Vatican set to present ’St. Teresa of Kolkata’ stamp

Mangalore Today News Network

Vatican City, Aug 08, 2016: The Vatican is to bring out a ’St Teresa of Kolkata’  special postage stamp, which will be released Sept. 2, two days before Pope Francis officially declares her a saint.  The Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office announced the stamp’s release Aug. 5 and distributed initial images of it.

The 95-cent stamp features a wrinkled but radiant Mother Teresa smiling in her blue-trimmed, white sari. Overlaid on the design by Patrizio Daniele is another image of her holding the hand of a small child.

“Frail but equally determined in her vocation, Mother Teresa loved God and the church with great strength, simplicity and extraordinary humility, glorifying with her life the dignity of a most humble service,” said the brochure announcing the stamp’s release.

“She was a humble messenger of the Gospel and of Christ’s love, known as ‘a small pencil in the hands of the Lord,’ doing her work quietly and always with great love,” it said. “She assisted the poor, the sick and the abandoned with tireless dedication, offering smiles and simple gestures, finding strength to persevere with her vocation through prayer and trust in God.”

The Vatican philatelic office said it would print and sell a maximum of 150,000 sheets of 10 stamps each, a big demand for the stamps world wide is expected.