Mumbai Catholic creates Mother Teresa canonisation logo

Pope Francis will declare Mother Teresa a saint at the Vatican on September 4.

Mumbai:  The official logo for the Sept. 4 canonization of Mother Teresa was created by Karen Vaswani, a Mumbai-based Catholic graphic designer.

Vaswani, 44, in her spare time, plays keyboards and vocals in a local jazz, pop and retro band called “Rockin’ Marmalade.”

Though she never met Mother Teresa, she has “always admired Mother Teresa’s work,” Vaswani says, and was so inspired that she was able to complete the assignment to craft a logo for the canonization in just three days.

Vaswani said she was approached in April by the Archdiocese of Calcutta to design a logo for the canonization celebrations. When she was finished, she said, her proposed logo went before Sister Mary Prema Pierick, the superior of the Missionaries of Charity, and Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the official in charge of the sainthood case in Rome, both of whom immediately embraced it.

“I was elated and thrilled to hear that my design has been chosen as the official logo by the Vatican for the canonization of Mother Teresa,” Vaswani said.

She said her creative process began by reflecting on the official theme for the canonization assigned by the Vatican: “Carrier of God’s tender and merciful love.”

“Hence I decided to work with a very classic pose of Mother Teresa, where she’s lovingly holding a child in her arms,” Vaswani said.

She conceded that wasn’t exactly original, but said she put on her own touches.

“The pose of Mother holding a child has been done by various artists in different mediums but I’ve tried to simplify it by using minimal lines and just 2 colors,” Vaswani said. “Her signature blue and gold to add a celebratory touch.”

Vaswani also said that she wanted to come up with a logo that would work across multiple platforms, including print, audio-visual, and social media, which also meant keeping it as simple as possible.

Asked if she prayed before beginning the work, she doesn’t hesitate.

“Yes I did,” she said. “First thanking God for giving me the opportunity to design this, and then, asking for the grace and guidance to do a design that was simple yet powerful, and would speak for itself.”

Vaswani’s family story reflects the broader saga of Catholicism in India, both firmly Catholic yet also deeply imbedded in the local culture.

She’s the daughter of Percy and Vivienne D’Lima from St Michael’s Church in Mumbai, the home parish of Cardinal Oswald Gracias. Vaswani said her parents are “feeling very proud, and have been flooded with calls and messages.”

Her husband, named Ishwar Vaswani, belongs to Sindhi community, and they have a 13-year-old daughter, Kimaya.

The Vaswanis belong to the parish of Our Lady of Victories Church, located in Mumbai’s Mahim neighborhood.

Vaswani said she’s been part of her parish’s “Victory Chorus Line Choir” for more than 25 years, and she also donates her graphic design expertise to local parishes.

Source: Crux