An international documentary tracing the life and legacy of St Teresa of Kolkata premiered on Saturday on her feast day, in Kolkata, India, drawing more than 200 people, including dozens of Missionaries of Charity nuns and novices. Source: EWTN News.
Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion, produced by journalist and author Anto Akkara, was screened at the Auditorium of St Xavier’s College, Park Street, with Kolkata Archbishop Elias Frank presiding over the premiere.
In his introductory remarks, the archbishop praised Akkara’s determination to bring lesser-known aspects of St Teresa’s life and work to a global audience.
“We are here, dear friends, not just to see what he has done, but to be inspired by Mother’s work,” Archbishop Frank said, commending the journalist’s “passion” for making St Teresa known through the documentary.
“There are things that we may not even know yet,” Archbishop Frank said, pointing to the film’s journalistic examination of events surrounding the Missionaries of Charity.
Akkara said his association with St Teresa began in 1995, when, at the age of 33, he was granted what he described as a “comprehensive” interview with her.
“Since then, I pursued the Missionaries of Charity on crucial occasions, frequenting Kolkata often from the funeral of the Mother in 1997,” he said. Akkara has visited Kolkata more than two dozen times for international reporting.
He said he proposed the documentary as the Missionaries of Charity approached their 75th anniversary, and the congregation agreed to the project. Atmadarshan TV, Indore, provided support for the production.
The 66-minute documentary builds on an earlier version produced for the congregation’s 75th Foundation Day in October 2025. Akkara subsequently reworked the film, adding more than a dozen new episodes and international accounts.
The documentary traces St Teresa’s journey from her early work in India to the worldwide expansion of the Missionaries of Charity.
It also examines the congregation’s work amid conflict, including the killings of MC sisters in Yemen in 1998 and 2016, the expulsion of the congregation from Nicaragua, and the decision of sisters to remain in Gaza and Ukraine amid bombardment.
Akkara said the film challenges allegations that St Teresa’s charitable work was primarily a vehicle for religious conversion and highlights her service to people living in extreme poverty, children, orphans, people with disabilities and mental illness, and those affected by leprosy.
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Mother Teresa documentary premieres in Kolkata on her feast day (EWTN News)
