I had the opportunity to be with
people who were literally dying— holding their hands, putting oil on their rough skin, picking worms from their stomach and lice from their hair. It was what all Christians are called to do, and I had the privilege of doing it alongside Mother Teresa. Mother’s mis- sion was to care only for those most in need, such as the people at Khalighat who were in their final 48 hours of life and had no one else. For some of my time in Calcutta I
lived at a guest house, and the rest of the time I lived at the Mother House where Mother and the other sisters resided. Living there was another humbling but gratifying experience. We awoke at 4:45 for morning prayers and washed our clothes on hard rocks. Sitting on the floor of the simple cha- pel with Mother and the other sisters for morning Mass prepared me for the strenuous work ahead. After Mass each day Mother would bless us, and I felt the power of God come through her small hands. She was quite small in size but robust in power and prayerfulness. Walking to work I stumbled over
people dying in the streets. I had to choose among them to decide who I would pick up and bring to Khalighat so they could spend their last 24-48 hours dying with dignity, being cared for by myself or one of the sisters. As Mother always reminded us, each of these “untouchables” was Jesus. After a year in Calcutta I returned
to Chicago, where I took to heart Mother’s words about serving those most in need. I worked as a therapist for children and teenagers with HIV and AIDS, then worked at a residential treatment facility for runaway teens. Hoping to make a larger impact,
I came to Loyola to pursue a second master’s degree in organizational development and started my own consulting practice, which allows me to weave together my faith, passion for social justice, and leadership skills. Today I serve in a variety of roles: as a management and leadership consul- tant for nonprofits, a therapist for fami- lies moving overseas, an administrator of bullying prevention programs in the
Archdiocese of Chicago—all of which are an extension of my time in Calcutta and my Jesuit education. Loyola has given me the tools to truly imple- ment the concept of being a person for others, and I’ve been privileged to pass that on to students in the School of Social Work graduate program as a professor for the past 10 years. When Mother died, I returned to
Calcutta and joined the sisters in pre- paring her body for visitors to pay their last respects. For the funeral, I rounded up some people from her homes to participate in the Mass, knowing that having some of her beloved people involved in the funeral would be just what Mother would have wanted. In 2003 I had the honor of attending Mother’s beatification in Rome. This past September I traveled there again to be present at the canonization where she became an official saint of the Catholic Church. Of course, I’ve al- ways considered her to be a living saint, but it was still appropriate for her to be officially recognized by the Church. I could go on and on about my time
in Calcutta and how Mother inspired me as a child and, even now, as an adult. But Mother Teresa was not “just” an inspiration to me. She helped me through my darkest moments, filling a significant void—first through her let- ters and later as a personal role model. Being a person for others is more
than a catchy slogan. It is a way of life that isn’t always easy, but one that is rewarding and life-giving. Along with St. Ignatius of Loyola, our new St. Teresa of Calcutta serves as a role model who taught me to see God in everyone. I can only hope that I might be half of the inspiration to my college and graduate students as Mother was to me. L
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR J. Breezer Rickey (MSOD ’02) is a licensed clinician and organizational consul- tant in Chicago. In addition to being a Loyola alumna, she is also on faculty at the University, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in the areas of leadership, ethics, race, and culture.
STATUS UPDATE
What was your favorite class at Loyola?
Inorganic Chemistry with Dr. John Huston.
His demonstrations (specially the one on exothermic reac- tions) were a blast—yes, a real blast. —Jose Izquierdo-Rivera (BA ’76)
Any Beth Konrad course, American Foreign Policy
with John O’Leary, Catholic Political Thought with Robert Mayer, Weather/Climatology with Rick De Maio. —Garrison Carr (JFRC Spring ’10, BA ’12, BASC ’12) @GarrisonCarr
Loved all my nursing clinicals, but didn’t love
getting up at 6 a.m. to be able to get to the hospital by 7 a.m. while my roommates slept. —Nancy Grbavac Perovic (BSN ’89)
The sonnet seminar with Mr. Kaminski in
2001—not because I loved poetry (though he helped me learn to like sonnets) or loved writing (even as an English major!), but because he
helped us read carefully and critically and treated us with such respect. That class changed my life and influ- ences how I teach now as an English professor myself. —Jessica Nastal-Dema (BA ’02)
Brain and Behavior with Dr. Leidahl in the Crown
Center Auditorium. —Tim Burrow (MA ’05)
Hard to have just one: Urban Policies,
Problems with Twyla B. Larnell; Challenges Facing the New POTUS with John Pelissero; Management with Amy Kyhos. —Tyler L. Hough (BA ’15) @tylerLhough
Professor John Slania’s classes. He’d give you
a C+ for your first draft and shock you into turning that into A+ material. —Anthe Mitrakos (BA ’10)
Join the conversation Twitter: @Loyola_Alumni
Facebook.com/LUCalumni
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