Book Reviews and More: Saint Teresa of Kolkata Missionary of Charity - Mary Kathleen Glavich and Barbara Kiwak

Saint Teresa of Kolkata
Missionary of Charity
Encounter the Saints Series Book 17
Mary Kathleen Glavich
Barbara Kiwak (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819890757

This book was originally published in 2003 as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: Missionary of Charity, it was later published as Saint Teresa of Calcutta: Missionary of Charity, and is now republished as Saint Teresa of Kolkata: Missionary of Charity it does not appear that the text was revised much across the three editions. Of the 37 books in the series this is one of 18 that is only available in a physical book. There are no eBook editions available. But it is part of an amazing series of book. This book is an excellent read and the whole Encounter the Saints Series, from Pauline Books and Media, are wonderful reads. They were written for younger readers but are great reads at any age. I started reading these books with my three children, but I keep reading ahead of where I am at with them, I find I cannot put these books down I am now only one book shy of having the whole series.

The chapters in this book about Saint Teresa of Kolkata are:
1. Happy Years
2. Family of Love
3. Mission Call
4. Leaving Home
5. A Loreto Sister
6. Kolkata
7. The Second Call
8. Toward the Dream
9. Creek Street Home
10. First Missionaries of Charity
11. The New Motherhouse
12. Place of the Pure Heart
13. A Home for Children
14. City of Peace
15. Growth
16. Branching Out
17. A Family Cross
18. Around the World
19. Gratitude and Honors
20. Courageous Love
21. Final Sufferings
22. Saint of the People
Prayer
Glossary

There are likely few people in the whole who do not know the name of Mother Teresa of Calcutta or Kolkata. But this little volume of 136 pages does an incredible job of giving us a glimpse of her life, her mission and her suffering. The stories in this book span from when she was 2 years old until her burial. The life that she lived of certitude, steadfastness, and living compassion is an example to all of us. Many both within and outside the Catholic church have had an appreciation for this woman, this saint. This book is a great way to introduce her to the next generation; a generation that did not grow up reading about her in the news, about her accomplishments, and about her continuous service.

The author of this work also penned one other book in the series but has written many books about the Catholic faith. Her writing style is very engaging and this was one of the best reads so far in the series for my children and me. The illustrator on the other hand, Barbara Kiwak, illustrated 7 book in this series. All of the books in the series we have read to date, have 5 illustrations spread throughout the book. Because of various artists there are very different styles. The illustrations in this book appear to be pencil or charcoal sketches. My children really loved the illustrations in this book. We have only read one of the other books illustrated by Barbara but look forward to encountering more of her artwork.

As always one of the things my children love the most about this series is the prayers at the end of the book. The prayer to Saint Teresa is:

"Saint Teresa of Kolkata, you bravely answeredGod's call twice and taught the world how to putlove into action. You saw Jesus in the poorest ofthe poor and responded with love. The dying,unwanted children, the lepers and the abandonedall came to know God's love through you.

Now pray for us, that we too may answerGod's call to do more. Let us trust God to providefor us as we do what he wants. May we follow youradvice to love until it hurts and do it with a smile,beginning with our family and friends. Then wetoo will make our lives something beautiful forGod! Amen."

This book is an incredible read in an amazing series. I think it was a wonderful introduction to Saint Teresa for my children. After reading this book my oldest ask that when I pray for her at the end of each day that I pray that she hear God's call. I do pray that for each of my children and that they become the best version of themselves. This book and this series will help with that by showing them many different ways of following God, of following where he leads, of following his call.

I loved this book and this series. There are currently 37 books in this series, including The Saints Pray for Us, and I have read over a third of them. I have read book 1 and book 36 and a number in between. The books in this series are written with a target audience of 9-12 year olds, and my 11 year old can read them without any difficulty, and my 9 year old needs help with some words. I believe that anyone who reads these books will have their faith enriched. This book as mentioned is part of the Encounter the Saints Series; from Pauline Books and Media. This is another inspiring book in a wonderful series and I highly recommend both the book and the series.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!