Mother Teresa: ‘Saint of the gutters’ canonized at Vatican

In Saint Teresa’s case, the first miracle happened after a 30-year-old woman in Kolkata said she was cured of a stomach tumor after praying to Mother Teresa.

Despite that lack of faith and reassurance, she dedicated her life to the poor and sick of Kolkata, India, an exemplary life that culminated early Sunday in her canonization as the newest Roman Catholic saint.

Brazilian mechanical engineer Marcilio Andrino, left, and his wife Fernanda Nascimento Rocha attend Pope Francis’ Canonisation Mass for Mother Teresa, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Sept. 4, 2016.

Francis praised St. Teresa, who founded the Missionaries of Charity sisterhood, as a “model of holiness” for volunteers around the world.

It was in the latter role, at the head of her now worldwide order, that Teresa became one of the most famous women on the planet.

Pope Francis attributed a second miracle to her after a man with a bacterial infection in his brain purportedly recovered after praying to Mother Teresa.

In the second, approved previous year, Brazilian Marcilio Haddad Andrino says his wife’s prayers to Teresa led to brain tumors disappearing.

“Saint means really blessed by God, and really honoured by the church to set an example for all the people”, Xavier said.

“We may have some difficulty in calling her “Saint” Teresa”, Pope Francis added.

A Nobel peace laureate, her legacy complements Pope Francis’s vision of a humble church that strives to serve the poor.

Troia said what is most inspiring about Mother Teresa is that she saw “the face of God” in each person she helped throughout her life.

Born Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, Mother Teresa came to India in 1929 as a sister of the Loreto order.

The former X Factor judge, 25, sang What Child Is This? at the concert for Mother Teresa, who was proclaimed as saint by Pope Francis on Sunday.

The Vatican granted her permission to leave the Sisters of Loreto and to live her new call under the guidance of the archbishop of Kolkata. Among other critiques, she has been accused of offering stingy or substandard medical care; of proselytizing to her patients; of claiming virtue in suffering rather than trying to alleviate it; cozying up to dictators; and of promoting her efforts to a global media eager for heroes.

Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910, she took her religious vows in 1931 and chose the name Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron of missionaries.

“Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa are the church figures I admire and love most and in some way all three are here today”, O’Brien said.

Sainthood is one of the Catholic Church’s highest honors, but Francis noted that Teresa’s humanity made it hard to begin referring to her by her new title.

Sunday’s festivities honoring Mother Teresa weren’t limited to Rome: In Kolkata, where she spent a lifetime dedicated to the poor, a special Sunday Mass was held at the order’s Mother House.

Some criticise her for accepting money from dictators and allegedly doing little to tackle the main causes of poverty.

St. Teresa began her charitable work over 50 years ago in the slums of Calcutta, one of India’s poorest and most populous cities, and went on to touch the hearts of people around the world. He said it was an experience he will not soon forget also receiving a token from her.