First-class relic at Clifton church

CLIFTON  She was a saint living in recent times and now, the community of St. Paul the Apostle will be able to be in the presence of a relic of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta whenever they are at daily Mass or in quiet prayer at the chapel named in her honor at St. Paul Church here.

Bishop Serratelli celebrated Friday evening Mass at St. Paul Church on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the parish’s patron, Jan. 25 to bless the first-class relic, “ex capillis” (a piece of Mother Teresa’s hair).

Father Leonardo Jaramillo, pastor, said, “It’s a blessing for the community to receive this relic and to have St. Paul as the patron of our parish and Mother Teresa the patron of our chapel. I hope by having this relic, we can imitate how she served the poor, become humble like her and preach the good news like her. Her life is a great testimony for us especially since she is a saint from our age. We hope to get a lot of blessings from God because she was very close to him.”

The chapel is located in the parish offices of St. Paul Parish and was blessed in 2015. The saint was canonized in Sept. 2016. The parish received the relic through the Mother Teresa Center in San Ysidro, Ca. Daily Mass is celebrated at 8 a.m. during weekdays.