Hundreds of admirers of the Albanian nun, who made Kolkata (then Calcutta) her home for seven decades to serve the poor and the infirm, gathered near the blue, three-storied building since the morning to soak in the festive atmosphere.
Outside, traffic was thrown out of gear, as people carrying blue flags, and lilies in hand, made a beeline for the small, dingy lane leading up to the freshly-painted house, where Teresa lived for 44 years and also died on September 5, 1997.
Lilies and other flowers were offered at her tomb, as the devout cutting across all religions bent down and prayed.
The entrance to the house was bedecked with blue and white blossoms, the colours that Saint Teresa chose for the saris to be worn by the nuns of her order.
Two giant screens in two rooms of the house beamed the ceremony at the Vatican live for the visitors, who sat under a life size flex of a smiling Mother Teresa.
There were cheers as Pope Francis was seen arriving for the celebrations at the St Peter’s Basilica in a ceremonial procession.
The crowd followed the proceedings with rapt attention, but erupted in joy a few minutes past 2pm when the pontiff declared that the nun would henceforth be called Saint Teresa.
The bells rang, some of the MoC sisters wept, some hugged, a number of them clapped and others prayed to celebrate the moment, as Mother Teresa became one of the fastest saints in Catholic history.
The honour came a day before the nun’s 19th death anniversary, and only nine days after her 107th birthday.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation set up a white and blue canopy on the busy A J C Bose Road, close to the Mother House, and organised a ceremony on the occasion.
Ministers Firhad Hakim and Sultan Ahmed were in attendance throughout to ensure everything was smooth.
“It’s a day of gratitude and joy,” Sunita Kumar, Teresa’s associate and biographer, said.
President Pranab Mukherjee called Teresa a “messiah of the poor and a pillar of support for the weak and suffering.”
“Let the example of Mother Teresa inspire all of us to dedicate ourselves to the welfare of mankind.”
Community meals were served at Catholic parishes in the country, a symbolic reference to the saint’s lifetime of service to the poor and needy, Father Savarimuthu Sankar of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese said.
A rally was also held in Ahmedabad to celebrate the canonisation.
In Kerala, a church was named after Teresa, while a commemorative postage stamp was released in Mumbai.
“For us Indians, Mother Teresa had already acquired sainthood during her lifetime,” Kumar said. “The declaration today was a matter of formality and we are very happy it has been done.”
Lighting a candle and placing it on the tomb, Konica Cecilia said the beloved nun had given her impoverished parents money to help them send her to school as a child.
“I was fortunate to meet Mother. She was a living saint and an inspiration to me,” the 32-year-old said, adding that the nun was the pride of Kolkata.
“My memories of her comfort me when I am in trouble.”