MUMBAI, India – The new head of the Missionaries of Charity is “a very holy person and humble, the real characteristics of Mother Teresa,” according to the Archbishop of Calcutta.
Sister Joseph Michael, 68, was elected head of the order founded by St. Teresa of Kolkata to serve the “poorest of the poor.” She replaces Sister Prema Pierick, who retired due to health reasons.
“I know Sister Joseph as a holy person,” said Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta.
“I am sure she will carry forward the legacy of Mother Teresa, lived and promoted by the other Superior Generals, Sister Nirmala and Sister Prema. She will also carry forward Mother’s legacy with great effectiveness. She is a very holy person, showing motherly concern and love for the poor like all the Missionaries of Charity do,” he told Crux.
Sister Nirmala Joshi succeeded Mother Teresa as head of the order in 1997. Prema took over in 2009.
“In my contact with Sister Joseph, I can say, that she is a very holy person and humble, the real characteristics of Mother Teresa – living the charism of Mother Teresa,” D’Souza said.
Originally from Thrissur, in Kerala state, Sister Joseph joined the Missionaries of Charity when she was 20. She later served as Mother Teresa’s private secretary.
