St. Teresa of Calcutta documentary moves and inspires, critic says

Mother Teresa: No Greater Love, a feature-length documentary film produced by the Knights of Columbus, will appear in local theaters through Fathom Events on Oct. 3 and 4. (Photo courtesy of motherteresamovie.com)

By Ann Margaret Lewis

Several films have been made on St. Teresa of Calcutta, including the 1969 documentary Something Beautiful for God that first brought attention to her work, the 2003 miniseries Mother Teresa starring Olivia Hussey, and the critical (and I believe slanderous) 1994 documentary by Christopher Hitchens called Hell’s Angel.

Now, for the first time since her death, a feature-length documentary called Mother Teresa: No Greater Love will appear in select theaters on Oct. 3 and 4. It focuses on the true life and legacy of the woman we still lovingly call “Mother Teresa.”

Produced by the Knights of Columbus, the documentary marks the 25th anniversary of her death on Sept. 5, 1997. It includes vivid new footage shot on five continents and explores the life of the saint and her impact on the world’s poor through her religious order, the Missionaries of Charity.

The work is expertly filmed with moving, often intense, photography of the places she and her sisters have served, a ministry that continues today, even here in Indianapolis at their Queen of Peace shelter and convent on Indianapolis’s near east side. The stories of her past and the creation of her order are told in flashback sections presented by suitable actors.

What struck me most about the film was the exploration of what the Missionaries of Charity do today for the poor and how her charism and emphasis on personal holiness have become the inspiration for so many. The historical footage of her at work is mirrored in the work of the sisters, priests and laypeople who continue her mission to “quench the thirst of Christ” for souls today.

Viewing this film caused me to examine my own life and how I serve Christ in the poor. the documentary inspired me.

Featured through Fathom Events, it will be shown at 7 p.m. on Oct. 3 and 4 in select theaters throughout the country, including Avon, Bloomington, Greenwood, Indianapolis, New Albany, Plainfield and Terre Haute. To find a local theater, to purchase tickets or for more information, go to motherteresamovie.com.
 

(Ann Margaret Lewis is a member of SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral Parish and is the executive assistant to the director of communications for the archdiocese.) †