Jude Joseph, Proprietor of Vasco Based travel agency, Rose Holidays, is a great follower of Mother Teresa. In past, he visited Kolkata a couple of times. He had then visited the tomb where Mother Teresa was buried. He claimed that, though he wanted to go alone to take part in Canonization celebrations to be held in Kolkata on September 4, however, one day he dreamt that the God wanted him to take people from Goa to the City of Joy (Kolkata).
Although the canonization of Mother Teresa will take place at the Vatican on September 4, a group of 88 people from Goa have already reached Kolkata on Friday to take part in the celebrations there and to attend special Masses and prayer meetings to be held at tomb.
“In june while surfing the Internet, I came upon the canonization news. However, the date was not finalized. After a week, it was confirmed. Though I was intending to go alone to Kolkata to witness and be a part of the celebrations there, I felt an inner voice (God) asking me to take a group of people interested to be a part of the celebrations in Kolkata. Thus, I planned an itinerary and a package”.
Talking about the special package, he said “All this started in June and as per my plan, I was intending to take a group of 20 people, however, more and more people (from doctors to advocates, businessmen as well as gazetted officers from Goa) visited my office to book their tickets for the special package to Kolkata. Till August, 87 people had got themselves registered,” he said.
“As I had frequented the Missionaries of Charity in Mother House in Kolkata in the past, it was very easy for me to get the consent of sisters in the Mother House to bring along the group of people from Goa to take part in the celebrations. For the accommodation, I got confirmed bookings in hotels located close to Mother House.”
The special package offered by Jude was of Rs 25000, which includes flight fare, accommodation, sight-seeing and food. “Such a cheap package cannot be offered by anyone as the flight fare to Kolkata itself is very high but Indigo airlines was kind enough to offer affordable prices for our package”.
According to the itinerary, Jude will take his group to Mother House, the tomb, to several orphanages started by Mother Teresa. The group would be taken to the chapel of Mother Teresa and due to special efforts by Jude, the group would also be getting opportunity to offer mass and prayers offered during Canonisation celebrations, besides a tour of the City of Joy.
