brothers were aligned with the Missionaries of Charity, under Church law
Mother Teresa could not head a male congregation. She tried to engage
the services of two other priests, but for a number of reasons could not
convince either man to leave his order to take charge of the new congre-
gation. Finally, a young priest applied for the position; Mother Teresa,
even though she did not know him personally, agreed to have him take on
the responsibility of directing the new order.
In 1966, an Australian Jesuit, Father Ian Travers-Ball, became the
head of the Missionary Brothers, changing his name to Brother Andrew.
Travers-Ball was a young and charismatic presence within the order. He
was familiar with conditions in India having come to the country in 1954
as a new priest. He was interested in working with the poor, and specifi-
cally with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity.
Early on, Brother Andrew believed it was necessary for the Brothers of
Charity to establish their own presence and identity. Although he ad-
mired Mother Teresa, Travers-Ball also wished to escape her domination.
To establish a base for the Brothers, Brother Andrew rented a small house
in Kidderpore, which Mother Teresa purchased. Along with a dozen
young homeless boys, Brother Andrew moved into the home. In time, the
house settled into a routine that was far different from the goings-on at
Motherhouse.
In general, the Brothers adopted a style of working with the poor that
was far less regimented. They were less sheltered than the Sisters, which
allowed them access to the poor community in ways that the Sisters did
not enjoy. The more informal approach enabled the Brothers to be more
adaptable to cultural and regional differences than the Sisters. And be-
cause their focus was on helping poor boys, their homes tended to be
smaller and more close-knit.
One of the first places the Brothers began work was at the Howrah rail-
way station where many young poor boys lived. Much as Mother Teresa
did when she began working among the poor, the Brothers started out by
establishing contact and helping the boys in small ways, such as passing
out bars of soap or helping get medical treatment for those in need. Grad-
ually, the Brothers organized an evening meal for the boys at the station.
Some boys were taken in and given refuge where they could receive voca-
tional training. Along with boys residing at the Shishu Bhavan, several
were then transferred to other houses in and around the city, such as Nabo
Jeevan (New Life), or Dum-Dum where there was a radio-repair work-
shop. Boys suffering from medical or mental handicaps were taken to Nur-
pur, a farm located about 20 miles outside of Calcutta, where they learned
to farm. The Brothers also became heavily involved with mobile leprosy
THE GROWTH OF A MIRACLE 99