SAINT TERESA OF CALCUTTA FEAST DAY AND THE MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY

A Journey of Faith, Service, and Encounter 

“We can do no great things—only small things with great love.”
— Saint Teresa of Calcutta

There are certain places in our lives that, over the years, become far more than physical locations. They become places of memory, friendship, prayer, and service, places where different chapters of our lives seem to come together whenever we return. For my wife, Lily, and me, Saint Augustine Church in Newark, New Jersey, has become one of those very special places, largely because of our longstanding relationship with the Missionaries of Charity and the remarkable sisters who have devoted their lives to serving the poor and forgotten of that community.

On September 5, 2026, we had the privilege of returning to Saint Augustine's to celebrate the Feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta with the sisters. We arrived for the 9:30 morning Mass and found more than 200 people gathering—families arriving with their children, parishioners, volunteers, friends of the sisters, and people whose lives had been touched in one way or another by the extraordinary witness of Mother Teresa. There was a warmth throughout the church that was difficult to describe, because this was not simply a gathering to remember someone who had died; it felt much more like a family coming together to celebrate someone whose presence and example remain very much alive.

As the Mass unfolded, I found myself thinking about how many years had passed since my first encounters with the Missionaries of Charity and how many memories had accumulated along the way. What began with seeing the sisters serving homeless men and women at Columbus Circle in New York City eventually led Lily and me to Saint Augustine's, where we would come to know the sisters personally, assist in their soup kitchen, share Thanksgiving with them, and develop friendships that have continued through the years. Yesterday's celebration seemed to gather all of those experiences into one beautiful morning.

A First Encounter With Mother Teresa

My own journey with Mother Teresa began long before our relationship with the Missionaries of Charity at Saint Augustine's. In 1976, I drove a bus filled with campers from Don Bosco College in Newton, New Jersey, to the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia. I brought along my 35-millimeter camera to document the extraordinary gathering, never imagining that I would have the opportunity to encounter one of the world's most remarkable women of faith.

After Mother Teresa had spoken, she walked through the gathering toward me. I stood there in awe as she passed close by, remembering the extraordinary privilege of being there that day and of having brought young people to experience such a giant of the faith.

More than three decades later, at Columbus Circle in New York City, I encountered something that brought that memory back to me. There, in the heart of Manhattan, I saw the Missionaries of Charity carrying Mother Teresa's work into a new century, serving homeless men and women near the entrance to Central Park. The woman I had encountered in Philadelphia in 1976 was no longer physically present, but her mission was unmistakably alive in the sisters who continued her work.

That realization stayed with me and eventually became part of our own relationship with the Missionaries of Charity at Saint Augustine's in Newark.

Finding a Second Home at Saint Augustine's

Lily and I visited Saint Augustine Church in Newark, where we had opportunities to speak with the sisters, visit with them, and assist with their ministry at the soup kitchen. Some of those moments were captured in photographs that have become very special to us, including photographs of Lily helping the sisters and of the three of us together with Sister Lazerena.

Looking back at those photographs now, I realize that they capture much more than a particular afternoon or a particular act of service. They capture the beginning of friendships and the quiet development of a relationship that would continue through many years.

The sisters became familiar faces, and Saint Augustine's became a place to which we could return.

One of the things that has always touched me about the sisters is their ability to make people feel welcome without ever making a production of it. Their work is demanding, their responsibilities are enormous, and yet there has always been a warmth in their presence that makes even a brief conversation feel meaningful.

Thanksgiving Among the Poor

That relationship became particularly meaningful on Thanksgiving Day in 2021, when Lily and I returned to Saint Augustine's to help the sisters serve the hungry and homeless.

It was Thanksgiving, a day when most families were gathered around their own tables, yet inside Saint Augustine's there was a different kind of gathering taking place. Volunteers arrived to help prepare and serve meals, and young people from Ramsey High School, Immaculate Heart Academy, and New Jersey City University joined their families and others in giving their time to the sisters' ministry.

After helping at the soup kitchen, two sisters, two volunteers, and I loaded approximately 50 hot turkey dinners into a van and traveled throughout Newark, including the area around Newark Penn Station and other locations where homeless people gathered. Within approximately an hour, the meals had been distributed. 

Yet what I remember most clearly is not the number of dinners we delivered or how quickly they were gone. It was the response of the people who received them—the gratitude expressed for something as simple as a hot Thanksgiving meal and the dignity with which people accepted what was being offered.

Those encounters stay with you.

They have a way of putting everything else into perspective.

When the Sisters Remembered Lily

There is another memory from our years with the sisters that has always meant a great deal to both Lily and me.

When I returned to Saint Augustine's after some time had passed, the sisters remembered us. They remembered Lily and asked about her.

That simple act of remembrance was deeply touching.

In a world where people can so easily become passing faces and brief encounters, being remembered carries a special significance. The sisters had encountered countless people through their ministry, yet they remembered Lily.

It was one of those quiet moments that says far more than words can express.

A Morning in Honor of Mother Teresa

Yesterday's Feast Day celebration brought all of those memories back.

Following the beautiful 9:30 a.m. Mass, we gathered for breakfast and fellowship, and the sisters graciously welcomed us into the celebration. Conversations continued around the tables, families remained together, children moved among their parents, and the sisters shared stories that gave everyone present a more intimate glimpse into the life of their beloved foundress.

One of the most memorable parts of the morning was hearing the sisters speak about their personal encounters with Mother Teresa.

There is something very different about hearing a saint described by someone who actually knew her. Mother Teresa is familiar to millions of people through photographs, books, films, and stories, but the sisters carry memories that are much more personal. They remembered her as the woman they encountered in their daily lives, the woman whose presence, words, and example shaped their own vocations.

Listening to them, I found myself thinking about how extraordinary it is that the influence of one person can continue through the lives of others so many years later.

Mother Teresa was not simply being remembered yesterday.

In a very real sense, she was present in the stories being told about her and in the mission that the sisters continue to carry forward.

A Medal in a Child's Hands

During the fellowship, I also had the privilege of distributing medals of Saint Teresa of Calcutta and holy cards that the sisters had provided for the guests.

I especially enjoyed giving them to the children who had come with their parents and families.

There was something particularly beautiful about seeing a young child receive a medal of Mother Teresa. Perhaps it was simply a small religious medal in that moment, but it represented something much larger—a first personal connection with a saint whose life has inspired people throughout the world.

I wondered how many of those children would remember yesterday years from now.

Perhaps one of them will look at that medal someday as an adult and remember being at Saint Augustine's with his or her family on September 5, 2026, surrounded by more than 200 people who had gathered to honor Mother Teresa.

We never know what memories will remain with a child or what small moment may eventually become significant in a person's life.

But yesterday, those children were there, and they were part of the celebration.

That alone was beautiful to see.

The Mission Continues

As the morning continued, I found myself reflecting on how remarkable it was to be sitting there with the sisters after all these years. Mother Teresa had been gone from this world for many years, yet the mission she entrusted to her sisters was unmistakably alive in the room around us. Their stories, their hospitality, their service to the poor, and the warmth with which they welcomed Lily and me brought back memories of the many years that had passed since my first encounter with Mother Teresa and, later, with the sisters carrying her work forward.

Looking back, there is a remarkable continuity to it all. I think of that day in 1976 when I brought young people from Don Bosco College to the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia and watched Mother Teresa walk through the gathering after speaking. I think of seeing her sisters serving homeless men and women at Columbus Circle decades later, and of realizing that the woman I had encountered in Philadelphia was still present through the work they continued in her name. I think of Lily helping at the soup kitchen at Saint Augustine's, of Thanksgiving Day in 2021 and the hot turkey dinners we carried throughout Newark, and of the many conversations and friendships that developed with the sisters along the way.

And then there was yesterday.

More than 200 people gathered at Saint Augustine's to celebrate the Feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Families came with their children, friends gathered together, and the sisters welcomed everyone with the same quiet warmth that has characterized our encounters with them through the years. After Mass, as we shared breakfast and fellowship, the stories continued, and I found myself grateful for the privilege of simply being there.

I was especially touched when the sisters provided medals of Saint Teresa and holy cards for the guests, giving me the opportunity to distribute them, particularly to the children who had come with their parents. Watching those young faces receive something bearing the image of Mother Teresa was a fitting moment in a celebration centered upon a woman whose influence has reached so many generations.

As Lily and I prepared to leave Saint Augustine's, I realized that yesterday was not really a separate event from all that had come before. It was another chapter in a relationship that has unfolded over many years—a relationship that began with an encounter, grew through service and friendship, and continues through the sisters who faithfully carry Mother Teresa's mission forward.

For Lily and me, yesterday was a gift. We were grateful to be with the sisters again, grateful to hear their personal memories of Mother Teresa, grateful for the fellowship and friendship that followed Mass, and especially grateful to see so many families and children gathered together in her honor.

As we left, I thought once more of the words attributed to Saint Teresa:

“We can do no great things—only small things with great love.”

Looking back over the years, those words seem to capture something essential about what we have witnessed through the Missionaries of Charity. Their work has never depended upon doing something spectacular. It has been built through countless acts of love, repeated quietly and faithfully, day after day, year after year, person after person.

Perhaps that is why yesterday's celebration felt so deeply personal. It was not simply a commemoration of a saint from another time and place. It was an encounter with a living legacy—one that we have been privileged to witness through the sisters, through the people they serve, and through the friendships that have grown from our own encounters with them.

Saint Augustine Church has become part of our story, and yesterday, on the Feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Lily and I were grateful to return once again.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.

About the Author

Vincent J. Bove is a nationally recognized authority on ethical leadership, violence prevention, and law enforcement resiliency.

A sought-after speaker and prolific author, his work has influenced agencies and institutions across the United States for more than 25 years.

Bove has authored more than 400 published articles and four books addressing critical issues in public safety, leadership, and moral courage. 

His book Reawakening America© was named a finalist for ASIS International’s Book of the Year. Listen to Their Cries© was selected and sponsored for distribution to all attendees—students representing institutions from across the United States—at the National Conference on Ethics in America by the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic at the United States Military Academy, at the request of a coalition of West Point graduates involved in the conference.

He was appointed the first-ever Honorary Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker by the New York City Police Department, conducting leadership and resiliency initiatives across all five boroughs of New York City.

Bove is also the author of more than seventy articles published in Law Officer, a national publication serving law enforcement professionals across the United States. His work emphasizes ethical leadership, preventive strategies, officer resilience, and the preservation of public trust in modern policing—drawing on American history and enduring leadership traditions to reinforce the importance of character, accountability, and moral courage.

He is a trusted voice at Federal Bureau of Investigation venues, United States Military Academy, and numerous U.S. military facilities. A longtime author for the National Association of Chiefs of Police, he has written 18 cover stories and contributed to shaping national law enforcement dialogue through feature articles and reports.

“Vincent J. Bove is considered one of the foremost national experts on school and workplace violence prevention, specializing in facility protection, evacuations, terrorism prevention, and leadership training.” — U.S. Senate

PHOTO: Vincent J. Bove conducting an ethical leadership, morale, and resiliency initiative at the NYPD 75th Precinct, Brooklyn, August 13, 2026. (Photo by NYPD Officer Justin Constantino for RALLC)

PHOTOS

1. Collage photos from Saint Mother Teresa Feast, Saint Augustine Church, Newark, New Jersey, September 5, 2026. (Vincent J. Bove for Reawakening America LLC)

2. Lily Bove assisting the Missionary Sisters of Charity at their Soup Kitchen, Saint Augustine's Parish, Newark, NJ, Feb. 12, 2017. (Vincent J. Bove)

3. Missionaries of Charity, Columbus Circle area near entrance to Central Park, New York, NY, Sept. 4, 2011. (Vincent J. Bove)

4. Vincent Bove, Sister Lazerena, Lily Bove (left to right) Saint Augustine's Soup Kitchen, Newark, NJ, Feb. 12, 2017 (Courtesy Reawakening America LLC)

5. Mother Teresa serves food to the poor in Calcutta, India, in October 1979. (Photo by Calogero Cascio/Getty Images)