The Letters (2014) Movie Script
1
(choir singing in foreign language)
(choir continues)
(chattering, faint)
(man speaking Italian)
A beam of light came from the picture.
I felt no pain.
The tumor was here.
(chuckles)
But it's gone.
MAN (on radio): The Canadian prime minister
visited Britain today
and, after a stop-off at Parliament,
had tea in the afternoon with the queen
at Buckingham Palace.
Tomorrow, he heads to Montreal.
In other news, the Vatican
has recognized as a miracle
the healing of a tumor in the abdomen
of an Indian Woman named Monica Besra
following the application of a locket
containing Mother Teresa's picture.
The spokesman in Rome said it was
the first of two verified miracles
needed before Mother Teresa
can be canonized a saint.
(speaking Italian)
This darkness she felt,
that she wrote about,
apparently began back in '48
about the time she began
her work with the poor.
It Went on for pretty much
the last 50 years of her life.
MAN: She had been working
with the poor for two years
when this picture was taken.
(clears throat)
The sadness of the work
had taken its toll on her-
an untold darkness,
loneliness,
a continual longing for God.
She had this feeling
that God had abandoned her.
And except for me and a few other priests-
and of course the Archbishop of Calcutta,
Ferdinand Prier-
no one knew about her feeling of isolation.
(clears throat)
Can I get you something, Ben?
No, no.
Not a thing, Father.
You see, What would pain me the most
was her feeling
that there was ho God in her.
That's the Way she would put it.
And she would say
her longing was so strong
that it felt to her like torture.
It seemed as if there was nothing
I could do to help her.
This picture was taken
Where Mother Teresa taught.
It was taken in 1946.
I keep it here because it reminds me
of Where it all began.
- Can I take a closer look?
- Sure.
(chuckles)
- And that's the school?
- Yes.
It has quite a history.
Can you tell me a little more
about the school
and the time that she was there?
Well, her years at Loreto teaching,
it was Wonderful years for her.
She would say
she loved teaching most of all.
Her life would later
be totally dedicated to the poor,
but she was first and foremost a teacher.
WOMAN:
People have been suffering.
And this starvation, hmm?
This starvation has brought thousands
of refugees onto the streets of our city.
Really, we are living through
one of the most turbulent times
in the history of Calcutta.
Shubashini.
My mother says she is
very, very frightened.
There are riots going on outside my house.
I feel safe here inside the convent walls,
but I'm really Worried
about my mother and my family.
Well, it's true
that these tensions have got worse
since India is preparing for independence.
This has created the violence,
but it is between the Hindus and Muslims.
It really has nothing to do
with your family.
I don't really think you have to worry.
But I'm still scared, Sister.
Well, try not to be, hmm?
This will all resolve itself soon,
we hope-we pray.
- (bell ringing)
- Right. We must finish.
Sister, do you have a minute?
Yes, Deepa.
(sighs)
Sister, aren't you worried?
No. Trust in God, Deepa.
He's watching over us.
Sister, but my father says
that the Christians in India are a minority
and anything can happen to them,
given what's been going on.
That's why my father wants me to stay here,
inside the walls of the convent grounds-
so that I'm safe here-
and not return home until all this is over.
Hmm. Well, he's quite right.
I agree with him.
You are safe here, hmm?
But if you have any more questions,
you can always talk to Father Van Exem.
- Hmm?
- Okay
In the meantime, try not to worry.
Hmm?
Sister.
Thank you.
Thank you, Sister.
(chattering)
Someone sick, Sister?
No.
Do you Want me
to take some food to their room?
No. I'll take care of it.
Thank you, Sister.
(loud chattering)
(chattering)
(shouts)
What are you doing out here, Sister?
It's hot safe for you to be out here.
These people are hungry, desperate.
You need to get back inside the convent.
But I Wanted to take
these people some food.
Yes, yes.
(shouts)
Sister, last week, for three clays,
Hindus and Muslims rampaged
through a neighborhood hot far from here.
They killed anyone they found
on the opposite side.
(shouts)
The troops had to restore order.
You cannot come out here again, Sister.
Do you understand?
You need to get back inside the convent.
Please pray that peace will be restored.
Yes, I will pray. Thank you.
Please, go to the convent, Sister.
Is everything all right, Sister?
Yes, Mother General.
I heard you Went outside
the convent this morning.
Yes.
Yes, I Wanted to give food
to a family that is hungry.
I'm sorry. I know I should not go outside.
When you returned,
you were troubled, I am told.
Are you sure you're all right?
Yes, thank you.
But to tell truth, Mother General,
I keep thinking about
those people out there.
I see them from my classroom window.
I Want to help.
But there are so many of them.
You can't help them all.
But we can help some.
I feel ashamed not at least to try.
They're very, very hungry.
They have nothing.
Our vocation is to teach young girls.
That is our calling, Sister.
My mother reminded me of my calling.
"Dearest daughter,
Do not forget you Went out there
to help the poor."
What are you saying, Sister Teresa?
I don't know.
I love teaching. I love being a nun.
But I must do something.
Surely God must love the poor
outside these walls
as much as he loves
privileged girls inside the walls.
I believe you're going on a retreat
in the next few days.
Yes.
I will ask God What I am to do.
(horn blows)
(man on speakers, faint)
I think I'll take this one.
Tell-Tell Mother General not to worry.
Have a restful retreat, Sister Teresa.
God be with you.
Thank you. God bless you.
(engine hissing)
(horn blowing)
VAN EXEM: It was on this train,
en route to Darjeeling,
that she had a life-changing moment.
She received What she took
as a message from God
to go serve the poorest of the poor
and live among them.
She referred to it
as the call Within a call-
to give up everything
and to follow him into the slums.
And she said she knew it was his will,
that she had to do it.
But it would have to be
the decision of the church.
MOTHER GENERAL: What do you mean
you heard the voice of God?
I heard a voice on the train.
It was not audible,
but was very clear, direct.
It told me that I must leave
the solace of the convent
and give my life to serve the poor,
to live among the poor.
It was a command
that I must follow Christ into the slums
and serve him by sewing
the poorest of the poor.
You seem to have forgotten the vows
you took as a cloistered nun, Sister.
Among the vows was poverty, chastity
and obedience.
Yes, I know, Mother General.
But I also know it is his will,
and I have to follow him.
It is a call Within a call.
I would like to apply for exclaustration.
This way, I can remain in Loreto order
and continue to live by my vows.
What I'm asking is permission
to work outside the walls.
You know very well that cloistered nuns
cannot go outside the walls.
You are the principal of our school.
The girls depend on you and love you.
They don't even mind when you are strict.
So, What are you saying?
Are you asking for permission
to be released from your duties?
Are you asking for permission
to be released from your vows?
No, no. I Want to remain a nun.
But all I'm asking is to be allowed
to Work with the poor. That is all.
Mother General,
there are people starving
right outside our door.
I see them every day from my window.
It is-
It is terrible sight.
How can we ignore that'?
Where is all this suddenly coming from?
Well, it's not so sudden.
Before I became a nun,
I Wanted to be a missionary.
I Wanted to go out
and give the life of Christ
to people in the missionary countries.
At that time,
when I was a girl in Skopje, Yugoslavia,
I read there were missionaries
who were going to India.
So, you see.
It was always What I Wanted to do-
to serve the poor
purely for the love of God.
And then,
on the train to Darjeeling,
the voice was very clear.
Clear.
I cannot ignore this.
I will speak to Archbishop Prier
about this,
and we'll see What he has to say about it.
If he agrees, then it's up to him
to take your request to the Vatican
when he visits next month.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mother General. Thank you.
MAN:
Your Eminence.
Violence in my quarter of Delhi
has become endemic
due to unjust social
structures and practices.
They need to be identified and abolished
to ensure lasting peace.
That's all I have, Your Eminence.
Thank you.
Your Eminence, there are a number of items
that I'd like to go over with you today,
but first I would like
to discuss the matter
concerning one of our nuns
of our Loreto order-
the principal
of the convent school Saint Mary's.
Her name is Sister Teresa,
and she is seeking permission
to go outside of the convent walls
to give help to the poor,
or as she calls it, serve the poor.
It is a matter that was
brought to my attention
by the convent's mother general.
Sister Teresa says that
she heard the voice of God
telling her to follow
Christ into the slums.
Has she said anything like this before?
No, Your Eminence.
She is one of the most respected
teachers at the school.
She just feels that she has to follow
the command of the voice she heard-
that of God.
She feels it is a second calling.
She would not question
ecclesiastical authority
and has been Waiting
Without complaint for me to speak to you
and get the Church's decision.
And she knows that nuns, once cloistered,
cannot be allowed to leave the convent?
Yes, Your Eminence, which is why
she's seeking exclaustration.
Have her write a letter
to the Holy Father.
Bring that letter to me.
She has already written a letter,
Your Eminence.
I have given my blessing,
and the mother general
gave her permission to write to Rome.
"To the Holy Father,
Pope Pius XII, Rome, Italy.
I have a vocation.
God has called me to give up all
and to surrender myself to him?
In the service
of the poorest of the poor in the slums.
Please allow me to be released from my vows
so that I may pursue my vocation.
Sister Teresa, Loreto, Entally,
Calcutta, India."
On this historic day,
India takes her place
as a free and independent nation.
Freedom-loving people everywhere
will wish to share in your celebration.
In this historic moment,
let us not forget all that India
owes Mahatma Gandhi.
(applauding)
- So, how was New Delhi?
- I got the story, got it to London.
But I have a feeling
this is Where the action's going to be.
I agree, especially with Gandhi here
and against partition.
(children singing in foreign language)
(continues)
(singing ends)
It's Gods will, Mother General.
I cannot ignore. I have to follow his will.
The archbishop took your letter
to the cardinal four months ago,
and there's no word back from Rome.
I believe the only Way for you
to go outside these walls
is to apply for a decree of secularization.
You mean
leave the order?
Well, if you are so keen to go
beyond these walls, then yes.
Yes, I do think it is the only Way.
I have lived here as a nun for 16 years.
Mother General, I-
Loreto order is my family.
I cannot just leave.
I cannot give up my life as a nun.
Then stop this foolishness.
You are a cloistered nun.
They are not going to
make an exception for you
and let you break your vows.
It's Gods will, Mother General,
not mine.
I will trust in God.
I will Wait to hear from Vatican,
and I will pray.
India and Pakistan have officially
joined the family of nations.
It's amazing.
I mean, India has finally been given
its independence from the Brits.
With that, its going
to bring about problems.
So you think India's going to suffer
under the burden of its birth
as a modern nation?
Absolutely.
You've already seen the consequences
of World War ll
and the aftermath of the '43 famine.
You can thank
the All India Congress Party for that one.
I guess What I'm trying to say, Graham,
you're gonna be in Calcutta for a While.
Hope you like India.
Sister.
- May I talk to you for a moment, please?
- Of course.
Laxmi told me that you're
going to be leaving us.
Where did she hear that?
Laxmi.
Tell her.
Are you really leaving, Sister?
If it's Gods will, child, yes.
But why would you Want to leave us?
(sighs)
When I was young girl,
I Went to Catholic school.
And we had very good priests
who were helping us children
to find our vocation.
And it was then that I realized
that I had the vocation to serve the poor.
This was 1922. I was 12 years old.
And I Wanted to become missionary
and go out and spread the word of Christ.
But, instead, I became nun.
I became teacher.
And now I'm here with you girls,
who I love.
- Now time for bed. Hmm?
- Hmm.
Go to sleep then.
Don't worry.
I doubt I will be leaving
for very long time.
(chuckles)
(claps twice)
(chuckles)
(men shouting in distance)
(shouting grows louder)
(crying)
Hmm.
- Take a letter, please.
- Yes, Your Eminence.
To Sister M. Teresa
of the Loreto order, Calcutta.
The Holy Father, Pope Pius XII,
through the Sacred Congregation
for the Religious,
has granted you permission-
"...to leave Loreto
and begin your new mission.
You have been granted
the indult of exclaustration
authorizing you to stay outside
the Loreto convent
for one year or less,
if a shorter period is sufficient.
You may keep your religious vows
as a Loreto nun
under the authority of Archbishop Prier."
Congratulations, Sister Teresa.
Thank you.
(kisses)
It's Gods will, not mine.
MAN: Our main focus here
at the Medical Mission Sisters
is to administer medical services
to the poor.
We provide a healing presence
to those in need.
The patient we're going to see now
is extremely ill.
He has open sores
that are infected and festering.
You'll see a lot of this
in the slums of Moti Jihl
when you get back to Calcutta.
In oases like this,
their own families won't take care of them,
so they bring them here to us.
(quiet gasping)
The Medical Mission Sisters have a tradition
of taking care of patients like this.
Are you okay, Mary Teresa?
Let's go outside and get some air.
Please.
It's not a pleasant sight, I know,
and can be very shocking.
But you'll get used to it.
Before long,
you'll be washing those sores yourself-
- Yes.
- And thinking nothing of it.
Yes, I know.
I'm so sorry, Doctor. Very, very sorry.
Maybe we should
slow your training clown a little.
No, no. No.
Please, I will manage.
I have much to learn
before I return to Calcutta.
You're a nun, but you don't Wear a habit.
And you aren't called "Sister."
No, I'm Mary Teresa now.
I Wear chira because it's important for me
to mix with people, to be accepted.
Are you ready to go back inside?
Mmm. Yes, yes.
- Yes.
- Right, let's go back to work.
You'll want to make sure your hands
are clean when you prepare the wound.
You take gauze, dip it in sterile saline
or sterile saltwater,
and then you wring it out.
You put the gauze in the wound,
pack the wound
and then you cover it with a gauze square.
And then you Wrap it up with a gauze roll.
- You see?
- Yes, Doctor.
This patient has an infection
in his abdomen.
It requires antibiotics.
We need to give him
an injection of penicillin into his arm.
Sister Margaret.
First thing we do is we
get all the air out.
Then we clean him with alcohol and gauze.
And then very gently inject
the needle into his arm
and push very slowly.
And when we're done, as we pull it out,
we hold the injection site.
Yes, Doctor.
VAN EXEM: There was no doubt
that she had found her calling.
Dr. Ahmed tried to make her tougher,
but there was no way she was
going to lose her compassion.
And when she had completed
her medical training,
she headed back to Calcutta
and to the Little Sisters of the Poor
at the convent of St. Joseph's,
Where she also stayed While looking
for a more permanent place to live.
Is it true that she entered the slums
with five rupees in her pocket?
Yes, that is also true.
Five rupees was the equivalent
of, say, one English pound at the time
or an American dollar.
Makes you wonder Where she got the courage.
VAN EXEM: On the first day
she entered the slums,
she took with her Veronica Games,
a sodality member
of the parish of Santa Teresa.
That was the church she had been attending
since returning to Calcutta from Patna.
Veronica took her around Moti Jihl,
the poorest, wretchedest
quarter of the city.
It's the section which began
just outside Loreto.
And they first stopped at Taltala,
another impoverished
neighborhood of Calcutta
where poor Catholics were known to live.
Though she expected it,
she was still shocked
at the extent of the poverty,
of the suffering.
She had with her no money
with which to help them otherwise.
So all she brought with her
that first day in the slums
was an abundance of love
in her heart and in her soul.
(insects buzzing)
No.
No, no, no.
This is dirty. No, you don't eat.
This will make you sick.
- What are you doing?
- Sick.
Who are you to take food from my child?
- No, I don't take-
- What are you doing here?
- What is going oh here?
- The Woman took food from our child.
- No.
- Who are you?
I'm Mary Teresa.
- (Speaking Bengali)
- (Bengali)
your child to read and Write,
if you like.
- I don't Want money.
- No!
We do not Want you here.
We do not need your help.
We are Hindu.
And do not teach our children
about your god.
Leave.
Just a minute.
This is not a place for you,
a Christian teacher.
You don't belong here.
It's best for you to go.
I may not be Wanted here,
but I am needed.
TERESA:
Dear Father Van Exem,
I am beginning my work in the slums
while also looking for
a more permanent place to live.
I have walked and walked
until my legs ache.
I keep thinking about
how the poor must ache
in body and in soul
while looking for food, for help.
This work is far more difficult
than I had imagined it would be.
Never in all my life did I know
there was such suffering in the world
as I have seen here.
VAN EXEM:
It was only nine months after partition.
The British had relinquished
control of India
after nearly 200 years in power.
So any foreigner at that time
would have been viewed with suspicion
and would be identified
with the oppressors,
which the British were considered,
as well as occupiers.
So, for her to voluntarily
go into that world
and overcome that suspicion,
she had her work out out for her.
(chattering in Bengali)
No. Boys, boys, boys.
I don't have money.
I'm poor like you. Hmm?
Mm-hmm.
But I do have some food for you.
Wait.
(speaks Bengali)
Atal Babu. Please.
Atal Babu.
These children,
I could teach them to read and to Write.
Hmm?
Those are orphaned children.
There are many of them like that.
Go ahead, teach them to read if you like.
Thank you.
Atal Babu,
I'm not here to convert
anybody to my faith.
I'm only interested
to teach children to read, to write.
And to help.
To help people in What Way I can.
(shouting in Bengali)
You Want?
You Want? Come.
Come.
Here, here. Come, come, come.
Come.
You Want bread?
You Want?
I am Mary Teresa. I am teacher.
You boys, you ever been to school?
No?
You would like to go to school?
Yes?
Come, sit clown.
I will teach you alphabet.
You know What it is, alphabet, hmm?
A, B, C, D.
Come, sit.
I will teach you. We will learn.
So, here.
- "A."
- "A."
Good. "A."
BOTH: "A."
- "B."
- "B."
- "C."
- "C."
- "C."
- "C."
Good.
"A"
ALL:
"A"
"B."!
- "C."
Good. Number four is-
- "D."
- "D."
Very good!
We have now learned
first four letters of alphabet.
You Want to learn more?
Yes?
Come.
Come.
- "E."
- ALL:
- Very good.
- You Want to learn more?
- Yes.
Come. Come join.
Now we have
- "A"
- ALL: "A."
- "B"
- "B"
- "C."
- "C."
- "D."
- "D."
- "E."
- "E."
Good.
Now, you, which is this one?
-
- That's good.
You Want to learn more? Yes.
Come. Come.
- "F."
- "F."
- "F."
- "F."
Good. Now, all together, from beginning.
ALL:
A, B, C,
D, E, F, G,
H, I.
That's so good, everybody!
Clap. Clap!
Yes. Good. Good, good.
"But the crocodile could not convince him.
'At last, ' he thought,
'Somehow I must get the monkeys heart.'
So he then thought of a plan
and he swam very fast to the monkey.
- He reached the jungle tree and"-
- Atal is wrong.
She should not be here.
He should hot let her teach our children.
She will teach them about
her Christian god.
You will see.
What is she doing here?
Why did she come here?
A white woman?
"The crocodile could not convince her."
Come, we'll speak to Abu Atal about it.
You Want her to leave? You talk to Atal.
You want that Christian woman here'?
I have no problems with her.
They have nothing. We have nothing.
Maybe the Christian Woman
can give them something we don't have.
You will see!
She will teach them about her god.
That's why she's here.
(exclaims)
(speaks Bengali)
(exclaims)
"At last, ' he thought,
'somehow, I must get the monkeys heart.'
He then thought of a plan,
and he swam very fast to the monkey."
(child giggling)
You, Christian woman.
We do not Want you here. Leave our village.
You are here to convert our children
to your Christian god.
- Go home.
- No.
Go home.
I am not here to convert
your children to my faith.
This you must believe.
I am only here to help, to serve you
and to give your children
possibility for life.
- That's all.
- What are you doing, Kavitha? Huh?
What's happening here, Maharaj?
What are you doing?
This white Woman should go home.
She's stealing our children's souls.
She is here to help our children, Maharaj!
She has hot once
brought up her faith or her religion.
She only teaches them to read and Write.
I've been attending her class
every day with my daughter.
See?
She is evil.
She does not belong here.
Shes even managed to influence her
with her devilish ways.
Dinsha, go. Get Atal, quickly.
You Want this Christian Woman here?
- You Want this Christian Woman here?
- (grunts)
She will convert our children.
You'll see!
(shouts)
(speaks Bengali)
(Bengali)
(Bengali)
- Thank you.
- You're welcome, Sister.
I'm Ashwani, Dinsha's husband.
Oh. Ashwani.
Oh, good.
- Come, come.
- Yes.
TERESA:
Dear God,
I know you Want me to be a free nun
covered with the poverty of the cross.
But I have been experiencing doubt,
loneliness,
the temptation to return
to Loreto and convent life.
But, today, I learned an important lesson.
I went back to Loreto,
and I know I belong with the poor
Of free choice, my God,
and out of love for you,
I Want to remain with the poor
and do whatever be your holy will.
Fella, stop.
Sister?
Shubashini!
What-What are you doing here?
I've come to help you, Sister.
How did you know where to find me'?
I heard that you were
at St. Joseph's Convent,
so I Went there and met Veronica Gomes.
She said I'd find you here.
I brought some medical supplies.
I thought you might heed some.
Is it all right that I'm here?
(laughing)
Yes?
- Come, show me What you have brought me.
- Okay.
(baby crying)
(baby fussing)
Ah.
Thank God.
She's beautiful baby.
Yes, Sister, she is.
(laughs)
Shubashini, are you all right?
I'm all right.
Come. Let's go back in.
YOUNG VAN EXEM:
Dearest Sister M. Teresa,
I received your letter and can only imagine
how difficult it must be
to witness all the suffering
you are seeing each day.
The work you are doing
is being talked about in the city.
The officials at the municipality
have expressed their appreciation.
I have given thought to your need
to find a more permanent place to live.
I've spoken to Jesuit Father Julian Henry
who told me that he had suggested
you might live at Krishnagar,
but that your feeling was they might try
to make things easy for you
because you know most
of the nuns and teachers there
and it is your desire
to have no special treatment.
May I suggest that you go
see the Games brothers.
They are from Bangladesh,
but maintain a house here in the city
at 74 Creek Lane.
Talk to Nicholas.
He's a devout Christian
who might be able to help you.
You are very much missed
by the nuns and students at Loreto
who wish you the utmost success
in your mission.
May God be with you.
Yours devotedly in Christ,
Father C. Van Exem, SJ.
- Yes?
- You are Mr. Gomes?
- Yes.
- I am Mary Teresa.
Father Van Exem told me
you might be expecting me.
- Oh, yes. Come in, please.
- Thank you.
This Way.
I thought you would be wearing a habit.
I was told you were a nun.
I am a nun,
but I Wear a chira so I can mix in with
the people of Moti Jihl.
My work is with the poor.
That's What Father Van Exem told me.
What can I do for you?
I need a place to stay.
If you have something-
anything-I would be very grateful.
My brothers spend most
of their time in Bangladesh.
The upper floor is vacant.
I'm sure they wouldn't mind
if I let you use a room up there.
That's very, very kind of you, Mr. Gomes.
I'm very quiet person.
You would not even know I was here.
I leave very early in the morning.
Coming back, returning late in the evening.
I will be no trouble.
This is a room you could use,
if you like.
Oh.
I can bring in more furniture.
No, no, no. Thank you.
I think I would prefer
we move furniture out.
I need very little.
If it's acceptable with you,
I would just bring in a chair
and some packing crates.
These I can use for a desk and a table.
All right.
Sister, I'm afraid he's dying.
I know.
A little bit of Gods love.
That's all we can do.
Yes.
Help me to lift his head.
Yes.
(gasps)
Yes.
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
It's so sad.
The greatest suffering is to feel alone,
unwanted,
unloved.
But he's not alone now.
He's here with us.
TERESA:
Dear Father Van Exem,
Thank you so much for your
introduction to Mr. Games.
He is wonderful man
and is allowing me to stay in his house.
He says I can use the upper floor
as the first home for my charity.
Today, Father Bawens,
the parish priest at St. Teresa 's,
came by to bless the house,
and tears rolled and rolled.
I have been experiencing great loneliness.
After being at Loreto for so many years,
always surrounded by nuns and students,
I did not expect how alone
I would feel in my new life.
I wonder, how long will my heart suffer?
Pray for me.
Let me not draw back from the sacrifice
I have made of my free choice
and conviction.
- What is it, Sister?
- This letter is from Archbishop Prier.
If I'm not given permission for extension,
I'll have to go back to Loreto,
and we'll have to give up this work.
Read it.
"Holy See has granted you permission
to continue the work for three more years."
God.
Thanks God.
(men shouting)
(shouting in Bengali)
Sister! Sister, it's Kavitha.
She's having a baby, and
something is wrong.
Wait there.
(Crying, grunting)
Kavitha.
What are you doing here? Get out!
Maharaj, please. I asked her to come here.
She has training,
and Kavitha needs her help now.
Please let her. Please!
Please, Maharaj! Go out!
Go out!
Kavitha. Kavitha.
(groaning, grunting)
(screaming)
- It's breech baby. Breech baby.
- Sister.
(Kavitha Wailing)
(screaming)
(screaming continues)
Shh, shh, shh. Kavitha. Kavitha.
(Kavitha groaning)
(groaning stops)
- (baby crying)
- (cheering)
(Crying continues)
(fussing)
(chattering)
(no audible dialogue)
(horns honking)
MAN (on radio): US cruiser Milwaukee,
a 28-year-old four-stacker
comes home from lend-lease duty in Russia.
At anchor in Delaware Bay,
the warship is manned by a Russian crew
and is first of 31 fighting ships
leased to Russia during the war
that will be returned to the USA.
(phone ringing)
Hello?
Graham, I've got a story
you might Want to look into.
A nun is doing some interesting charity
work in the slums near Where you are.
Could make for a nice human interest story
when you get some time.
I'll look into it.
(clears throat)
So, What is it you girls
Wanted to talk to me about?
Mother General,
we've decided that we Want to be nuns.
That's Wonderful news.
Have you discussed this with your parents?
You think they would object?
Well, my mother has already objected.
Why?
Because she doesn't Want me
to work amongst the untouchables.
And why would you be working
amongst the untouchables?
Because, Mother General,
we want to work with Sister Teresa.
Yes.
I see.
I think I would listen to your mother.
- And What about your parents?
- I haven't told them yet.
Because?
Because they wouldn't approve.
I know What I Want to do.
I've already been helping Sister Teresa
in the evenings after school.
My parents Want me to study in Europe,
but I Want to stay here.
I Want to become a nun
and work with Sister Teresa.
Go home and talk to your parents,
and then come and talk to me.
Go.
- Thank you, Mother.
- Thank you.
(door closes)
VAN EXEM: Mother General
did not approve of their wanting to work
with Sister Teresa,
and she made her feelings known.
From the moment the two girls told her-
(Coughs)
Thank you.
That they Wanted to be nuns
and dedicate themselves
to the work of their former teacher,
a concern about other students
doing the same
began to worry Mother General.
And when Sister Teresa got wind of that,
she wrote me a letter.
This letter.
"Father, I am saddened
as I write this letter,
but you are my spiritual director,
so I must share it with you.
Mother General is afraid"-
that I am a danger
to the Loreto nuns and students.
Every means has been used
to not render any help to me.
She has forbidden them
to have anything to do with me.
(no audible dialogue)
But still the students come.
First, Shubashini Das,
then Deepa Ambereesh, then others.
Every time someone new comes,
there is anxiety at Loreto convent.
That is why I have made pro visions
for those who come
to study at home for the matric
and senior training.
With all they do
to prevent them from joining,
there are more and more girls
wanting to join.
Your Grace, the situation
with Sister Teresa
has gotten quite out of control.
Shes stealing our students,
Your Grace.
A total of 10 of them
have left Loreto to join her.
Did they graduate before leaving?
Some did, some did not.
Give me a number.
Eight of them graduated before joining her.
Two did not.
Well, you should encourage them to graduate
before they join her.
Other than that, I don't see a problem.
They would be throwing away their lives,
their education,
if they worked in places like the slums.
If they wish to become nuns,
they must join the Loreto order
and follow the strict vows that we all do
and the vocation of the order.
What is your opinion here, Celeste?
My opinion, Your Grace,
is that these girls are surrendering
themselves to God one by one
and voluntarily choosing
to serve God through service to the poor,
as Sister Teresa has.
I'm sure this is due in whole or in part
to the influence and training
they've received at Loreto.
What better Way for them to serve God
than to do so at the supervision
of the former headmistress, Sister Teresa?
What is it you would
have me do, Mother General?
The Vatican granted Sister Teresa
an extension
to the original time it had given her.
Your Grace, I would like you to see
that she does not get another extension
and that she be required
to return to Loreto.
No, put them here.
Bandage.
Good morning, Sister.
Oh, good morning, Mr. Gomes.
I see you've put this floor to good use.
Yes. Yes, we have.
Girls and I thank you.
You're a very, very kind, generous man
for letting us stay here.
You're most welcome, Sister.
This arrived yesterday.
I think it's for one of your girls.
Oh, it's for Deepa. Yes, thank you.
I'll make sure she gets it.
- Have a great day.
- Thank you.
- Let me show you.
- Yes, Sister.
(children laughing)
What are you going to do?
What can I do?
(sniffles)
They're my parents, no?
But doesn't it matter
that you want to stay here and be a nun?
No.
They Want me to study in England,
get married, have children,
make them grandparents.
My mother finds this caste system
we have in India acceptable.
But I don't, so she just doesn't understand
why I would Want to go into the slums
and work with the smaller caste people.
She just doesn't understand.
I think you should talk to Sister Teresa.
Talk to her?
She's in a meeting right now
with Father Van Exem.
Come on.
I admire your ambition, Sister,
but the last time the Vatican
approved a new congregation
was a hundred years ago.
I doubt you would stand a chance
of getting approval from the Holy See.
I would like to apply anyway, Father.
Are you not satisfied
with the three-year extension
you were given to continue your Work?
Yes, yes, Father, I'm very grateful.
But when the three years
is ended, What then?
Must I apply again for extension?
And What if they say no?
No, this work is too important to abandon,
and Mother General
is against What I'm doing.
I'm afraid this could have an effect.
They might refuse extension.
No, I have no choice.
I must apply for recognition
as a congregation.
I need to separate now from Loreto.
It's very clear.
How many of you are there?
Twelve. Twelve now, more coming.
The past 10 girls were from Loreto-
students I taught.
But then more came,
and we have doctors and nurses, volunteers.
They come twice a week.
Yes, the more the work spreads,
the more clear it becomes it is his will.
You know, in order to be recognized,
you would have to show cause
as to why a new order is necessary.
Yes, Father, I have been Working.
Here are documents.
And rights of constitutions.
It's a draft proposal.
Do you have a name for this order?
Yes, Father.
The Missionaries of Charity.
It seems well prepared.
I'll finish going through it,
then I'll get it to Archbishop Prier.
Thank you, Father.
Your Grace, she even has the city's
municipal cooperation behind her now.
And a reporter showed up at my office
and Wanted to know how he could get
an interview with her.
I think it's time we demand she return
to her duties as a Loreto nun.
Her applying for recognition
as a congregation is absurd.
Your Grace, she has told me she feels
a separation from Loreto is necessary.
Separation?
- Yes.
- Your Grace.
But What about her obligations,
her vows?
Shes requesting secularization,
an annulment of her vows.
Secularization?
Yes. She feels it's the only Way.
Exclaustration would allow her
to retain her vows as a Loreto nun
should she not succeed at What she's doing.
Secularization would rule that out.
She would not be allowed to return.
She's aware of that, Your Grace,
but she's confident that
this safeguard is not necessary.
Her inspiration, shes convinced,
is coming directly from God,
so, to her, there could be
no question of failure.
Leaving the door open at Loreto
is not necessary.
What's this?
It's her application
for recognition as a congregation.
All the documents are there,
including the rights of constitutions.
All right, I'll go through it.
If I find that everything is in order,
you can tell Sister Teresa
I'll pass it on to the Vatican.
- (murmuring prayer)
(knocking on door)
As it was-
(sighs)
What is it, Deepa?
Do you have a minute, Sister?
Yes, of course.
Come.
Sister, that letter that you gave me?
Hmm.
It was from my parents.
I thought so.
And they Want me to go home.
They think What I'm doing here
is throwing my life away.
And they're ashamed
that I'm working amongst those
who are shunned by the society.
Deepa,
your family is from higher caste.
You must have known this was possibility.
Yes, Sister, but it's so unfair.
This is Where I Want to be.
What do I do, Sister?
We pray.
We trust in God.
God will give us answer.
Hmm? Come.
Get some sleep. Try not to worry.
Hmm?
All will be well.
(sniffles)
Good night, Sister.
Good night.
(chattering)
Excuse me.
- Are you Sister Teresa?
- Yes.
My name is Graham Widdecombe.
I'm a reporter from London.
I'm in town doing a follow-up story
on post-partition India,
and I've been hearing a lot about you.
You're a newspaper reporter,
Mr. Widdecombe?
No, radio.
I'm not very interesting, but if you Want
to write a story, talk to the poor.
Yes, but it's your work that's being
talked about all over the city.
It's not my work, Mr. Widdecombe.
It's Gods work.
I'm just a pencil in Gods hand.
But, Sister, if you could
give me just a minute-
No time for talk, Mr. Widdecombe.
Lots to do.
"A pencil in Gods hand."
TERESA, CHILDREN:
Arabian Sea.
Good. And to east is Bay of Bengal.
ALL:
Bay of Bengal.
Very good. Now, who can tell me
Where on map is Calcutta?
Yes.
Very good!
Yes!
Make path. Make path.
What is it, Father? Something wrong?
No, Sister, there is nothing wrong.
We shall now erect their group
into a religious congregation.
We have with great care scrutinized
their Way of living and of working
and given diligent consideration
to the purpose they have in view.
This earnest examination
led us to the conclusion
that there is no other congregation
currently in existence
which answers the promise
which this new institute intends
and that, consequently, in erecting it
into a religious congregation
for the relief of so many
and in such dire need,
shall redound to the greater glory of God.
In consequence, we do,
by the present decree,
to the greater glory of God
and/or the promotion
in these parts of the kingdom
of truth, justice, peace
and charity of Christ the Savior,
erect and institute
a new religious congregation
which shall have for its name
the Congregation
of the Missionaries of Charity.
We Welcome your new order
to the Catholic dioceses of Calcutta,
Mother Teresa.
ALL:
We vow to care for the hungry,
the naked and the homeless,
the crippled, the blind, the lepers,
all those people who
feel unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout society,
people who have become a burden
to society and are shunned.
Giving Christ's love
in our spiritual work of mercy.
The night is dark
And I am far from home
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
Lead thou me on
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
Keep thou my feet
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
I do not ask to see
The distant scene
One step enough for me
VAN EXEM: Mother's belief in prayer
was the foundation of her faith.
She believed prayer was food for the soul
and, if you prayed deeply,
your prayer would be answered.
So, the call that she got on the train
in 1946
was now officially recognized
and confirmed by the church.
Yes.
And she was humbled,
seeing all that God had done.
Mother had been walking through
an impoverished neighborhood in Calcutta,
and she came upon a poor soul
who was dying in the street.
A poor Woman
who had been just left to die.
It was this incident that motivated her
to think of creating an official hospice.
- (chattering)
- (phone ringing)
Excuse me.
The health officer will see you now.
This way, please.
- (Speaks Bengali)
- (Bengali)
- Sit clown.
- Thank you.
So, Mother Teresa,
you've made quite an impression
on the authorities in the city
and I've been asked
to accommodate you in any way I can.
Thank you. Very kind.
We have a need for a facility
so we can bring the abandoned
who are dying on our streets in
so they can be allowed to die with dignity.
Do you know of such a place,
and can it be made available?
You mean a hospital?
No. No.
A place Where the destitute
who are left to die on our streets
can be brought in
and given a bed and food and cared for
and allowed to die
surrounded by loving people.
There are many on the streets.
The need is straightaway.
Yes, I see.
I see them myself every day.
If not a hospital,
What would it be then?
A home for the dying.
There is a place not very far from here
that might work for you.
Ifs a building in the precincts
of Kalighat Temple.
This is the building.
Is this something that would suit you?
I would like to see inside.
It's an abandoned Kali temple.
If you like it, perhaps I can arrange
for the city to let you use it.
I would be very grateful, thank you.
There is a dharmsala inside,
a place Where Hindus used to rest
after their worship of the Kali goddess.
I think it would give you the space
you need for many people.
This is perfect.
When will we know?
I'll bring it up in a meeting tomorrow
at the municipality.
I like that it was
a center of worship for Hindus.
Would you like to see the dharmsala?
Yes, please.
This Way.
This is the place Where people would rest
after they worshipped.
Is this something that would suit you?
Yes.
WOMAN:
Just think of Jesus.
Put your hand in his hand
and Walk along with him.
Walk ahead.
If you look back, you'll go back.
I'll miss you.
And I you.
I'm already homesick.
(knocking)
DEEPA:
Mother? ls everything all right?
- (knocking continues)
- Your light is on, and it's quite late.
Is everything all right, Mother?
Sister Gertrude, come.
I was going clown the hall,
and I saw there was light
coming out from your room.
I know you always
retire late, but its later than usual.
What happened?
Is everything all right?
My mother and my sister-
I was hoping they would
be able to come for a visit.
It's been 28 years since I've seen them.
But Albanian government
has refused permission
for them to leave the country.
I'm terribly sorry.
So, we have to be up early in the morning.
We must get some-some rest.
Good night. Yes.
And-
And we have much work to do.
We must be up very early in the morning.
- Are you going to be okay?
- Yes, yes.
We must get some rest now.
Go to bed.
Good night, Mother.
(door closes)
(men shouting)
Mother? Mother?
Hmm.
I don't know if you remember me.
I remember you, Mr. Widdecombe.
Yes. If you have a minute,
I'd like to have a word with you.
As you can see, Mr. Widdecombe,
we're very busy here today.
- It's not good time.
- But it would only take a few minutes.
There are so many people
interested in knowing more about you.
Mr. Widdecombe, it's not about me.
I'm just doing Gods work.
Yes, well, can we talk about
the work you're doing here then?
Well, What we are doing here
is setting up a home
Where people who are dying on the streets
can be brought in so they can die
with loving faces around them.
Wait. Mother Teresa,
if you would just hold up for a moment-
Mr. Widdecombe, getting interview with me
is waste of your time.
Hmm?
Look outside.
Come. Hmm?
The poor are everywhere.
Write about them.
That's the important story.
I'm just an instrument.
Yes, but the people Want to hear about you.
Are you going to change to television,
Mr. Widdecombe?
I hear it's very big in England now,
maybe going to take over radio.
That will never happen,
and I will never be a television reporter.
This is not good. Let's start again.
(angry chattering)
(engine starts)
VAN EXEM: Archbishop Prier and I
had been getting letters
from Mother Teresa.
And those letters
kept getting darker and darker,
revealing her spiritual darkness
was growing.
And getting news like What she had gotten
from the Albanian government
certainly didn't help.
But she seemed cheerful in her daily life
and tireless in her work.
But inside-
(sighs) inside she was experiencing
a terrible emptiness.
The feeling that she had been abandoned
by God.
Nathan, can you hear me?
We have a pretty bad connection.
I can hear you, Graham.
It's the Way it always is.
Okay, just say when.
Go ahead. Anytime.
This is a somewhat unusual story
from What you are used to me reporting,
as I am normally on assignment
as a war correspondent.
But here in Calcutta,
there is a growing awareness
of a Catholic nun who has been
doing charity work with the poor
that has caught the attention of everyone,
from the local municipal authorities here
to the Vatican in Rome.
Her name is Mother Teresa,
and she has a growing number of followers
in her new congregation
known as the Missionaries of Charity,
erected just two years ago
by the Catholic church.
Whats unusual about her is she won't
grant me or anyone else an interview,
believing that she is an instrument of God
and doing his work.
She refuses to take any form of credit.
To the locals in the poorest sections
of this city, she is a saint.
But to a certain segment
of the Hindu population here,
she has come under fire, if not threat,
as she has set up a home for the dying
in one of their abandoned temples,
housing given to her
by the local municipal authority.
- Mother, it's getting worse out there.
- I know.
But I don't really think
they'll do anything. Come.
But do you think we should get word out
to the municipal authority?
- (shouting in Bengali)
- (cheering)
How are you today'?
Why are you helping me?
(coughing)
I am Hindu.
Because in you, I see Jesus.
And I love you as God loves you.
Now lie clown.
(angry shouting)
You just keep Working.
Hmm?
Mother?
Mother, you can't go out there.
It's not safe for you.
Mother!
- I'm going to speak to them.
- No, Mother. Wait.
- Please wait.
- Mother.
Mother, please don't go outside.
We need to summon help.
I agree with Sister Agnes, Mother.
The situation outside
has got out of control.
We need to get some help.
Please don't go out. Please. Please.
(shouting continues)
(crowd quiets)
You are to leave this temple now!
(shouting resumes)
This is our temple, our sacred place!
You are desecrating it with your god!
Please. Please.
Municipal authority
told us that we could use this temple.
But if it is problem for you us being here,
you should talk to municipality.
This place is the holiest place for us!
- Hindus!
- (shouting)
You are not Welcome here!
What you are doing here?
You are Hindu!
There is death in there!
It is impure in there!
What's going on here?
This Christian woman,
she is to leave this temple how!
Silence! Quiet!
And why is she to leave?
She does not belong in our temple!
(shouts)
It is this Christian Woman
who is taking care of our dying.
If you took care
of those who are dying in our streets,
perhaps municipality would not
have given her our temple!
That does not matter!
She is to leave this temple now!
It is you who has to leave.
All of you, go home!
The health officer has given these people
this abandoned temple.
It is not a matter for you to decide.
You will leave immediately, or else I will
summon the municipal authority
and the commissioner of police!
Now go home!
Go!
VAN EXEM: Mother didn't have any more
trouble with the locals after that.
The incident marked the beginning
of a lifelong relationship with them
and her love for them.
Shankarsinh, could you
please help me to take-
Put it over there. It's so heavy.
Mother's-her trouble with
the locals might have ended,
but her spiritual suffering had not.
There are letters from her in this box
that give clear proof.
Of course, she would not show her sense of
loss to the young nuns in the order.
And it was Mother's wish
that no one read these letters.
She Wanted them destroyed.
But the darkness she lived with
was an essential element of who she was,
and her letters document
What she Went through.
You are the postulator
for her cause for sainthood, and I-
I want you to read these letters.
There is no stronger testimony
to her holiness,
to her worthiness of sainthood.
And should these letters
one day be made public,
many people who go through similar trials
will benefit from them.
I have been charged
with the task of postulator for the cause
of beatification and canonization
of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
In the years since I began my research,
I have gathered documents
and testimony which have led me
to a conclusion.
She possessed depths of holiness
far deeper than any of us
might have imagined.
As you know, I have been given letters.
Letters that she wrote
to her spiritual advisers,
among them Archbishop of Calcutta
Ferdinand Prier
and Father Celeste Van Exem,
her spiritual adviser.
The letters contain information
that document her worthiness
of canonization.
The reality of her life was this-
she suffered greatly,
stemming from her belief that
she had been abandoned by God.
Little was known about
her spiritual burdens
or her personal struggles
until these letters became available.
They reveal the spiritual turbulence
and intensity of her life and work
over a period of six decades.
As her order expanded
with permission from Pope Paul VI in 1965,
she took no credit for her accomplishments.
She did everything possible to divert
the attention she received to God,
insisting that the work she was doing
was his work, not hers.
Her contributions in caring
for the sick and dying
and the homeless
made her admired throughout the world.
(applause)
And though she was not one
to accept any awards,
she was named recipient
of the Nobel Peace Prize,
a ceremony which she agreed to attend
only after being persuaded
that it would call attention
to the world's poor.
I'm very happy to receive this award
in the name of the hungry,
the naked, the homeless,
the crippled, the blind,
the lepers
and all those people who feel unwanted,
unloved,
uncared for-
the throwaway of society.
And as we are gathered here together today
to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize,
I think it would be beautiful
to pray the prayer
of St. Francis of Assisi
which always surprises me very much.
We pray this prayer every day
after Holy Communion,
as it is very fitting for each one of us.
Lord,
make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred,
may I bring love.
Where there is wrong,
may I bring spirit of forgiveness.
Where there is discord,
may I bring harmony.
Where there is error,
may I bring truth.
Where there is doubt,
may I bring faith.
Where there is despair,
may I bring hope,
that Where there are shadows,
I may bring light,
that Where there is sadness,
I may bring joy.
Amen.
And, you know, I always wondered
if 400, 500 years ago,
when St. Francis of Assisi
composed this prayer,
that they had the same
difficulties as we have today
because it is very fitting for us also.
Thank you.
BEN:
During her life,
she became an icon of compassion
to people of all religions.
Her work gave voice to the poor
in a way that was never possible before.
Archbishop Perier believed
that her loneliness
and her feeling of abandonment
had its root in the mystery
of Jesus' mission.
The darkness she endured
was an essential element of her vocation,
and the letters she wrote
an important testimony to her legacy.
She requested the letters be destroyed,
fearing that, to quote her,
"When the beginning will be known, people
will think more of me
and less of Jesus."
To her, she was just a servant of God,
God using her nothingness
for his greatness.
Today my work is done.
I submit to you all of my findings,
all my documents and testimony
as we Wait for a second miracle.
Based on my findings, I must conclude
that I cannot imagine anyone
more worthy of canonization
than Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu,
Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
WOMAN:
And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long good-byes
I nearly do
Mmm, mmm
Oh.
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Yeah
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak
I understand'
Why you can 't raise your voice to say
Oh.
Ah-ah, ah-ah'
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah'
Ah-ah, ah-ah'
(vocalizing)
Yeah
Oh-Oh
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Oh-Oh
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak
I understand'
Why you can 't raise your voice to say
Ooh-hoo
(vocalizing)
(ends)
(man vocalizing)
(vocalizing continues)
(choir singing in foreign language)
(choir continues)
(chattering, faint)
(man speaking Italian)
A beam of light came from the picture.
I felt no pain.
The tumor was here.
(chuckles)
But it's gone.
MAN (on radio): The Canadian prime minister
visited Britain today
and, after a stop-off at Parliament,
had tea in the afternoon with the queen
at Buckingham Palace.
Tomorrow, he heads to Montreal.
In other news, the Vatican
has recognized as a miracle
the healing of a tumor in the abdomen
of an Indian Woman named Monica Besra
following the application of a locket
containing Mother Teresa's picture.
The spokesman in Rome said it was
the first of two verified miracles
needed before Mother Teresa
can be canonized a saint.
(speaking Italian)
This darkness she felt,
that she wrote about,
apparently began back in '48
about the time she began
her work with the poor.
It Went on for pretty much
the last 50 years of her life.
MAN: She had been working
with the poor for two years
when this picture was taken.
(clears throat)
The sadness of the work
had taken its toll on her-
an untold darkness,
loneliness,
a continual longing for God.
She had this feeling
that God had abandoned her.
And except for me and a few other priests-
and of course the Archbishop of Calcutta,
Ferdinand Prier-
no one knew about her feeling of isolation.
(clears throat)
Can I get you something, Ben?
No, no.
Not a thing, Father.
You see, What would pain me the most
was her feeling
that there was ho God in her.
That's the Way she would put it.
And she would say
her longing was so strong
that it felt to her like torture.
It seemed as if there was nothing
I could do to help her.
This picture was taken
Where Mother Teresa taught.
It was taken in 1946.
I keep it here because it reminds me
of Where it all began.
- Can I take a closer look?
- Sure.
(chuckles)
- And that's the school?
- Yes.
It has quite a history.
Can you tell me a little more
about the school
and the time that she was there?
Well, her years at Loreto teaching,
it was Wonderful years for her.
She would say
she loved teaching most of all.
Her life would later
be totally dedicated to the poor,
but she was first and foremost a teacher.
WOMAN:
People have been suffering.
And this starvation, hmm?
This starvation has brought thousands
of refugees onto the streets of our city.
Really, we are living through
one of the most turbulent times
in the history of Calcutta.
Shubashini.
My mother says she is
very, very frightened.
There are riots going on outside my house.
I feel safe here inside the convent walls,
but I'm really Worried
about my mother and my family.
Well, it's true
that these tensions have got worse
since India is preparing for independence.
This has created the violence,
but it is between the Hindus and Muslims.
It really has nothing to do
with your family.
I don't really think you have to worry.
But I'm still scared, Sister.
Well, try not to be, hmm?
This will all resolve itself soon,
we hope-we pray.
- (bell ringing)
- Right. We must finish.
Sister, do you have a minute?
Yes, Deepa.
(sighs)
Sister, aren't you worried?
No. Trust in God, Deepa.
He's watching over us.
Sister, but my father says
that the Christians in India are a minority
and anything can happen to them,
given what's been going on.
That's why my father wants me to stay here,
inside the walls of the convent grounds-
so that I'm safe here-
and not return home until all this is over.
Hmm. Well, he's quite right.
I agree with him.
You are safe here, hmm?
But if you have any more questions,
you can always talk to Father Van Exem.
- Hmm?
- Okay
In the meantime, try not to worry.
Hmm?
Sister.
Thank you.
Thank you, Sister.
(chattering)
Someone sick, Sister?
No.
Do you Want me
to take some food to their room?
No. I'll take care of it.
Thank you, Sister.
(loud chattering)
(chattering)
(shouts)
What are you doing out here, Sister?
It's hot safe for you to be out here.
These people are hungry, desperate.
You need to get back inside the convent.
But I Wanted to take
these people some food.
Yes, yes.
(shouts)
Sister, last week, for three clays,
Hindus and Muslims rampaged
through a neighborhood hot far from here.
They killed anyone they found
on the opposite side.
(shouts)
The troops had to restore order.
You cannot come out here again, Sister.
Do you understand?
You need to get back inside the convent.
Please pray that peace will be restored.
Yes, I will pray. Thank you.
Please, go to the convent, Sister.
Is everything all right, Sister?
Yes, Mother General.
I heard you Went outside
the convent this morning.
Yes.
Yes, I Wanted to give food
to a family that is hungry.
I'm sorry. I know I should not go outside.
When you returned,
you were troubled, I am told.
Are you sure you're all right?
Yes, thank you.
But to tell truth, Mother General,
I keep thinking about
those people out there.
I see them from my classroom window.
I Want to help.
But there are so many of them.
You can't help them all.
But we can help some.
I feel ashamed not at least to try.
They're very, very hungry.
They have nothing.
Our vocation is to teach young girls.
That is our calling, Sister.
My mother reminded me of my calling.
"Dearest daughter,
Do not forget you Went out there
to help the poor."
What are you saying, Sister Teresa?
I don't know.
I love teaching. I love being a nun.
But I must do something.
Surely God must love the poor
outside these walls
as much as he loves
privileged girls inside the walls.
I believe you're going on a retreat
in the next few days.
Yes.
I will ask God What I am to do.
(horn blows)
(man on speakers, faint)
I think I'll take this one.
Tell-Tell Mother General not to worry.
Have a restful retreat, Sister Teresa.
God be with you.
Thank you. God bless you.
(engine hissing)
(horn blowing)
VAN EXEM: It was on this train,
en route to Darjeeling,
that she had a life-changing moment.
She received What she took
as a message from God
to go serve the poorest of the poor
and live among them.
She referred to it
as the call Within a call-
to give up everything
and to follow him into the slums.
And she said she knew it was his will,
that she had to do it.
But it would have to be
the decision of the church.
MOTHER GENERAL: What do you mean
you heard the voice of God?
I heard a voice on the train.
It was not audible,
but was very clear, direct.
It told me that I must leave
the solace of the convent
and give my life to serve the poor,
to live among the poor.
It was a command
that I must follow Christ into the slums
and serve him by sewing
the poorest of the poor.
You seem to have forgotten the vows
you took as a cloistered nun, Sister.
Among the vows was poverty, chastity
and obedience.
Yes, I know, Mother General.
But I also know it is his will,
and I have to follow him.
It is a call Within a call.
I would like to apply for exclaustration.
This way, I can remain in Loreto order
and continue to live by my vows.
What I'm asking is permission
to work outside the walls.
You know very well that cloistered nuns
cannot go outside the walls.
You are the principal of our school.
The girls depend on you and love you.
They don't even mind when you are strict.
So, What are you saying?
Are you asking for permission
to be released from your duties?
Are you asking for permission
to be released from your vows?
No, no. I Want to remain a nun.
But all I'm asking is to be allowed
to Work with the poor. That is all.
Mother General,
there are people starving
right outside our door.
I see them every day from my window.
It is-
It is terrible sight.
How can we ignore that'?
Where is all this suddenly coming from?
Well, it's not so sudden.
Before I became a nun,
I Wanted to be a missionary.
I Wanted to go out
and give the life of Christ
to people in the missionary countries.
At that time,
when I was a girl in Skopje, Yugoslavia,
I read there were missionaries
who were going to India.
So, you see.
It was always What I Wanted to do-
to serve the poor
purely for the love of God.
And then,
on the train to Darjeeling,
the voice was very clear.
Clear.
I cannot ignore this.
I will speak to Archbishop Prier
about this,
and we'll see What he has to say about it.
If he agrees, then it's up to him
to take your request to the Vatican
when he visits next month.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mother General. Thank you.
MAN:
Your Eminence.
Violence in my quarter of Delhi
has become endemic
due to unjust social
structures and practices.
They need to be identified and abolished
to ensure lasting peace.
That's all I have, Your Eminence.
Thank you.
Your Eminence, there are a number of items
that I'd like to go over with you today,
but first I would like
to discuss the matter
concerning one of our nuns
of our Loreto order-
the principal
of the convent school Saint Mary's.
Her name is Sister Teresa,
and she is seeking permission
to go outside of the convent walls
to give help to the poor,
or as she calls it, serve the poor.
It is a matter that was
brought to my attention
by the convent's mother general.
Sister Teresa says that
she heard the voice of God
telling her to follow
Christ into the slums.
Has she said anything like this before?
No, Your Eminence.
She is one of the most respected
teachers at the school.
She just feels that she has to follow
the command of the voice she heard-
that of God.
She feels it is a second calling.
She would not question
ecclesiastical authority
and has been Waiting
Without complaint for me to speak to you
and get the Church's decision.
And she knows that nuns, once cloistered,
cannot be allowed to leave the convent?
Yes, Your Eminence, which is why
she's seeking exclaustration.
Have her write a letter
to the Holy Father.
Bring that letter to me.
She has already written a letter,
Your Eminence.
I have given my blessing,
and the mother general
gave her permission to write to Rome.
"To the Holy Father,
Pope Pius XII, Rome, Italy.
I have a vocation.
God has called me to give up all
and to surrender myself to him?
In the service
of the poorest of the poor in the slums.
Please allow me to be released from my vows
so that I may pursue my vocation.
Sister Teresa, Loreto, Entally,
Calcutta, India."
On this historic day,
India takes her place
as a free and independent nation.
Freedom-loving people everywhere
will wish to share in your celebration.
In this historic moment,
let us not forget all that India
owes Mahatma Gandhi.
(applauding)
- So, how was New Delhi?
- I got the story, got it to London.
But I have a feeling
this is Where the action's going to be.
I agree, especially with Gandhi here
and against partition.
(children singing in foreign language)
(continues)
(singing ends)
It's Gods will, Mother General.
I cannot ignore. I have to follow his will.
The archbishop took your letter
to the cardinal four months ago,
and there's no word back from Rome.
I believe the only Way for you
to go outside these walls
is to apply for a decree of secularization.
You mean
leave the order?
Well, if you are so keen to go
beyond these walls, then yes.
Yes, I do think it is the only Way.
I have lived here as a nun for 16 years.
Mother General, I-
Loreto order is my family.
I cannot just leave.
I cannot give up my life as a nun.
Then stop this foolishness.
You are a cloistered nun.
They are not going to
make an exception for you
and let you break your vows.
It's Gods will, Mother General,
not mine.
I will trust in God.
I will Wait to hear from Vatican,
and I will pray.
India and Pakistan have officially
joined the family of nations.
It's amazing.
I mean, India has finally been given
its independence from the Brits.
With that, its going
to bring about problems.
So you think India's going to suffer
under the burden of its birth
as a modern nation?
Absolutely.
You've already seen the consequences
of World War ll
and the aftermath of the '43 famine.
You can thank
the All India Congress Party for that one.
I guess What I'm trying to say, Graham,
you're gonna be in Calcutta for a While.
Hope you like India.
Sister.
- May I talk to you for a moment, please?
- Of course.
Laxmi told me that you're
going to be leaving us.
Where did she hear that?
Laxmi.
Tell her.
Are you really leaving, Sister?
If it's Gods will, child, yes.
But why would you Want to leave us?
(sighs)
When I was young girl,
I Went to Catholic school.
And we had very good priests
who were helping us children
to find our vocation.
And it was then that I realized
that I had the vocation to serve the poor.
This was 1922. I was 12 years old.
And I Wanted to become missionary
and go out and spread the word of Christ.
But, instead, I became nun.
I became teacher.
And now I'm here with you girls,
who I love.
- Now time for bed. Hmm?
- Hmm.
Go to sleep then.
Don't worry.
I doubt I will be leaving
for very long time.
(chuckles)
(claps twice)
(chuckles)
(men shouting in distance)
(shouting grows louder)
(crying)
Hmm.
- Take a letter, please.
- Yes, Your Eminence.
To Sister M. Teresa
of the Loreto order, Calcutta.
The Holy Father, Pope Pius XII,
through the Sacred Congregation
for the Religious,
has granted you permission-
"...to leave Loreto
and begin your new mission.
You have been granted
the indult of exclaustration
authorizing you to stay outside
the Loreto convent
for one year or less,
if a shorter period is sufficient.
You may keep your religious vows
as a Loreto nun
under the authority of Archbishop Prier."
Congratulations, Sister Teresa.
Thank you.
(kisses)
It's Gods will, not mine.
MAN: Our main focus here
at the Medical Mission Sisters
is to administer medical services
to the poor.
We provide a healing presence
to those in need.
The patient we're going to see now
is extremely ill.
He has open sores
that are infected and festering.
You'll see a lot of this
in the slums of Moti Jihl
when you get back to Calcutta.
In oases like this,
their own families won't take care of them,
so they bring them here to us.
(quiet gasping)
The Medical Mission Sisters have a tradition
of taking care of patients like this.
Are you okay, Mary Teresa?
Let's go outside and get some air.
Please.
It's not a pleasant sight, I know,
and can be very shocking.
But you'll get used to it.
Before long,
you'll be washing those sores yourself-
- Yes.
- And thinking nothing of it.
Yes, I know.
I'm so sorry, Doctor. Very, very sorry.
Maybe we should
slow your training clown a little.
No, no. No.
Please, I will manage.
I have much to learn
before I return to Calcutta.
You're a nun, but you don't Wear a habit.
And you aren't called "Sister."
No, I'm Mary Teresa now.
I Wear chira because it's important for me
to mix with people, to be accepted.
Are you ready to go back inside?
Mmm. Yes, yes.
- Yes.
- Right, let's go back to work.
You'll want to make sure your hands
are clean when you prepare the wound.
You take gauze, dip it in sterile saline
or sterile saltwater,
and then you wring it out.
You put the gauze in the wound,
pack the wound
and then you cover it with a gauze square.
And then you Wrap it up with a gauze roll.
- You see?
- Yes, Doctor.
This patient has an infection
in his abdomen.
It requires antibiotics.
We need to give him
an injection of penicillin into his arm.
Sister Margaret.
First thing we do is we
get all the air out.
Then we clean him with alcohol and gauze.
And then very gently inject
the needle into his arm
and push very slowly.
And when we're done, as we pull it out,
we hold the injection site.
Yes, Doctor.
VAN EXEM: There was no doubt
that she had found her calling.
Dr. Ahmed tried to make her tougher,
but there was no way she was
going to lose her compassion.
And when she had completed
her medical training,
she headed back to Calcutta
and to the Little Sisters of the Poor
at the convent of St. Joseph's,
Where she also stayed While looking
for a more permanent place to live.
Is it true that she entered the slums
with five rupees in her pocket?
Yes, that is also true.
Five rupees was the equivalent
of, say, one English pound at the time
or an American dollar.
Makes you wonder Where she got the courage.
VAN EXEM: On the first day
she entered the slums,
she took with her Veronica Games,
a sodality member
of the parish of Santa Teresa.
That was the church she had been attending
since returning to Calcutta from Patna.
Veronica took her around Moti Jihl,
the poorest, wretchedest
quarter of the city.
It's the section which began
just outside Loreto.
And they first stopped at Taltala,
another impoverished
neighborhood of Calcutta
where poor Catholics were known to live.
Though she expected it,
she was still shocked
at the extent of the poverty,
of the suffering.
She had with her no money
with which to help them otherwise.
So all she brought with her
that first day in the slums
was an abundance of love
in her heart and in her soul.
(insects buzzing)
No.
No, no, no.
This is dirty. No, you don't eat.
This will make you sick.
- What are you doing?
- Sick.
Who are you to take food from my child?
- No, I don't take-
- What are you doing here?
- What is going oh here?
- The Woman took food from our child.
- No.
- Who are you?
I'm Mary Teresa.
- (Speaking Bengali)
- (Bengali)
your child to read and Write,
if you like.
- I don't Want money.
- No!
We do not Want you here.
We do not need your help.
We are Hindu.
And do not teach our children
about your god.
Leave.
Just a minute.
This is not a place for you,
a Christian teacher.
You don't belong here.
It's best for you to go.
I may not be Wanted here,
but I am needed.
TERESA:
Dear Father Van Exem,
I am beginning my work in the slums
while also looking for
a more permanent place to live.
I have walked and walked
until my legs ache.
I keep thinking about
how the poor must ache
in body and in soul
while looking for food, for help.
This work is far more difficult
than I had imagined it would be.
Never in all my life did I know
there was such suffering in the world
as I have seen here.
VAN EXEM:
It was only nine months after partition.
The British had relinquished
control of India
after nearly 200 years in power.
So any foreigner at that time
would have been viewed with suspicion
and would be identified
with the oppressors,
which the British were considered,
as well as occupiers.
So, for her to voluntarily
go into that world
and overcome that suspicion,
she had her work out out for her.
(chattering in Bengali)
No. Boys, boys, boys.
I don't have money.
I'm poor like you. Hmm?
Mm-hmm.
But I do have some food for you.
Wait.
(speaks Bengali)
Atal Babu. Please.
Atal Babu.
These children,
I could teach them to read and to Write.
Hmm?
Those are orphaned children.
There are many of them like that.
Go ahead, teach them to read if you like.
Thank you.
Atal Babu,
I'm not here to convert
anybody to my faith.
I'm only interested
to teach children to read, to write.
And to help.
To help people in What Way I can.
(shouting in Bengali)
You Want?
You Want? Come.
Come.
Here, here. Come, come, come.
Come.
You Want bread?
You Want?
I am Mary Teresa. I am teacher.
You boys, you ever been to school?
No?
You would like to go to school?
Yes?
Come, sit clown.
I will teach you alphabet.
You know What it is, alphabet, hmm?
A, B, C, D.
Come, sit.
I will teach you. We will learn.
So, here.
- "A."
- "A."
Good. "A."
BOTH: "A."
- "B."
- "B."
- "C."
- "C."
- "C."
- "C."
Good.
"A"
ALL:
"A"
"B."!
- "C."
Good. Number four is-
- "D."
- "D."
Very good!
We have now learned
first four letters of alphabet.
You Want to learn more?
Yes?
Come.
Come.
- "E."
- ALL:
- Very good.
- You Want to learn more?
- Yes.
Come. Come join.
Now we have
- "A"
- ALL: "A."
- "B"
- "B"
- "C."
- "C."
- "D."
- "D."
- "E."
- "E."
Good.
Now, you, which is this one?
-
- That's good.
You Want to learn more? Yes.
Come. Come.
- "F."
- "F."
- "F."
- "F."
Good. Now, all together, from beginning.
ALL:
A, B, C,
D, E, F, G,
H, I.
That's so good, everybody!
Clap. Clap!
Yes. Good. Good, good.
"But the crocodile could not convince him.
'At last, ' he thought,
'Somehow I must get the monkeys heart.'
So he then thought of a plan
and he swam very fast to the monkey.
- He reached the jungle tree and"-
- Atal is wrong.
She should not be here.
He should hot let her teach our children.
She will teach them about
her Christian god.
You will see.
What is she doing here?
Why did she come here?
A white woman?
"The crocodile could not convince her."
Come, we'll speak to Abu Atal about it.
You Want her to leave? You talk to Atal.
You want that Christian woman here'?
I have no problems with her.
They have nothing. We have nothing.
Maybe the Christian Woman
can give them something we don't have.
You will see!
She will teach them about her god.
That's why she's here.
(exclaims)
(speaks Bengali)
(exclaims)
"At last, ' he thought,
'somehow, I must get the monkeys heart.'
He then thought of a plan,
and he swam very fast to the monkey."
(child giggling)
You, Christian woman.
We do not Want you here. Leave our village.
You are here to convert our children
to your Christian god.
- Go home.
- No.
Go home.
I am not here to convert
your children to my faith.
This you must believe.
I am only here to help, to serve you
and to give your children
possibility for life.
- That's all.
- What are you doing, Kavitha? Huh?
What's happening here, Maharaj?
What are you doing?
This white Woman should go home.
She's stealing our children's souls.
She is here to help our children, Maharaj!
She has hot once
brought up her faith or her religion.
She only teaches them to read and Write.
I've been attending her class
every day with my daughter.
See?
She is evil.
She does not belong here.
Shes even managed to influence her
with her devilish ways.
Dinsha, go. Get Atal, quickly.
You Want this Christian Woman here?
- You Want this Christian Woman here?
- (grunts)
She will convert our children.
You'll see!
(shouts)
(speaks Bengali)
(Bengali)
(Bengali)
- Thank you.
- You're welcome, Sister.
I'm Ashwani, Dinsha's husband.
Oh. Ashwani.
Oh, good.
- Come, come.
- Yes.
TERESA:
Dear God,
I know you Want me to be a free nun
covered with the poverty of the cross.
But I have been experiencing doubt,
loneliness,
the temptation to return
to Loreto and convent life.
But, today, I learned an important lesson.
I went back to Loreto,
and I know I belong with the poor
Of free choice, my God,
and out of love for you,
I Want to remain with the poor
and do whatever be your holy will.
Fella, stop.
Sister?
Shubashini!
What-What are you doing here?
I've come to help you, Sister.
How did you know where to find me'?
I heard that you were
at St. Joseph's Convent,
so I Went there and met Veronica Gomes.
She said I'd find you here.
I brought some medical supplies.
I thought you might heed some.
Is it all right that I'm here?
(laughing)
Yes?
- Come, show me What you have brought me.
- Okay.
(baby crying)
(baby fussing)
Ah.
Thank God.
She's beautiful baby.
Yes, Sister, she is.
(laughs)
Shubashini, are you all right?
I'm all right.
Come. Let's go back in.
YOUNG VAN EXEM:
Dearest Sister M. Teresa,
I received your letter and can only imagine
how difficult it must be
to witness all the suffering
you are seeing each day.
The work you are doing
is being talked about in the city.
The officials at the municipality
have expressed their appreciation.
I have given thought to your need
to find a more permanent place to live.
I've spoken to Jesuit Father Julian Henry
who told me that he had suggested
you might live at Krishnagar,
but that your feeling was they might try
to make things easy for you
because you know most
of the nuns and teachers there
and it is your desire
to have no special treatment.
May I suggest that you go
see the Games brothers.
They are from Bangladesh,
but maintain a house here in the city
at 74 Creek Lane.
Talk to Nicholas.
He's a devout Christian
who might be able to help you.
You are very much missed
by the nuns and students at Loreto
who wish you the utmost success
in your mission.
May God be with you.
Yours devotedly in Christ,
Father C. Van Exem, SJ.
- Yes?
- You are Mr. Gomes?
- Yes.
- I am Mary Teresa.
Father Van Exem told me
you might be expecting me.
- Oh, yes. Come in, please.
- Thank you.
This Way.
I thought you would be wearing a habit.
I was told you were a nun.
I am a nun,
but I Wear a chira so I can mix in with
the people of Moti Jihl.
My work is with the poor.
That's What Father Van Exem told me.
What can I do for you?
I need a place to stay.
If you have something-
anything-I would be very grateful.
My brothers spend most
of their time in Bangladesh.
The upper floor is vacant.
I'm sure they wouldn't mind
if I let you use a room up there.
That's very, very kind of you, Mr. Gomes.
I'm very quiet person.
You would not even know I was here.
I leave very early in the morning.
Coming back, returning late in the evening.
I will be no trouble.
This is a room you could use,
if you like.
Oh.
I can bring in more furniture.
No, no, no. Thank you.
I think I would prefer
we move furniture out.
I need very little.
If it's acceptable with you,
I would just bring in a chair
and some packing crates.
These I can use for a desk and a table.
All right.
Sister, I'm afraid he's dying.
I know.
A little bit of Gods love.
That's all we can do.
Yes.
Help me to lift his head.
Yes.
(gasps)
Yes.
Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.
It's so sad.
The greatest suffering is to feel alone,
unwanted,
unloved.
But he's not alone now.
He's here with us.
TERESA:
Dear Father Van Exem,
Thank you so much for your
introduction to Mr. Games.
He is wonderful man
and is allowing me to stay in his house.
He says I can use the upper floor
as the first home for my charity.
Today, Father Bawens,
the parish priest at St. Teresa 's,
came by to bless the house,
and tears rolled and rolled.
I have been experiencing great loneliness.
After being at Loreto for so many years,
always surrounded by nuns and students,
I did not expect how alone
I would feel in my new life.
I wonder, how long will my heart suffer?
Pray for me.
Let me not draw back from the sacrifice
I have made of my free choice
and conviction.
- What is it, Sister?
- This letter is from Archbishop Prier.
If I'm not given permission for extension,
I'll have to go back to Loreto,
and we'll have to give up this work.
Read it.
"Holy See has granted you permission
to continue the work for three more years."
God.
Thanks God.
(men shouting)
(shouting in Bengali)
Sister! Sister, it's Kavitha.
She's having a baby, and
something is wrong.
Wait there.
(Crying, grunting)
Kavitha.
What are you doing here? Get out!
Maharaj, please. I asked her to come here.
She has training,
and Kavitha needs her help now.
Please let her. Please!
Please, Maharaj! Go out!
Go out!
Kavitha. Kavitha.
(groaning, grunting)
(screaming)
- It's breech baby. Breech baby.
- Sister.
(Kavitha Wailing)
(screaming)
(screaming continues)
Shh, shh, shh. Kavitha. Kavitha.
(Kavitha groaning)
(groaning stops)
- (baby crying)
- (cheering)
(Crying continues)
(fussing)
(chattering)
(no audible dialogue)
(horns honking)
MAN (on radio): US cruiser Milwaukee,
a 28-year-old four-stacker
comes home from lend-lease duty in Russia.
At anchor in Delaware Bay,
the warship is manned by a Russian crew
and is first of 31 fighting ships
leased to Russia during the war
that will be returned to the USA.
(phone ringing)
Hello?
Graham, I've got a story
you might Want to look into.
A nun is doing some interesting charity
work in the slums near Where you are.
Could make for a nice human interest story
when you get some time.
I'll look into it.
(clears throat)
So, What is it you girls
Wanted to talk to me about?
Mother General,
we've decided that we Want to be nuns.
That's Wonderful news.
Have you discussed this with your parents?
You think they would object?
Well, my mother has already objected.
Why?
Because she doesn't Want me
to work amongst the untouchables.
And why would you be working
amongst the untouchables?
Because, Mother General,
we want to work with Sister Teresa.
Yes.
I see.
I think I would listen to your mother.
- And What about your parents?
- I haven't told them yet.
Because?
Because they wouldn't approve.
I know What I Want to do.
I've already been helping Sister Teresa
in the evenings after school.
My parents Want me to study in Europe,
but I Want to stay here.
I Want to become a nun
and work with Sister Teresa.
Go home and talk to your parents,
and then come and talk to me.
Go.
- Thank you, Mother.
- Thank you.
(door closes)
VAN EXEM: Mother General
did not approve of their wanting to work
with Sister Teresa,
and she made her feelings known.
From the moment the two girls told her-
(Coughs)
Thank you.
That they Wanted to be nuns
and dedicate themselves
to the work of their former teacher,
a concern about other students
doing the same
began to worry Mother General.
And when Sister Teresa got wind of that,
she wrote me a letter.
This letter.
"Father, I am saddened
as I write this letter,
but you are my spiritual director,
so I must share it with you.
Mother General is afraid"-
that I am a danger
to the Loreto nuns and students.
Every means has been used
to not render any help to me.
She has forbidden them
to have anything to do with me.
(no audible dialogue)
But still the students come.
First, Shubashini Das,
then Deepa Ambereesh, then others.
Every time someone new comes,
there is anxiety at Loreto convent.
That is why I have made pro visions
for those who come
to study at home for the matric
and senior training.
With all they do
to prevent them from joining,
there are more and more girls
wanting to join.
Your Grace, the situation
with Sister Teresa
has gotten quite out of control.
Shes stealing our students,
Your Grace.
A total of 10 of them
have left Loreto to join her.
Did they graduate before leaving?
Some did, some did not.
Give me a number.
Eight of them graduated before joining her.
Two did not.
Well, you should encourage them to graduate
before they join her.
Other than that, I don't see a problem.
They would be throwing away their lives,
their education,
if they worked in places like the slums.
If they wish to become nuns,
they must join the Loreto order
and follow the strict vows that we all do
and the vocation of the order.
What is your opinion here, Celeste?
My opinion, Your Grace,
is that these girls are surrendering
themselves to God one by one
and voluntarily choosing
to serve God through service to the poor,
as Sister Teresa has.
I'm sure this is due in whole or in part
to the influence and training
they've received at Loreto.
What better Way for them to serve God
than to do so at the supervision
of the former headmistress, Sister Teresa?
What is it you would
have me do, Mother General?
The Vatican granted Sister Teresa
an extension
to the original time it had given her.
Your Grace, I would like you to see
that she does not get another extension
and that she be required
to return to Loreto.
No, put them here.
Bandage.
Good morning, Sister.
Oh, good morning, Mr. Gomes.
I see you've put this floor to good use.
Yes. Yes, we have.
Girls and I thank you.
You're a very, very kind, generous man
for letting us stay here.
You're most welcome, Sister.
This arrived yesterday.
I think it's for one of your girls.
Oh, it's for Deepa. Yes, thank you.
I'll make sure she gets it.
- Have a great day.
- Thank you.
- Let me show you.
- Yes, Sister.
(children laughing)
What are you going to do?
What can I do?
(sniffles)
They're my parents, no?
But doesn't it matter
that you want to stay here and be a nun?
No.
They Want me to study in England,
get married, have children,
make them grandparents.
My mother finds this caste system
we have in India acceptable.
But I don't, so she just doesn't understand
why I would Want to go into the slums
and work with the smaller caste people.
She just doesn't understand.
I think you should talk to Sister Teresa.
Talk to her?
She's in a meeting right now
with Father Van Exem.
Come on.
I admire your ambition, Sister,
but the last time the Vatican
approved a new congregation
was a hundred years ago.
I doubt you would stand a chance
of getting approval from the Holy See.
I would like to apply anyway, Father.
Are you not satisfied
with the three-year extension
you were given to continue your Work?
Yes, yes, Father, I'm very grateful.
But when the three years
is ended, What then?
Must I apply again for extension?
And What if they say no?
No, this work is too important to abandon,
and Mother General
is against What I'm doing.
I'm afraid this could have an effect.
They might refuse extension.
No, I have no choice.
I must apply for recognition
as a congregation.
I need to separate now from Loreto.
It's very clear.
How many of you are there?
Twelve. Twelve now, more coming.
The past 10 girls were from Loreto-
students I taught.
But then more came,
and we have doctors and nurses, volunteers.
They come twice a week.
Yes, the more the work spreads,
the more clear it becomes it is his will.
You know, in order to be recognized,
you would have to show cause
as to why a new order is necessary.
Yes, Father, I have been Working.
Here are documents.
And rights of constitutions.
It's a draft proposal.
Do you have a name for this order?
Yes, Father.
The Missionaries of Charity.
It seems well prepared.
I'll finish going through it,
then I'll get it to Archbishop Prier.
Thank you, Father.
Your Grace, she even has the city's
municipal cooperation behind her now.
And a reporter showed up at my office
and Wanted to know how he could get
an interview with her.
I think it's time we demand she return
to her duties as a Loreto nun.
Her applying for recognition
as a congregation is absurd.
Your Grace, she has told me she feels
a separation from Loreto is necessary.
Separation?
- Yes.
- Your Grace.
But What about her obligations,
her vows?
Shes requesting secularization,
an annulment of her vows.
Secularization?
Yes. She feels it's the only Way.
Exclaustration would allow her
to retain her vows as a Loreto nun
should she not succeed at What she's doing.
Secularization would rule that out.
She would not be allowed to return.
She's aware of that, Your Grace,
but she's confident that
this safeguard is not necessary.
Her inspiration, shes convinced,
is coming directly from God,
so, to her, there could be
no question of failure.
Leaving the door open at Loreto
is not necessary.
What's this?
It's her application
for recognition as a congregation.
All the documents are there,
including the rights of constitutions.
All right, I'll go through it.
If I find that everything is in order,
you can tell Sister Teresa
I'll pass it on to the Vatican.
- (murmuring prayer)
(knocking on door)
As it was-
(sighs)
What is it, Deepa?
Do you have a minute, Sister?
Yes, of course.
Come.
Sister, that letter that you gave me?
Hmm.
It was from my parents.
I thought so.
And they Want me to go home.
They think What I'm doing here
is throwing my life away.
And they're ashamed
that I'm working amongst those
who are shunned by the society.
Deepa,
your family is from higher caste.
You must have known this was possibility.
Yes, Sister, but it's so unfair.
This is Where I Want to be.
What do I do, Sister?
We pray.
We trust in God.
God will give us answer.
Hmm? Come.
Get some sleep. Try not to worry.
Hmm?
All will be well.
(sniffles)
Good night, Sister.
Good night.
(chattering)
Excuse me.
- Are you Sister Teresa?
- Yes.
My name is Graham Widdecombe.
I'm a reporter from London.
I'm in town doing a follow-up story
on post-partition India,
and I've been hearing a lot about you.
You're a newspaper reporter,
Mr. Widdecombe?
No, radio.
I'm not very interesting, but if you Want
to write a story, talk to the poor.
Yes, but it's your work that's being
talked about all over the city.
It's not my work, Mr. Widdecombe.
It's Gods work.
I'm just a pencil in Gods hand.
But, Sister, if you could
give me just a minute-
No time for talk, Mr. Widdecombe.
Lots to do.
"A pencil in Gods hand."
TERESA, CHILDREN:
Arabian Sea.
Good. And to east is Bay of Bengal.
ALL:
Bay of Bengal.
Very good. Now, who can tell me
Where on map is Calcutta?
Yes.
Very good!
Yes!
Make path. Make path.
What is it, Father? Something wrong?
No, Sister, there is nothing wrong.
We shall now erect their group
into a religious congregation.
We have with great care scrutinized
their Way of living and of working
and given diligent consideration
to the purpose they have in view.
This earnest examination
led us to the conclusion
that there is no other congregation
currently in existence
which answers the promise
which this new institute intends
and that, consequently, in erecting it
into a religious congregation
for the relief of so many
and in such dire need,
shall redound to the greater glory of God.
In consequence, we do,
by the present decree,
to the greater glory of God
and/or the promotion
in these parts of the kingdom
of truth, justice, peace
and charity of Christ the Savior,
erect and institute
a new religious congregation
which shall have for its name
the Congregation
of the Missionaries of Charity.
We Welcome your new order
to the Catholic dioceses of Calcutta,
Mother Teresa.
ALL:
We vow to care for the hungry,
the naked and the homeless,
the crippled, the blind, the lepers,
all those people who
feel unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout society,
people who have become a burden
to society and are shunned.
Giving Christ's love
in our spiritual work of mercy.
The night is dark
And I am far from home
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
Lead thou me on
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
Keep thou my feet
- The body of Christ.
- Amen.
I do not ask to see
The distant scene
One step enough for me
VAN EXEM: Mother's belief in prayer
was the foundation of her faith.
She believed prayer was food for the soul
and, if you prayed deeply,
your prayer would be answered.
So, the call that she got on the train
in 1946
was now officially recognized
and confirmed by the church.
Yes.
And she was humbled,
seeing all that God had done.
Mother had been walking through
an impoverished neighborhood in Calcutta,
and she came upon a poor soul
who was dying in the street.
A poor Woman
who had been just left to die.
It was this incident that motivated her
to think of creating an official hospice.
- (chattering)
- (phone ringing)
Excuse me.
The health officer will see you now.
This way, please.
- (Speaks Bengali)
- (Bengali)
- Sit clown.
- Thank you.
So, Mother Teresa,
you've made quite an impression
on the authorities in the city
and I've been asked
to accommodate you in any way I can.
Thank you. Very kind.
We have a need for a facility
so we can bring the abandoned
who are dying on our streets in
so they can be allowed to die with dignity.
Do you know of such a place,
and can it be made available?
You mean a hospital?
No. No.
A place Where the destitute
who are left to die on our streets
can be brought in
and given a bed and food and cared for
and allowed to die
surrounded by loving people.
There are many on the streets.
The need is straightaway.
Yes, I see.
I see them myself every day.
If not a hospital,
What would it be then?
A home for the dying.
There is a place not very far from here
that might work for you.
Ifs a building in the precincts
of Kalighat Temple.
This is the building.
Is this something that would suit you?
I would like to see inside.
It's an abandoned Kali temple.
If you like it, perhaps I can arrange
for the city to let you use it.
I would be very grateful, thank you.
There is a dharmsala inside,
a place Where Hindus used to rest
after their worship of the Kali goddess.
I think it would give you the space
you need for many people.
This is perfect.
When will we know?
I'll bring it up in a meeting tomorrow
at the municipality.
I like that it was
a center of worship for Hindus.
Would you like to see the dharmsala?
Yes, please.
This Way.
This is the place Where people would rest
after they worshipped.
Is this something that would suit you?
Yes.
WOMAN:
Just think of Jesus.
Put your hand in his hand
and Walk along with him.
Walk ahead.
If you look back, you'll go back.
I'll miss you.
And I you.
I'm already homesick.
(knocking)
DEEPA:
Mother? ls everything all right?
- (knocking continues)
- Your light is on, and it's quite late.
Is everything all right, Mother?
Sister Gertrude, come.
I was going clown the hall,
and I saw there was light
coming out from your room.
I know you always
retire late, but its later than usual.
What happened?
Is everything all right?
My mother and my sister-
I was hoping they would
be able to come for a visit.
It's been 28 years since I've seen them.
But Albanian government
has refused permission
for them to leave the country.
I'm terribly sorry.
So, we have to be up early in the morning.
We must get some-some rest.
Good night. Yes.
And-
And we have much work to do.
We must be up very early in the morning.
- Are you going to be okay?
- Yes, yes.
We must get some rest now.
Go to bed.
Good night, Mother.
(door closes)
(men shouting)
Mother? Mother?
Hmm.
I don't know if you remember me.
I remember you, Mr. Widdecombe.
Yes. If you have a minute,
I'd like to have a word with you.
As you can see, Mr. Widdecombe,
we're very busy here today.
- It's not good time.
- But it would only take a few minutes.
There are so many people
interested in knowing more about you.
Mr. Widdecombe, it's not about me.
I'm just doing Gods work.
Yes, well, can we talk about
the work you're doing here then?
Well, What we are doing here
is setting up a home
Where people who are dying on the streets
can be brought in so they can die
with loving faces around them.
Wait. Mother Teresa,
if you would just hold up for a moment-
Mr. Widdecombe, getting interview with me
is waste of your time.
Hmm?
Look outside.
Come. Hmm?
The poor are everywhere.
Write about them.
That's the important story.
I'm just an instrument.
Yes, but the people Want to hear about you.
Are you going to change to television,
Mr. Widdecombe?
I hear it's very big in England now,
maybe going to take over radio.
That will never happen,
and I will never be a television reporter.
This is not good. Let's start again.
(angry chattering)
(engine starts)
VAN EXEM: Archbishop Prier and I
had been getting letters
from Mother Teresa.
And those letters
kept getting darker and darker,
revealing her spiritual darkness
was growing.
And getting news like What she had gotten
from the Albanian government
certainly didn't help.
But she seemed cheerful in her daily life
and tireless in her work.
But inside-
(sighs) inside she was experiencing
a terrible emptiness.
The feeling that she had been abandoned
by God.
Nathan, can you hear me?
We have a pretty bad connection.
I can hear you, Graham.
It's the Way it always is.
Okay, just say when.
Go ahead. Anytime.
This is a somewhat unusual story
from What you are used to me reporting,
as I am normally on assignment
as a war correspondent.
But here in Calcutta,
there is a growing awareness
of a Catholic nun who has been
doing charity work with the poor
that has caught the attention of everyone,
from the local municipal authorities here
to the Vatican in Rome.
Her name is Mother Teresa,
and she has a growing number of followers
in her new congregation
known as the Missionaries of Charity,
erected just two years ago
by the Catholic church.
Whats unusual about her is she won't
grant me or anyone else an interview,
believing that she is an instrument of God
and doing his work.
She refuses to take any form of credit.
To the locals in the poorest sections
of this city, she is a saint.
But to a certain segment
of the Hindu population here,
she has come under fire, if not threat,
as she has set up a home for the dying
in one of their abandoned temples,
housing given to her
by the local municipal authority.
- Mother, it's getting worse out there.
- I know.
But I don't really think
they'll do anything. Come.
But do you think we should get word out
to the municipal authority?
- (shouting in Bengali)
- (cheering)
How are you today'?
Why are you helping me?
(coughing)
I am Hindu.
Because in you, I see Jesus.
And I love you as God loves you.
Now lie clown.
(angry shouting)
You just keep Working.
Hmm?
Mother?
Mother, you can't go out there.
It's not safe for you.
Mother!
- I'm going to speak to them.
- No, Mother. Wait.
- Please wait.
- Mother.
Mother, please don't go outside.
We need to summon help.
I agree with Sister Agnes, Mother.
The situation outside
has got out of control.
We need to get some help.
Please don't go out. Please. Please.
(shouting continues)
(crowd quiets)
You are to leave this temple now!
(shouting resumes)
This is our temple, our sacred place!
You are desecrating it with your god!
Please. Please.
Municipal authority
told us that we could use this temple.
But if it is problem for you us being here,
you should talk to municipality.
This place is the holiest place for us!
- Hindus!
- (shouting)
You are not Welcome here!
What you are doing here?
You are Hindu!
There is death in there!
It is impure in there!
What's going on here?
This Christian woman,
she is to leave this temple how!
Silence! Quiet!
And why is she to leave?
She does not belong in our temple!
(shouts)
It is this Christian Woman
who is taking care of our dying.
If you took care
of those who are dying in our streets,
perhaps municipality would not
have given her our temple!
That does not matter!
She is to leave this temple now!
It is you who has to leave.
All of you, go home!
The health officer has given these people
this abandoned temple.
It is not a matter for you to decide.
You will leave immediately, or else I will
summon the municipal authority
and the commissioner of police!
Now go home!
Go!
VAN EXEM: Mother didn't have any more
trouble with the locals after that.
The incident marked the beginning
of a lifelong relationship with them
and her love for them.
Shankarsinh, could you
please help me to take-
Put it over there. It's so heavy.
Mother's-her trouble with
the locals might have ended,
but her spiritual suffering had not.
There are letters from her in this box
that give clear proof.
Of course, she would not show her sense of
loss to the young nuns in the order.
And it was Mother's wish
that no one read these letters.
She Wanted them destroyed.
But the darkness she lived with
was an essential element of who she was,
and her letters document
What she Went through.
You are the postulator
for her cause for sainthood, and I-
I want you to read these letters.
There is no stronger testimony
to her holiness,
to her worthiness of sainthood.
And should these letters
one day be made public,
many people who go through similar trials
will benefit from them.
I have been charged
with the task of postulator for the cause
of beatification and canonization
of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
In the years since I began my research,
I have gathered documents
and testimony which have led me
to a conclusion.
She possessed depths of holiness
far deeper than any of us
might have imagined.
As you know, I have been given letters.
Letters that she wrote
to her spiritual advisers,
among them Archbishop of Calcutta
Ferdinand Prier
and Father Celeste Van Exem,
her spiritual adviser.
The letters contain information
that document her worthiness
of canonization.
The reality of her life was this-
she suffered greatly,
stemming from her belief that
she had been abandoned by God.
Little was known about
her spiritual burdens
or her personal struggles
until these letters became available.
They reveal the spiritual turbulence
and intensity of her life and work
over a period of six decades.
As her order expanded
with permission from Pope Paul VI in 1965,
she took no credit for her accomplishments.
She did everything possible to divert
the attention she received to God,
insisting that the work she was doing
was his work, not hers.
Her contributions in caring
for the sick and dying
and the homeless
made her admired throughout the world.
(applause)
And though she was not one
to accept any awards,
she was named recipient
of the Nobel Peace Prize,
a ceremony which she agreed to attend
only after being persuaded
that it would call attention
to the world's poor.
I'm very happy to receive this award
in the name of the hungry,
the naked, the homeless,
the crippled, the blind,
the lepers
and all those people who feel unwanted,
unloved,
uncared for-
the throwaway of society.
And as we are gathered here together today
to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize,
I think it would be beautiful
to pray the prayer
of St. Francis of Assisi
which always surprises me very much.
We pray this prayer every day
after Holy Communion,
as it is very fitting for each one of us.
Lord,
make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred,
may I bring love.
Where there is wrong,
may I bring spirit of forgiveness.
Where there is discord,
may I bring harmony.
Where there is error,
may I bring truth.
Where there is doubt,
may I bring faith.
Where there is despair,
may I bring hope,
that Where there are shadows,
I may bring light,
that Where there is sadness,
I may bring joy.
Amen.
And, you know, I always wondered
if 400, 500 years ago,
when St. Francis of Assisi
composed this prayer,
that they had the same
difficulties as we have today
because it is very fitting for us also.
Thank you.
BEN:
During her life,
she became an icon of compassion
to people of all religions.
Her work gave voice to the poor
in a way that was never possible before.
Archbishop Perier believed
that her loneliness
and her feeling of abandonment
had its root in the mystery
of Jesus' mission.
The darkness she endured
was an essential element of her vocation,
and the letters she wrote
an important testimony to her legacy.
She requested the letters be destroyed,
fearing that, to quote her,
"When the beginning will be known, people
will think more of me
and less of Jesus."
To her, she was just a servant of God,
God using her nothingness
for his greatness.
Today my work is done.
I submit to you all of my findings,
all my documents and testimony
as we Wait for a second miracle.
Based on my findings, I must conclude
that I cannot imagine anyone
more worthy of canonization
than Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu,
Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
WOMAN:
And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long good-byes
I nearly do
Mmm, mmm
Oh.
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Yeah
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak
I understand'
Why you can 't raise your voice to say
Oh.
Ah-ah, ah-ah'
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah'
Ah-ah, ah-ah'
(vocalizing)
Yeah
Oh-Oh
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Oh-Oh
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak
I understand'
Why you can 't raise your voice to say
Ooh-hoo
(vocalizing)
(ends)
(man vocalizing)
(vocalizing continues)