|
Mother Teresa’s Last Prayer
Letter - by Brad Perks
August 2009 A prayer letter from Mother Teresa has been discovered that was written on the day of her death. This letter talks about suffering and co-redemption before she had her fatal heart attack. The letter was uncovered in the 35 foot trailer of 84 year old World War Two veteran Charles A. “Sonny” Perkes. He had lived a reclusive life in extreme poverty for the past 41 years in Belmont, California. This letter entrusted to her faithful "Sonny" is another one of the little miracles Mother Teresa performed here on Earth.  The prayer
letter was written by Mother Teresa on the day of her
death Friday, September 5, 1997. She was having difficulty typing. The
letter “C” in the word Christ is extraordinary. The capital “C” appears
above the line in one sentence. This
happens in old typewriters when someone does not have the strength to
press down the carriage far enough to properly capitalize a letter. A
double “Cc” appears in the next line as she typed the word “Christ” for
the second time in her prophetic letter. Her last letter was put in the
mail before her coronary heart attack at 9:30 P.M. The final
letter was flown to America and postmarked on Monday September 8, 1997
from the Bronx in New York. It is still in the original envelope
bearing the Sister of Charity address in Calcutta India. Charles Perkes was diagnosed as delusional and schizophrenic after serving in the Navy during World War Two. Charles was moved to the trailer following the death of their mother Helen in 1968. He survived on a Navy pension of less than $1000 a month in 2008 eating cereal and beans. He spent a lifetime alone writing letters on his mother’s 1939 Royal typewriter. One small empty space remained near the sliding glass door in the small living area. Charles sat on the floor typing his letters to all the Presidents since Eisenhower, celebrities and Mother Teresa. His trailer was stacked high with letters and mail after 40 years. The list of people who wrote back Charles was impressive  . Brad had only met his father’s older brother Charles at 3 funerals. He felt this was his job to help his uncle out of family respect. Charles spent his life in reclusion without many friends, fans or family. Now Brad is helping make sure his uncle is safe and cared for as he wind down his life. Brad says seeing his uncle smile makes the time they spend together worthwhile. Brad is trying to give his uncle a sense of self worth and validation for a life well lived. It was a good day for Charles when he saw his letters again. He looked young and alive. He remembers many striking details from the past. Brad asked Sonny why he wrote all these letters. He said he was afraid after World War Two a  nd the
bombing of Pearl Harbor. He began by
writing President
Eisenhower. He wrote Lee Iacocca when he saw the American auto
industry
having difficulty competing with Japan. President Bush wrote Charles
back about his new immigration reform policy. National Geographic, ABC,
the Secretary of
Defense, and the Western Aerospace Museum replied to
Charles about Amelia Earhart. His campaign helped facilitate a
commemorative plaque for Amelia Earhart at the Oakland Airport where
she began her historic flight. Charles wrote Mother Teresa when he
wanted her blessings for his mother Helen. “Sonny” and his mother Helen
received a total of 5 personalized letters from Mother Teresa, 4 signed
pictures, a rosary, and 3 medallions of Mother Mary kissed by Mother
Teresa. He also had personalized letters from people including Bill
Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Nancy Reagan, Ted Kennedy, Diane
Feinstein, Pat Brown, Bob Hope, Jimmy Stewart, Benny Goodman, Christina
Crawford, Ginger Rogers and near a 100 from Amelia Earhart’s sister
Muriel.  Sonny said he had a list of 146 letters to write each holiday season. Going to the mailbox was a favorite part of his day. Sonny got the addresses from someone at the local paper with a column he referred to as the “Blurb”. His address book was a list of people of influence, accomplishments and fame. He wrote to more people than we will ever know. There was receipt from a collector in 1994 that purchased Charles letter from Eisenhower and signed pictures of Nixon, the Beatles at Candelstick, the Three Stooges, Rudolph Valentino, James Cagney, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley. Brad feels fortunate anything survived the scheduled demolition of his trailer and the collectors. Charles Sonny Perkes seemed cut off and isolated from people in his small trailer. He was dedicated to this mission that no one in his immediate family ever knew about. Brad is proud of his Uncle Sonny and considers it a privilege getting to know him. Mother Teresa’s last letter: +LDM Dear Charles Sonny Perkes: Thank you for your letter. Suffering in itself is nothing; but suffering shared with Christ’s Passion is a wonderful gift. Man’s most beautiful gift is that he can share in the Passion of Christ. Suffering if it is accepted together, borne together, is a joy. Jesus suffered for us and all the innocent suffering is joined to His in the Redemption. It is co-redemption. Be assured of my prayers for you all. God bless you, Mc Teresa mc   Photos
available by request – Email bradperks@yahoo.com
|
