“Sister, This the call of God that I was waiting for. I had a feeling of having a call and not knowing what it was.” With these words, Mrs Theresa Nath agreed to leave her home in Samabula in 1987 and be a companion for Mother Canisius at Khrist Jyoti Ashram, Namata.
By 1987 Mother Canisius had spent 10 years in her apostolate of prayer and spiritual direction at the Ashram in Namata, near Sigatoka. She was growing old and weak. So Sr Frances Hardiman brought Theresa to the Ashram a few days later.
Mother Canisius asked her all sorts of questions. She wanted to know how strong Theresa’s commitment was. Would she remain with her in her good days and her bad days? “Luckily I passed all her examinations,” said Theresa smiling. They had ten years together.
When Mother Canisius knew she was getting weaker she asked, “Theresa, if I become bedridden, will you stay beside my bed? You are busy doing this and that.” So when Mother was in Lautoka hospital for surgery Theresa stayed with her. “I would sleep on the floor beside her bed. Two years later she was admitted in Nadi and I stayed with her day and night. She died in my hands in the hospital.”
By the providence of God Theresa’s daughter Angeline had returned from the U.S. at that time and stayed at the Ashram for 9 months helping out. She would bring their food to Nadi on the 8.00 a.m. morning bus, stay all day with them and return to the Ashram on the 4.30 p.m. bus to wash their clothes that evening.
Angeline wondered why her residence papers to stay in the U.S. were taking so long. A day or two after Mother Canisius’ burial she received a phone call from the American Embassy. The message was, “Why haven’t you collected your residence permit? It has been here with us for the last three months!
by Fr. Frank Hoare
