Vatican declares Mother Teresa a patron saint of Calcutta

KOLKATA, India – The Vatican has declared Mother Teresa a patron saint of the Archdiocese of Calcutta at a Mass in the city where she dedicated her life to the poorest of the poor.

The honor came 16 months after Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint.

About 500 people attended the Mass on Wednesday at a cathedral where the vicar general read the decree instituting her as the second patron saint of the archdiocese.

Mother Teresa's name will be mentioned whenever people under the archdiocese pray or a Mass is held.

The Roman Catholic Church declared St. Francis Xavier the first patron saint of Calcutta in 1986.

The archdiocese still retains its old name, Calcutta, even though the city's official name was changed by the state government to Kolkata in 2001.