Marquette and Archdiocese to honor Mother Teresa with Mass; MU hosting archives exhibit for canonization into sainthood

August 26, 2016

Mother Teresa came to Marquette in 1981 for university's highest honor

MILWAUKEE — Marquette University will honor Mother Teresa with a Mass on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at noon on Marquette's campus. The Mass will take place near a Mother Teresa statue outside of Schroeder Complex (561 N. 15th Street), just north of Clybourn Street. Rev. Thomas Krettek, S.J., vice president of mission and ministry for Marquette, will preside along with Rev. John Burns of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Mother Teresa will be canonized into sainthood of the Catholic Church on Sunday, Sept. 4 in Rome outside of the Vatican.

More than 35 years ago, Marquette honored Mother Teresa with the Père Marquette Discovery Award, the university's highest honor. The event took place on June 13, 1981, and more than 10,000 people gathered in the (then) MECCA Arena to celebrate with her.

Media Availability for Archdiocese of MILWAUKEE — TUES, AUG.30, 8:30 A.M.

Fr. Bill Stanfield and a group of 26 pilgrims will be leaving Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (W314 N7462 Hwy-83, North Lake, Wis., 262-966-2191) to go to Rome for the canonization. Fr. Bill and the pilgrims are open to interviews at 8:30 a.m. before their bus leaves. Fr. Bill will also be available for interviews while he is traveling (contact him at pastor@blteresaparish.org).

Media Availability at Marquette University – WED, AUG. 31, 11:30 A.M.

At 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 31, Marquette will have two staff members who played a key part in Mother Teresa's 1981 visit available for interviews (also at the Mother Teresa statue outside of Schroeder Complex (561 N. 115 Street)). They are as follows:

  • Dan Johnson, Marquette's current chief photographer in its Center for Teaching and Learning, was also the lead photographer for Mother Teresa's 1981 visit. Johnson beautifully documented more than 1,400 photographs of the famed missionary.
  • Susan Mountin, a current director in Marquette's Office of Mission and Ministry, coordinated 180 Eucharistic ministers during the 1981 Mass. Mother Teresa prayed with Mountin for her unborn child, as she was pregnant with her second child at the time. Mountin's son, Zachary (now age 34), works as an attorney in the Denver field office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Marquette has 101 current staff or faculty who were employed at Marquette at the time of the historic event. Next week, Marquette will share historic documents and images with the media for use in highlighting the upcoming canonization.