+LDM 14 August 2016 Dear Sisters, Brothers and Fathers, Greetings from Rome just a few weeks before Mother's Cancnization! Enclosed with this letter is the approved text for the complete Mass of St. Teresa of Calcutta — which is how ‘Mother will be referred to officially after the canonization. Mother's feast day, 5® September, will have the rank of Solemnity only for the MC Sisters and Brothers for now. The Contemplative Brothers and the Fathers need to ask the CDWDS for this permission through their proper bishop, the Cardinal Vicar for Rome and the Archbishop of Tijuana, respectively. Since Mother is the foundress, once she is canonized, , the Sisters and Brothers have this privilege of celebrating her liturgical feast day each year as a Solemnity. This year, because wwe are celebrating Mother's feast day as a Thanksgiving Mass as well, all the branches can celebrate it as 2 Solemnity. For the 5" of September each year, the enclosed text of the Mass (that is, the Entrance Antiphon, Collect, Gospel Acclamation, Prayer Over the Offerings, Preface, Communion Antiphon, and Prayer after Communion) is the only one to be used. As well, the readings given for the Solemnity (not the readings for a votive Mass) are the only ones that can be used on the 5" of September. Because it is a Solemnity, there are the first reading, the psalm, the second reading and the Gospel, and both the Gloria and the Creed are prayed. If you celebrate Mother's Feast Day outside an MC Chapel (in the cathedral or parish, for example) because of a shortage of space (or some other legitimate reason) you can still celebrate it as a Solemnnity as long ast is an MC celebration. This cannot be done for example, if itis a celebration organized by the diocese for the diocese. For the universal Church, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDWDS) has not yet determined whether Mother's feast will be celebrated as a Memorial or as an optional Memorial (essuming that it will be already placed on the universal liturgical calendar). Normally, at least three Bishops’ Conferences have to petition the Congregation for a memorial to be placed on the universal calendar, but this step may not be necessary; we will learn what the decision is on this question during the course of the year. Until the CDWDS decides on if or how Mother's feast will be celebrated in the whole Church, if any Episcopal Conference — or even diocesan bishops ~ would like to celebrate Mother's feast or insert it into the proper Liturgical Calendar of their diocese(s}, they will need to ask permission from the CDWDS. In the meantime, for those bishop's conferences of the countries (India, Macedonia and Albania) that have had Permission to celebrate Mother's feast day since her beatification, until they receive permission to use the complete Mass, they can only use the Collect that we have been using since 2003. For these dioceses, as has been done until now, the other prayers are taken from the Common of Virgins or the Common of Holy Women. For the readings, any readings can be chosen from the Common of Virgins or Holy Women or the readings from ‘the Solemnity or those given for the Votive Mass in the approved texts (that you have now received) since they also are taken from the Commons found in the Lectionary. Ifyou are not celebrating a Thanksgiving Mass for Mother's Canonization on the 5" of September, you may do soon another day. Even if the Thanksgiving Mass is not on the 5" of September, you may celebrate it as a Solemnity. During the year, if you are having a votive Mass in honor of St. Teresa of Calcutta celebrated on any day the liturgical norms allow for a votive Mass, you need to use the same Mass texts (but without praying the Gloria‘or the Creed). Regarding the readings for the votive Mass, you may use the readings for the Solemnity or the readings provided for the Votive Mass or any other readings from the Common of Virgins or the Common of Holy Women. Please be aware that besides the Collect which has been approved by the CDWDS in many languages, you can only use the Mass texts in the languages that are given in the enclosed file. That is to say, until the CDWDS ‘approves new translations in other languages, you can use only these Mass texts (in Latin, English, Spanish and Italian) or texts taken from the Roman Missal (from the Commons of Virgins and Holy Women). Ifyou are in a country that does not use these four languages, you will need to wait for approved translations of the complete Mass from the CDWDS. Please do not make your own translations. You can ask the liturgical office of your bishops’ conference in your country the favor to provide the translation in the language of your country. As you receive the translation, please send it to the Postulation office/Mother Teresa Center and we will submit it to the CDWDS for approval. As soon as we receive the approved translation we will send it back to you. | am attaching a draft letter that you can use to write your own letter to the Bishops’ Conference of your country or region. After the Canonization we will submit for approval to the CDWDS a final draft of the text for the Divine Office for the Solemnity of St. Teresa of Calcutta. It was not possible to complete this work with all the other things we had to do. Itis important to do this well, because once it is approved and translated into various languages, is practically impossible to have it changed. Please do not hesitate to contact the Postulation office if you have any questions or doubts. ‘May you all have very grace-filled and joyful celebrations of our Mother's first feast day as a Saint and Thanksgiving Mass for her Canonization! We pray these new liturgical texts will enrich your celebrations and ‘touch many hearts through the intercession of our soon-to-be St. Teresa of Calcutta! God bless you all, F. Bue Fr. Brian MC