NAZARETH – On Wednesday, 5 September, 2018, three Missionaries of Charity Brothers Contemplatives profess their Perpetual Vows in the Basilica of the Annunciation.

On the day when the Catholic Church celebrates St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, three Missionaries of Charity Brothers Contemplatives; Br. Ricardo Visbal M.C., Br. Dominic D’souza M.C. and Br. Paolo Lleshaj, have professed their vows for life, as well as a fourth specific vow consisting of “whole-hearted free service to the poorest of the poor.”

The Missionaries of Charity Brothers are part of the great religious family and they were founded by Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1979 as a religious institute of diocesan right. They profess a fourth vow, thought and wanted by Mother Teresa herself, which is added to the three classics of obedience, poverty and chastity.

In front of the faithful, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, presided the Mass. Fr. Sebastian Vazhakala M.C., who co-founded this Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity with Mother Teresa, also concelebrated the Mass. Among those present were Br. Bruno Varriano, guardian and rector of the Basilica of the Annunciation and Fr. Hanna Kildani, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Israel.

In his homily, Archbishop Pizzaballa urged the brothers to be witnesses in the present, signaling the opportunity for Christians to be perceived by people as something different; contextualizing the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 25, 42 ss. “Because I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink …”). He stressed that the vocation of the Missionaries of Charity is to recognize Christ in the poorest, insisting on the link for which love for the poor is an expression of love for God. In accordance with the fourth vow of the three consecrates and the same as Mother Teresa, the Apostolic Administrator has also stressed the clarity of words of the Gospel in question, for which there is no room for personal interpretation, nor for compromise.

Before the blessing Fr. Sebastian Vazhakala, first thanking Archbishop Pizzaballa and then all present for their participation as “one family” “in the Spirit”. Naturally, there was a tribute moved to Mother Teresa, among whom she recalled some words on the condition of the people of Calcutta, “not really poor” because, despite her indigence, she is rich in faith in God.
The solemn celebration was followed by the procession from the Upper Basilica, in which the functions took place, to the Lower Basilica, which houses the Grotto of the Annunciation.