Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: “Mr. Speaker, we live in an age that is sometimes easy to dismiss as selfish, self-absorbed, cynical, and cruel. Mother…”

“Mr. Speaker, we live in an age that is sometimes easy to dismiss as selfish, self-absorbed, cynical, and cruel. Mother Teresa and her selfless dedication to the world's least fortunate serve as a powerful reminder of our age which still includes shining symbols, as Mother Teresa is, for goodness and compassion. At our schools, wherever she takes us, she is always rededicating herself to the least of these. Permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol of the United States for a congressional ceremony to honor Mother Teresa and her life's work is something that I am proud to stand here today and be in full support of. We will be focusing the attention of all Americans, whatever their faiths, on a symbol that can serve them well in our everyday lives. As we know, Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in Albania. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She is known as the Saint of the Gutter, where she spent tireless hours giving of herself, educating, providing people with hope who have no hope. I had occasion to meet Mother Teresa when she visited the city of Detroit a few years back. The aura that is instilled in her is there for anyone to see. She is a saint. And she is a person whom we all can take a look at and honor because she has given much of her life so that people have the hope that God has intended each of us to have.”