The Knights of Columbus Museum will celebrate the canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta with a series of events beginning Friday, Sept. 2, 2016.
The original of the official canonization portrait will be received at the Museum in a ceremony at 10:15 a.m. Titled “St. Teresa of Calcutta: Carrier of God’s Love,” the painting was commissioned as a gift to the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded in 1950 by Mother Teresa. Painted by Chas Fagan, a Yale University alum living in North Carolina, the portrait was selected by the Mother Teresa Center as the official image that will be draped from the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City during the Sept. 4 canonization ceremony.

In addition to the painting, the Knights of Columbus has donated more than a million holy cards bearing the official image for distribution in St. Peter’s Square on canonization day. Printed at the Knights of Columbus printing plant in New Haven, an estimated 500,000 more cards are being printed for distribution by Missionaries of Charity at their various homes and centers.

Also on Sept. 2, a relic of Mother Teresa will be available for public veneration from 12-4 p.m. The relic may be venerated Sept. 3-7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Sept. 6, when veneration will continue until 7 p.m.

The Museum will welcome Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle for a presentation on Mother Teresa’s spirituality and mission Sunday, Sept. 4, at 2 p.m. In addition, she will do a book signing of her books. Donna-Marie will also be present on September 2, 2016 and available for interviews that morning. Donna-Marie was blessed to know Mother Teresa for ten years. She is a popular speaker and author of several books, including “Mother Teresa and Me: Ten Years of Friendship,” “The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me To Discover the Beauty of the Cross,” and “Bringing Lent Home with Mother Teresa.”

The Museum’s display, “Mother Teresa: Saint of the Streets,” continues until Nov. 6, however the original painting is available to be viewed for only a limited time. It is to be formally presented at the Mother Teresa Center in Rome at an undetermined date.