Rafaela Prifti: Mesazhi i Pashkës nga Nëna Terezë në faqet e Diellit 50 vjet më parë
Në pranverën e vitit 1976 vizita e papublikuar e Nënës Terezë në Boston u ‘dokumentua’ nga Peter Prifti në faqet e Diellit. Ndërsa pesëdhjetë vjet më parë lexuesi ndjeu aty fuqinë e komunikimit njerëzor të ‘Shenjtores së gjallë,” siç e quante atë gazeta Nju Jork Tajms (tetor 1965), pesëdhjetë vjet më pas, artikulli rikonfirmon forcën e mesazhit të paqes në një botë kaotike dhe rëndësinë e veçantë të gazetarisë komunitare. Artikulli i tij është shkruar në anglisht në faqen 3 të Diellit në 15 maj 1976. Në vijim është një shënim i shkurtër imi në anglisht për kontekstin kohor dhe rezonancën sot të shkrimit të Peter Prifti, ish-Sekretar dhe ish-Editor i gazetës Dielli.
How does a message of peace break through the noise of a polarized society? In the spring of 1976, Mother Teresa toured the United States, drawing massive crowds in Scranton, Philadelphia and Omaha. But 50 years ago today, in the pages of Dielli, Peter Prifti chronicled her quiet, largely unpublicized Easter stop in Boston. The account of the former editor of Dielli illuminates the raw power of Mother Teresa’s direct and humble communication. The human element that carried the quiet strength resonated deeply across faiths then, and echoes even louder in today’s chaotic world. Historically, her visit coincided with the U.S Bicentennial where the town stood at the center of “Boston 200” liberty celebrations. The stark contrast between the celebrations of freedom and a community fractured by civil unrest provided a powerful background of her message of peace. Fifty year later, Peter Prifti’s article stands as more than a historical note. It reinforces the importance of preserving our stories and the enduring need for community journalism that is ultimately Dielli’s vital legacy.
Renowned Albanian Nun Mother Teresa Welcomed in Boston
Peter Prifti
“Easter 1976 was a special one for some Albanians in Boston (and beyond), including this reporter. For on that day, April 25, exactly at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, one of our own, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, presented an Easter message of love and renewal to an audience at the Hynes Civic Auditorium, in Boston’s Prudential Center. By a curious coincidence, Mother Teresa spoke at the same time that her Albanian co-nationals were celebrating the “Pashka” Mass in their churches. Both she and they were exalting the Risen Christ, yet in locales and somewhat different circumstances.
In fact, few Albanians in the Boston area seemed to know that she was in town. I was one of the fortunate few who happened, by chance, to learn of her quiet coming to town. Fortunate, I say, because I have wanted for a long time to see and hear her in person. I could not have asked for a better Easter present. (Although I did not meet her, a couple of enterprising Albanians from Worcester managed to see her backstage before she spoke and after.)
The several thousand people who came to hear Mother Teresa gave her a warm, standing ovation as she was led on to the platform by Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, Archbishop of Boston. Rev. Medeiros, who introduced her as “a most extraordinary, yet unassuming women,” and as “a great women of God with a simple, yet profound message of peace.” He said that her presence and message was especially relevant to Boston at this time, in view of the troubled social climate that grips the city.
Mother Teresa, whose maiden name is Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, is a small woman, so small in fact that when she rose to speak, the top of her head was barely visible above the lectern. She resolved this problem by taking the microphone in her hand and stepping in front of the lectern to speak. She wore her customary white headkerchief, and an Oriental type of dress resembling baggy pants. Whenever she acknowledged the applause of the audience, she responded in the Hindu fashion, by putting her hands together in front of her, as if to pray. It was a beautiful gesture.
Mother Teresa is her mid-sixties now, but such is the aura of light and love that envelops her being, that she projected the image of a girl in the bloom of youth. She spoke excellent English, and in a voice that was remarkable for its clarity and tranquility. Her voice, I felt, was a true reflection of her ideas and her inner being. There was nothing abstract or learned or even “pious” in her talk. No. She spoke in simple, direct language, as if she were addressing not a gathering of thousands, but speaking to each one individually and communing directly with everyone present.
Last October, the New York Times called Mother Teresa a Living Saint. That was when she spoke at the United Nations during the U.N.’s Spiritual Summit Conference. Two months later, in December 1975, Time magazine featured her on its front cover, and carried a story which described her as “unique” in the world of religion today. It would take too long to tell of the many honors and the world-wide recognition she has won as the founder and leader of the Missionaries of Charity. But now that I have been in her presence, I can understand why this is so. Perhaps the best evidence of the respect and enthusiasm she inspires in people came at the end of her talk in Boston. As she walked down the aisles, people pressed all around her to get a close look at her. Some seemed tempted to touch the hem of her clothes. I could not help but think of Jesus the Christ, and the throngs of people that crowded about him wherever he went, in the land of Galilee. “She is a beautiful person,” I heard people say all around me. I agree.”
Peter R. Prifti (Name handwritten)
The Critic’s Corner, Dielli, Boston, Mass. May 15, 1976, p. 3 (Date handwritten by author).
