Over 100 members of the Marquette community gathered in rainy weather on Tuesday to honor the life’s work of Mother Teresa by dedicating a statue on campus — a plan five years in the making.
The 6-foot, 6-inch tall statue, designed by famed Indian artist Gautama Pal, was installed outside of the Schroeder Health Complex, behind St. Joan of Arc Chapel. University officials chose to place the statue there as a symbolic gesture to honor Mother Teresa’s humanitarian work.
Statue donor Vincent Kuttemperoor, a Milwaukee area real estate developer, said he was inspired to donate the statue because of the work Mother Teresa had done with his father-in-law.
University President the Rev. Robert Wild recalled Mother Teresa’s humility when she came to campus in 1981 to accept the Pere Marquette Discovery award. Wild said she claimed she was unworthy to receive the award, but accepted it for the glory of God and in the name of all poor and unwanted people.
“I am so pleased that on this campus we can have a statue of blessed Teresa of Calcutta,” Wild said. “We can remember a woman who was not only influential with respect to India, but India impacted her in return.”
Former Marquette President the Rev. John Raynor once called her visit “the most memorable, most significant experience” in his 25 years as president.
For more on how the Mother Teresa statue at Marquette, see the Tribune’s Oct. 6 story.