Catholics in Las Vegas praise newly sainted Mother Teresa

“I’d say she was a saint on Earth, and they finally put a halo on her.”

Mel Kleinschmit, a volunteer at Christ the King Catholic Church in Las Vegas, 4925 S. Torrey Pines Drive, reflected on Mother Teresa’s life and her works Sunday afternoon, following her canonization at the Vatican.

Kleinschmit said Mother Teresa taught people that life isn’t about material things.

“Money is not the root of all evil,” Kleinschmit said. “It’s the love of money that is the root of all evil. When you put possessions and money first, what do you put second? God?”

The Rev. Joel Aquino’s homily was reflective of this message. He quoted Mother Teresa as saying, “God did not call us to become successful, but rather, for us to become faithful.”

“She was the picture of a selfless, faithful disciple,” Aquino told the congregation at the 3:30 p.m. Mass at Christ the King.

He said Sunday’s gospel readings spoke well of Mother Teresa’s life and the importance of discipleship.

“She devoted her life for the service of men from different walks of life,” he said.

Jane Fransioli, the church’s outreach director, said several Las Vegas organizations strive to mimic Mother Teresa’s selfless acts, including Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Help of Southern Nevada, and Straight from the Streets.

“There are so many programs that are really trying to change the lifestyles of the chronic homeless,” said Fransioli, a Straight from the Streets board member. “It’s more than just a handout. The people of Las Vegas are extremely generous I find. We’re very fortunate in our community.”

Straight from the Streets focuses on connecting chronically homeless people to housing and services.

“They’re particularly concerned about the chronic homeless — the ones who have lost faith in their ability to live in a normal atmosphere,” she said.

Fransioli said she believes Mother Teresa “looked at people and saw Christ,” but she worries that a disconnection is occurring, where everyone looks at everyone else skeptically.

“We’re becoming fenced-in neighborhoods,” she said. “It’s harder now today with so much disconnection to look at a person and realize that I could actually experience this situation.”

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.