By Nathan Duke
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) and religious leaders of varying faiths from Astoria will celebrate the life of Mother Teresa at Athens Square Park this week following the Empire State Building’s refusal to commemorate her 100th birthday by illuminating its spire.
The interfaith celebration will take place at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday at Athens Square Park, which is at 30th Street and 30th Avenue in Astoria.
The event will celebrate Mother Teresa’s humanitarian work and is scheduled to feature the Astoria Performing Arts Center’s gospel choir, remarks from religious leaders and elected officials and a candlelight vigil.
“There are people who rightly point out that Mother Teresa would not ask for any recognition at all,” Vallone said. “But it’s part of this spirit of selflessness that inspires the rest of us to want to honor her example even more. It will be a way for us to share our gratitude for what she did her whole life.”
Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship who founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. For more than 45 years she worked with the poor, sick and orphaned.
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” following her death in 1997.
The Empire State Building’s owner turned down a request in June to light up one of its spires to celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s 100th birthday on the grounds that the famous tower does not take lighting requests from religious organizations.
Some Catholics were offended by the move, but one group, known as Catholics for Choice, praised the building’s owner for standing by his own rules.
The Catholic League, which has criticized the Empire State Building’s refusal to honor Mother Teresa, has planned a protest that will be held outside the building Thursday, Vallone said.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
