My involvement on dear Mother Teresa's 100th birthday...

I'd like to let you know about my involvement on Blessed Mother Teresa's 100th birthday and how honored I feel to be a part of the celebration, but first some words from the Knights of Columbus regarding their exhibit: "Mother Teresa: Life, Spirituality and Message," in observance of the 100th anniversary of the sainthood candidate’s date of birth on August 26, 1910. ...

K of C Museum features American premiere of Mother Teresa exhibit Saintly nun of the Calcutta slums born 100 years ago

(NEW HAVEN, CT) — At a time when meaning and achievement in life was too often defined by what one has, Mother Teresa of Calcutta rose to the heights of global recognition and respect by giving everything away. The Knights of Columbus Museum is hosting the American premiere of an exhibition, Mother Teresa: Life, Spirituality and Message, in observance of the 100th anniversary of the sainthood candidate’s date of birth on August 26, 1910. The diminutive nun was a giant among international humanitarians. Her life’s undertaking and that of the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order she founded, was to provide “wholehearted, free service to the poorest of the poor.” Her outreach included refugees, AIDS victims, lepers, former prostitutes and addicts, the mentally ill, sick and abandoned children, the aged, and physically handicapped. Her community of religious sisters, brothers and priests run schools for street children, soup kitchens, orphanages, homes for women, hospices for the dying, providing service regardless of religion or ethnicity. Among Mother Teresa’s many honors were the Nobel Peace Prize (1979), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (religion, 1985) and the Congressional Gold Medal (humanitarian and charitable activities, 1997). She was also the inaugural recipient of the Knights of Columbus’ highest honor, the Gaudium et Spes Award (Christian faith and service, 1992). The exhibition, which runs from March 25 - Oct. 4, 2010, is a historical presentation, chronicling Mother Teresa’s life from childhood to beatification by the Catholic Church. It includes biographical information, artifacts such as her sari and other religious and personal articles, as well as a full-scale replica of Mother Teresa’s convent cell (room) in her Calcutta convent. Both during her lifetime and after her death, the Knights of Columbus has supported the work of her religious order financially as well as providing printing services for the spiritual support of her religious order and its members. Knights also have supported and volunteered in her order’s North American soup kitchens. Mother Teresa addressed the assembled employees of the Knights of Columbus in the organization’s New Haven headquarters in 1988. Details of her close relationship with the K of C are also included in the exhibit. The Knights of Columbus Museum, located at One State Street in New Haven, is open Wednesdays-Sundays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Call 203-865-0400 or visit kofcmuseum.org for directions or more information.

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I am honored to have been asked by the Knights of Columbus to offer a presentation, do a book signing and to be present for the festivities on August 26th, Mother Teresa's birthday. Here are the details...

WHERE:

Knights of Columbus Museum

One Columbus Plaza

New Haven CT 06510

(kofc.museum.org)

SCHEDULE:

August 26, 2010 (Blessed Mother Teresa's 100th birthday)

10:00 AM: Exhibition opens

11:30 AM Unveiling of Mother Teresa postage stamp by New Haven

postmaster

12:15 PM: Birthday celebration (cake)

2:00 PM: Meet Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, TV host and author of Mother Teresa

and Me: Ten Years of Friendship

4:30 PM: Light reception and book signing by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle

5:30 PM: Presentation: "Discovering Calcutta in Our Midst: Mother Teresa's Lessons of Love" by Donna Marie Cooper-O’Boyle

7:00 PM Exhibition closes