Kolkata, where Mother Teresa lived and worked for more than six decades, is agog with excitement as preparations for the canonization of the world-renowned nun Sept. 4 at the Vatican enter the final stages. News, a film festival, a new web television portal and a special thanksgiving Mass and civic program in October are planned. The celebrations will go beyond Christians, as people of other faiths, who already consider Mother Teresa a saint, take any opportunity to celebrate her and remind the world what she has done.

From A Nun's Life podcasts - Why are there so many gruesome depictions of saints in the early church? In this Random Nun Clip, a listener named after Saint Lucy wonders why images of saints are so startling.

Three Stats and a Map - As humankind works to understand and plan for the coming effects of climate change on our communities, it is vital that we give ample consideration to our friends in the animal kingdom as well.

Sister of Charity of Nazareth Paula Merrill and School Sister of St. Francis Margaret Held are remembered by Merrill's sister, Held's friend and others, who talk about the late sisters' commitment to serving the people of Mississippi through medical care.

Fr. Leonel Chacón, the parish priest of La Merced who brought Mother Teresa to Costa Rica in July of 1988, had a feeling upon meeting her that she was truly special, holy. Her visit to this Central American nation, following a brief stay in Nicaragua, marked the arrival of her order in Costa Rica.

Twelve sisters from six countries share a common mission in the streets and crime-ridden areas outside San José, Costa Rica — working with homeless people and people who live in poverty, distributing food, helping to provide shelter and offering spiritual support. Through their work, the Misioneras de la Caridad de Madre Teresa de Calcuta (Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa of Kolkata) as the congregation's Costa Rican mission is called — help continue the vision of their order's founder, who is being canonized Sept. 4.

"Nanosecond by nanosecond, we are held in existence, woven by Resurrecting Love with all our differences into the tight-knit fabric of one sacred Earth community — people and planet — together an irreplaceable manifestation of the Divine. Contemplating this will make all the difference."

The youngest of eight children, Diane DeBernardo was at World Youth Day in Poland this year. Her travels often intersect with her faith.

Sister Marinus, an Indian woman religious whose order is devoted to aiding "the poorest of the poor," is a firm believer that God's presence and love are powerful tools in her daily effort to save the souls of people in need. Headquartered in Coronado, Costa Rica, about 15 miles northeast of the nation's capital of San José, Sister Marinus leads the humanitarian work she and 11 other sisters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity undertake in Costa Rica.