct 19 the day that M T was beautified.