Original Canonization Portrait of Mother Teresa to be Displayed at St. Patrick's Cathedral Mass on Saturday

The painting, created by renowned American artist Chas Fagan, was commissioned by the Knights of Columbus as a gift to the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation founded by Mother Teresa in 1950. It was later chosen as the official canonization portrait, earning the image a place of prominent display on the façade of St. Peter's Basilica for the Sept. 4 canonization. There, as the centerpiece of a large tapestry, it depicted the saint smiling, rosary in hand, her eyes turned slightly upward.

The Knights of Columbus printed more than 1 million prayer cards bearing the new image, primarily for distribution at the canonization Mass. Reproductions of the portrait will also be given to Missionaries of Charity and the poor they serve in the New York area and around the world.

Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson called Fagan's portrait "the finest depiction of Mother Teresa I have ever seen."

A graduate of Yale University, Chas Fagan has painted portraits of all the U.S. presidents — a collection that regularly tours the country for the White House Historical Association.

Also an accomplished sculptor, Fagan's pieces include a bronze of President Ronald Reagan that stands in the Capitol rotunda and likenesses of Mother Teresa and Rosa Parks that are carved into the stone detail of the narthex of Washington's National Cathedral.

Following the Mass at St. Patrick's, the painting of Mother Teresa will be on display at the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Conn., for several weeks starting Sunday, Sept. 11, every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The display, "Mother Teresa: Saint of the Streets," features memorabilia from her life and work and information on the various ways the Knights have collaborated with her and her congregation's work.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160909/406079

SOURCE Knights of Columbus