Representatives of six different committees gathered on Sunday, November 27, at St Paul’s College for the annual meeting organised by Mother Teresa Interfaith Committee in Auckland. The event was also a celebration of the life and work of Saint Teresa of Kolkata, who was earlier this year canonized at the Vatican City by Pope Francis.
Each of the representatives from the six different communities—Hindu, Christians, Islams, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, and Sikhs—alongside Members of the Parliament Kanwaljit Bakshi and Melissa Lee, Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff, and the High Commissioner of India to New Zealand Sanjiv Kohli lit the lamp at the altar—a traditional Indian practice seen at the start of an event.
Gautam Lewis, a pilot who was taken into refuge as an orphan by Mother Teresa almost four decades ago in Kolkata, India, was invited to be the chief guest at the event. The Kiwi-Brit-Indian travelled from London to honour the inspiring life of Saint Teresa at the annual event.
Mr Lewis, a polio survivor, shared his incredible journey from being an orphan to becoming a renowned and a successful businessman that he is today. The pilot, who also runs an aviation school for the disabled in the UK, expressed his gratitude towards Mother Teresa, who raised him like hundreds of other abandoned children at an orphanage in Kolkata.
The event, aimed to bring different communities together under one roof to forge better bonds among one another, commenced with a traditional Maori welcome, followed by the lighting of the lamps and an address by the dignitaries, and a short dance performance by members of the Fu Guang Shan Buddhist temple in Botany.
The dignitaries acknowledged the contributions of Mother Teresa and the change she brought into the world through her simplicity and righteousness.
The Mother Teresa Interfaith Committee was formed in 2010 with representatives from major religious faiths in New Zealand, primarily to commemorate the centenary of Mother Teresa.
Wenceslaus Anthony, the Head of the Committee recalled his close association with the Saint Teresa of Kolkata while welcoming guests to the event.
“It was a great blessing for me to have known Mother from childhood and having worked with her as a student in Kolkata and then keeping close touch with her when I started my professional career till she passed away,” said Mr Anthony
The success of the first interfaith meeting and the increasing interest from the ethnic groups turned the meeting into an annual event.
Earlier, the Mother Teresa Interfaith Committee in Auckland has held a Holy Mass in September to commemorate the event of canonization. Mother Teresa was also bestowed with Padma Shri (India’s fourth highest civilian award) in 1962, Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award) in 1980, and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
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