ALUMNI VOICES Mother Teresa and me
The Church’s newest saint was much more than just an inspiration • BY J. BREEZER RICKEY (MSOD ’02) I was 12 years old when I first read
about Mother Teresa in a Chicago newspaper. She was identified as the “Saint of the Gutters,” and I was in awe of her love and compassion to serve the poorest of the poor. Frankly, I wondered if she was even real. So I decided to find out for myself by writing her a letter.
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e t e p , I w
ea . So I d f by w est of t e p d if s e w s e
d to f d o t f g h r a l
Dealing with my own struggles at the time, I poured my 12-year- old heart out to her. Sure enough, Mother Teresa responded to my letter, giving me hope to continue through the pain I was feeling.
42 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
Over time, her letters became the strength I needed in the darkest times. With her inspiration and encouragement, I decided at that point that I would devote my own life to serving others. Years later, at the age of 27, my
dreams of serving the poor along- side Mother Teresa became a real- ity. I quit my job as a social worker in Chicago and hopped on a plane for Calcutta, India, to join Mother at one of her homes for the poor. Up- on my arrival I was immediately put to work—my first stop was Shishu
Bhavan, a home for orphaned and sick children where all volunteers must start out. Most volunteers only last a few days, as the work is not easy and is often psychological- ly and physically draining. Because I was volunteering for longer than three months, I was able to work mornings at Khalighat, the home of the dying destitutes, and in the afternoons teaching math and Eng- lish to children in the back alleys. But nothing, not even a master’s degree in social work, could have prepared me for this.
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