AMU Students Among University Representatives to Mother Teresa's Canonization
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Published on Friday, 02 September 2016 23:43
Ave Maria junior John Benz(right) has felt a special closeness to Mother Teresa his whole life, so he says he is particularly excited to be traveling to Rome with a group of 30 other AMU students for her canonization.
"My whole family has been very close to her," he said before boarding a plane in Tampa for the flight to Rome. "My parents met at a soup kitchen in New York City run by the Missionaries of Charity, and they later volunteered with the sisters in Calcutta."
The AMU students arrived in Rome Friday morning. For many of them, it's their first time in the Eternal City and they are also looking forward to exploring before returning to Florida Tuesday.
Victoria Antrim, a senior, said she was overjoyed when she was picked to go on the trip. "It's a special year for me. I went to World Youth Day in Poland, where I felt a connection to Saint John Paul II, and now am attending the canonization of Mother Teresa. Both had strong influences on me."
She said the students were selected by lottery for the trip from a group of about 60 who expressed interest in going. She worked during the summer to raise money to go, but "the school made it really affordable," she said.
In addition to the students, AMU also has another delegation of 32 people going to Rome that includes AMU trustees, spouses, guests and other representatives of the university.
A number of special events for students and faculty are planned on campus in the week following the canonization including lectures and special tours of AMU's museum dedicated to the life of Mother Teresa.
Activities culminate with a feast day celebration Saturday, Sept. 10, to which members of the public are invited. The day's events begin with a bilingual Spanish-English Mass in the oratory. After that, there will be an Indian meal and stage festivities in the AMU student union ballroom that will be attended by sisters from the Missionaries of Charity from Miami as well as some of the people they serve. Tickets for the meal are $15 for adults, $10 for children and can be purchased at the door.
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