In Taiwan there are two charity organizations established by nuns whom she sent from India. Since 1984 they have been quietly serving among the poorest of the poor.
The southern Taiwan sun beats down on the low, densely packed buildings of Er-kung New Village, a military dependents' community in Tainan County. In the morning market, the crowds seem to boil. In contrast, the expansive grounds of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, located in the center of the village, seem particularly cool and serene.
Entering through the main gate, the path is flanked by rows of colorful flowers-roses, chrysanthemums and pomegranates. In the center of the square stands the church. Opposite the church is a long two-story building. Sitting in twos and threes in the arcade before the building, taking advantage of the shade and relaxing, are some senior citizens. They speak and move little, most just sitting quietly, a distant look in their eyes. Time seems to have been brought to a halt by the dazzling brilliance of the stained glass windows of the church.
This is the St. Theresa Garden nursing home that the Missionaries of Charity have established in Tainan. The 14 old women that the home currently cares for live on the first floor. Most of them are victims of strokes, paralysis or senile dementia. The second floor is home to five nuns wrapped in the blue-trimmed white saris of their order who have come to Taiwan from India, Korea and the Philippines. In addition to caring for the old women at the home, they also make visits to prisons and to the homes of poor members of the church.
She was only a mother
Mother Theresa's funeral was held in India on September 13. Among the nuns here, only Mother Jonathon returned to India to attend. The others were only able to put down their work momentarily to go to the living room of the priest next door to watch the funeral on his TV, following her progress to heaven, back into the arms of the creator.
Though their eyes were glued to the screen, their expressions betrayed no sadness. When they saw the familiar sights of Calcutta's Park Street where they had studied, worked and lived, they even clapped their hands with delight. And when they heard familiar hymns, they couldn't help singing along.
For Mother Presenta, who is originally from India but has been in Taiwan for seven years, the images brought back memories of joyful days in Calcutta. "Mother was always busy, traveling about doing her work. So whenever she returned home, everyone was so happy to see her that they would gather around her to receive her greeting and benedictions."
"She is just the mother; she is not a saint," says Mother Vita who is from the Philippines. Although the world tends to think of Mother Theresa as a saint, for those who received instruction and care from her personally she was more like a loving mother.
"Everything she did was done for Jesus Christ," she explains. "In living this life and doing this work, we are following the spirit of Jesus' life, not Mother Theresa's. Although Mother has left us, God will not leave us and our life and work will not be affected."
Serving the poorest of the poor
The order of the Missionaries of Charity was founded by Mother Theresa in 1950.
Born in 1910 in what is now Macedonia as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, she became an initiate in the Irish Loretto order in 1928. The Loretto order was famous for its missionary work, especially in the Far East. When she first went to India in 1929, it was as a teacher at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. In 1931, three years after joining the Loretto order, she became a nun. Taking the name of Theresa, she continued teaching at the high school.
St. Mary's high school is famous as a school for the rich. Therefore, although the streets of Calcutta are filled with the poor and the ill, Theresa lived a life that was comfortable and secure. In 1946, while riding a train to Darjeeling, she was called by God, who told her, "Give up everything and follow Jesus among the poor. Serve Him among the poorest of the poor." This encouraged her to leave the school and take to the streets to serve the poor. Four years later she established the order of the Missionaries of Charity. Currently, the order she established has some 5000 members worldwide. Their shelters and charity organizations have been established in 127 countries while those who have been moved to enter their organizations as volunteers number more than one million.
Their aid is given to a broad range of people, for Mother Theresa's definition of poor was quite broad, including both those poor in material things and those poor in spirit. She has said that the hungry, the lonely, the ignorant, the unborn children, the victims of racial discrimination, the abandoned, the sick, the dying, convicts, drunkards and drug-users are all among those Jesus called "the least of my brothers." Moreover, to her, those lacking love were the poorest of the lot.
In 1983 the then-Bishop of the Tainan Diocese, Paul Cheng, wrote a letter to Mother Theresa asking her to send some nuns to serve in Taiwan. The next year, she sent two nuns to Tainan. At first they lived in the Catholic Church on Chinhua Street. Two years ago, they moved to their current residence in Our Lady of the Assumption Church.
"At that time, the resource most lacking in Tainan's social services was nursing homes for the elderly. The situation was especially bad for those who were poor or ill or whose families were unable to take care of them," says Rev. John B. Kung, now Chancellorof the Diocese, but at that time the assistant to Bishop Cheng.
Mother Theresa brought more nuns with her when she visited Taiwan in 1985. They established the Gift of Mary Home in Taipei County's Hsichih. Currently there are two organizations operated by the Missionaries of Charity in Taiwan, and 10 nuns of the order. The two homes are principally nursing homes for the elderly poor who have no one to take care of them. Most of these were introduced by members of the church and were allowed to come and live at the homes only after a screening by the nuns to verify that they had no family to take care of them or a family that was unable to take care of them.
The poor are the image of Christ
"Among the Catholic orders, the Missionaries of Charity choose to live the most materially poor life. They possess no more than the poor for whom they care," says Rev. Joseph Ti-kang, Archbishop of Taipei. He says that each of them is only allowed to possess two sets of clothing, one pair of shoes and one thin piece of bedding, and they must do their best to give up the use of electrical appliances.
The orders are one type of group within the Catholic church. They train monks and nuns by living and working together. But each order has different vows and rules in order to meet its own objectives and the needs of different times. For example, some require initiates to live a life of poverty, or virtue, or obedience, or service. Orders can also be divided into those that withdraw from the world and those that go into the world to serve. In choosing an order, monks and nuns may follow their own interests, aspirations, or calling.
In Taiwan there are currently more than 50 orders of nuns. Of these, the Missionaries of Charity are noted for having a particularly diligent and frugal spirit. Only one of Taiwan's own nuns has chosen to join the order, and she is still a novice.
Rev. Kung remembers that when Bishop Cheng wrote to the Missionaries of Charity, in her reply, Mother Theresa explicitly asked Cheng to let the nuns live beggars' lives, gathering donations of food and money here in Taiwan for the operation of the local organization so that they would not need support from the Missionaries of Charity headquarters.
The rules of their order do not allow them to use TVs, refrigerators, or washing machines. And when the nuns first came to Taiwan, they were determined to adhere to these regulations. But Taiwan's climate is sweltering and if food is not refrigerated it quickly rots. The Bishop hoped that they might be allowed to use a refrigerator to preserve food. He argued this point with the headquarters in India for quite a long time, finally receiving permission. On the other hand, although fans have been installed in the dormitory for the elderly residents of the home, the nuns still refuse to have them installed in their rooms.
Mother Charlene explains that experiencing the life of the poor for themselves is essential preparation for their work. She says that if you are going to serve the poor, and want them to accept that service, you must do your best to put aside ego. "If you don't live a life of poverty, how can you understand those who do?" She says, "If they are not satisfied with the food, we can say that we are eating the same thing."
The white rough-cotton robe of their order is the common Indian sari and is that which is worn by the members of the country's lowest caste. Mother Theresa viewed these low-caste persons as "God's sons and daughters." She felt that if she were going to serve the poor, it was only reasonable that she wear the same clothes as the poor.
A great love
In addition to living the same life as those they serve, they give their charges dignity and care. This is another aspect of the spirit of the Missionaries of Charity which is admired throughout the world.
"They really serve their charges; they don't just provide them with service," says Chen Chih-chien, who works at the Commission for Social Development and often goes to the Hsichih nursing home as a volunteer. Two years ago, she also went to serve at the order's Calcutta headquarters and was strongly impressed by their method of work. "They do everything, wash the elderly's clothes, bath them and feed them, all with their own hands. They are like servants waiting upon their masters." The nuns make physical contact with them and speak to them, really allowing those they serve to feel that they are cared for.
"We serve everyone with the same spirit with which we serve Jesus," says Mother Charlene.
In every mission of the Missionaries of Charity throughout the world there is an image of Jesus on the Cross above which are the words, "I am thirsty." Jesus spoke these words as his death neared. Their purpose is to remind all the members of the Missionaries of Charity that as their handbook says, the mission exists to satisfy the unquenchable thirst for spiritual love that Jesus felt on the Cross. The mission is to serve Jesus among the poor, caring for Him, feeding Him, giving clothing to Him and visiting Him.
Shen Li-wan is someone who was helped by the mission. From her youth, she was seriously addicted to drugs and was sent to prison in Tainan. Her body had been devastated by her more than ten-year use of drugs: she was nearly blind; her teeth had largely fallen out; and she was lame in both her legs. After the completion of her prison sentence, her family refused to accept her back. Fortunately, while in prison, she had encountered the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity. When she left prison, they took her in, bringing her to live at the St. Theresa Garden.
"The nuns not only wanted me, they spent a lot of money on medical care for me. I had a total of seven operations and they spent nearly NT$1 million on my treatment, all of which was money they had saved from their own frugality." She lived for somewhat over one year at the St. Theresa Garden and since leaving is not only free of her drug addiction, but has married and given birth to two children. It is as if she has been reborn. Now she even volunteers at the prison, working to help other women beat their addictions.
Faith and prayer lead to love
The spirit of the Missionaries of Charity has also infected believers in other religions. Chen Mei-yi, a member of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-chi Association, is also a volunteer at the Gift of Mary Home. She first encountered the Missionaries of Charity 10 years ago in the Hsichih evening market. She says that she saw dark-skinned Indian and Filipino nuns wearing white robes bordered in blue bent over in what remained of the twilight examining the vegetables that the vendors had thrown away. They were looking for food to take back to the home to cook. Their expressions were so natural, it seemed as if those vegetables were the finest delicacies.
Chen was moved and became one of their volunteers. She also invited other member of the Tzu-chi Association to serve with her. Ten years later, the two groups have strong feelings for one another and strongly support one another. If the nuns come across a poor family, they notify the Tzu-chi Association so that the family can receive their assistance. Likewise, if the Tzu-chi Association comes across an elderly person who is poor or alone or sick, they refer that person to the mission.
A life of poverty and constant service requires a tremendous amount of energy. Where does their energy come from?
"Faith and prayer!" Responds Mother Charlene without a moments hesitation. They pray an average of four hours a day, and attend Mass in the morning and evening, using the Gospel as the guiding principle of their everyday life. They are completely obedient to God's word. "Silence takes people to their innermost heart. Praying with your whole being, communicating with God, it is as if you have found the source of life's waters. The light and warmth of faith are turned into the strength of love."
Mother Theresa often said, "The poor don't need pity. All they need is love." And what she and her Missionaries of Charity have given is complete and undiscriminating love.
The road to Heaven
Mother Charlene feels that the principles of their life and their work are really very simple. One Indian volunteer once printed a name card for Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa liked the words on the card very much and often gave them to others. These words completely summed up her philosophy: "Silence results in true prayer. Prayer results in true faith. Faith results in true love. Love results in true service. True service results in peace."
Silence, prayer, faith, love, service and peace. . . these six steps can build a road straight to God.
"They are an important reminder to Taiwan's society to open its eyes and see the poor and the weak among us," says Li Chia-tung, Dean of Providence University and a one-time volunteer in a Calcutta hospice. He feels that people, especially people who live in self-proclaimed wealthy and civilized countries, love beauty and do their best to avoid seeing ugly and painful things. This even includes many who work in the field of religion. "The members of the Missionaries of Charity serve the poor with their own hands, which forces people to face reality."
When Mother Theresa was alive, she told the rich, "Give until it hurts." If it doesn't hurt, it is just another donation to charity. But if it hurts, the pain is that of being moved and that of feeling what the poor and the weak feel. Isn't this the start of that great love that the people of the world hope for?
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The Missionaries of Charity have established two nursing homes in Taiwan where they quietly care for elderly people who are poor, ill, or have no one else to look after them.
p.35
Although Mother Theresa has passed on, her spirit lives on in people's hearts. The Catholic Church of Taiwan chose September 10 to hold a Requiem Mass for her and to memorialize her calling to "serve Him among the poorest of the poor."
p.36
The blue-bordered white sari of their order often attracts attention to the nuns of the Missionaries of Charity when they are on the streets. It also causes people to note the nuns' charitable works and inspires them to volunteer their help.
p.39
(left) The nuns of the Missionaries of Charity see the image of Jesus in every poor person, encouraging the nuns to serve them with total devotion. (right) Stooped over to scrub the floor, Mother Theresa's "little sisters" provide the residents of their nursing homes with a sparkling clean home.
（left） The nuns of the Missionaries of Charity see the image of Jesus in every poor person, encouraging the nuns to serve them with total devotion. （right） Stooped over to scrub the floor, Mother Theresa's "little sisters" provide the residents of their nursing homes with a sparkling clean home.
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