“Doing even the small task with the greatest love” was the message Mother Teresa encouraged those she met to live by. Carrying on that motto is what Marlene Elias, a personal friend of the late Mother Teresa has been doing for the past several years.
Spreading the Bible’s message through music and writing has become a way of life for Elias, who will be visiting Monmouth next weekend to perform and visit with residents at Community Medical Center and the Immaculate Conception Church congregation.
After meeting Mother Teresa in October of 1987, Elias’ life changed in that she realized all of her accomplishments were pale in comparison to the meeting and close friendship with Mother Teresa. For the next 10 years following their meeting, their friendship grew as they continued to correspond. During this time Elias spend the next several years presenting more than 800 talks bringing the message of Mother Teresa to everyone she met.
“In meeting Mother Teresa and following her each day as she cared for God’s poor. I encountered Jesus face to face,” stated Elias on meeting Mother Teresa in Calcutta. She continued, “I was utterly humbled to witness and be a part of Mother Teresa’s tireless labor of love. I had a glimpse of what heaven must be like during the time I spent with her and the other sisters in their chapel for Mass, sharing in the spiritual messages Monsignor John gave them. I listened as they worshipped God, with their voice rising like incense. And the memory of hearing Mother Teresa’s voice as she sang to her beloved Jesus will live in my heart forever.”
In 1995, at the request of Mother Teresa,the Gospel singer, entertainer, speaker, songwriter, performer and freelance writer, performed at a new home for unwed mothers in Washington, D.C. At the mass of dedication, she sang “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” Two years later, Elias would perform this song again, as she sang at Mother Teresa’s funeral.
In all Elias has recorded 11 albums of spiritual music including five inspirational albums inspired by this Saint. A portion of the proceeds from her work has been donated to the MIssionaries of Charity.
Elias will be in Monmouth on Friday, February 27 to perform at Community Medical Center at 1:00pm at Immaculate Conception Church. During her visit to west-central Illinois she will also visit with the nuns of Mother Teresa in Peoria. While her visit is primarily to visit with Dolly Romano, the aunt of Michael Corgnati, who serves as Elias’ personal manager, she is looking forward to sharing MOther Teresa’s message of hope to all who hear her speak.
Upon reflecting on her last meeting with Mother Teresa “I wondered, if this one tiny lady could have such a powerful effect on people throughout the world, why can’t we, in our own corner of the earth, have a similar positive effect?”