Susan Conroy – Praying with Mother Teresa on Inside the Pages with Kris McGregor
Susan Conroy reflects on her friendship with Mother Teresa, which began when she was 21 and traveled to Calcutta to volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity. She recalls the joy and peace that radiated from Mother Teresa’s presence, describing it as an encounter with holiness that overflowed into her own service among the poor and suffering. Susan highlights Mother Teresa’s humility, noting that despite global recognition and awards, she lived with deep self-forgetfulness, seeing herself only as a simple instrument in God’s hands. This humility revealed a profound truth about sanctity: greatness is found in becoming small, gentle, and surrendered to God’s will.
The discussion also explores the themes found in Susan’s book Praying with Mother Teresa, which shares the prayers and spiritual practices Mother Teresa lived daily. Mother Teresa taught that the first vocation of every person, including her own sisters, is to belong to Christ, and from that relationship flows the mission of serving others. She invites us to see their own “Calcutta” in family, home, and community, where acts of love, patience, and kindness are most needed. Through stories and insights, Susan conveys that Mother Teresa’s legacy is not merely admiration but imitation—living a mission of love rooted in humility, prayer, and closeness to Christ.
You can get a copy of the book here
Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions
* How does Mother Teresa’s humility challenge your understanding of true greatness before God?
* Where do you notice “heavenly joy” arising in the midst of difficult or messy places in your life?
* In what concrete ways can you “belong to Jesus” first, before any external service today?
* Who in your home most needs your patience and kindness right now, and what will you do about it?
* What would it look like to let God “write the story” while you remain a simple instrument in his hand?
* Where is your “Calcutta” nearby—someone lonely, sick, or forgotten whom you can love this week?
* How might you move from admiring holy people to imitating their virtues in daily choices?
* After receiving Holy Communion, how will you allow Christ to shine through you in practical actions?
* When did you last leave someone “better and happier,” and how can that become your daily habit?
* Which moments at home reveal your “true colors,” and how can grace reshape them?
From the book description
Praying with Mother Teresa brings us into the heart of Mother Teresa’s prayer life! Author Susan Conroy, a personal friend of Mother Teresa, gives us a meditative look at Mother Teresa’s insights on suffering, joy, peace, humility, and poverty, and brings us right into the prayer life of one of the most beloved women of our time, Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Each prayer has been carefully, and prayerfully, selected for use in daily prayer. Mother Teresa gave Susan her blessing and approval to share these words and prayers with others “to bring them peace and joy too.”
About the Author
In the summer of 1986, 21-year-old Susan Conroy journeyed to Calcutta alone to help the Missionaries of Charity. She developed a personal friendship with Mother Teresa that lasted throughout the course of 11 years, until Mother Teresa was called home to God. Susan is the author of nine books, including bestselling Mother Teresa’s Lessons of Love & Secrets of Sanctity, and lives in Portland, Maine.
