Indian-Born Nun Succeeds Mother Teresa

An ailing Mother Teresa handed over her global mission Thursday to an Indian-born nun who converted to Roman Catholicism after being inspired by the works of the Nobel laureate.

Sister Nirmala, born of a priestly Hindu caste, was selected by a conclave of 120 nuns who deliberated for eight weeks.

“Now I am happy,” said Mother Teresa, 86, who guided the mission for half a century. “Pray, so that she can continue God’s work.”

Sister Nirmala, who said she will not accept the title Mother while Mother Teresa is alive, immediately became head of the Missionaries of Charity, which has more than 4,000 nuns and runs 517 orphanages, homes for the poor, AIDS hospices and other charity centers worldwide.

“I am in dreamland right now,” the 63-year-old nun said. “It’s a big responsibility.”

Mother Teresa and her successor appeared on the second-floor balcony of Mother House, the mission’s headquarters in downtown Calcutta. Behind them a cloth banner proclaimed: “We love our dearest Mother Nirmala.”

Thursday’s election is unlikely to change the character of the order. However, Sister Nirmala will have to work hard to get the access to world leaders that helped Mother Teresa, winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the poor, raise millions of dollars.

Sister Nirmala was not among the leading candidates for the position, one of the most visible in the Roman Catholic Church outside the Vatican, and few people outside the group could identify her.

But she was one of the first nuns to head a foreign mission, running posts in Panama, Europe and Washington, according to Father Edward le Joly, a Jesuit priest who is close to the order.

Most recently she was based in Calcutta and headed the group’s contemplative wing, which deals with spiritual matters.

Born Nirmala Joshi into a family of Brahmins, the traditional Hindu priestly caste, Sister Nirmala is the daughter of an Indian army officer who reportedly emigrated from neighboring Nepal.

She converted at age 24 because of Mother Teresa. “I was a Hindu initially, but after being inspired by Mother’s work, I took to Christianity.”