In the churchyard of the Church of Our Lady of Hope, Mother Teresa of Annunciation now stands with an expression of devotion and supplication, closer to the Holy Christ of Miracles and devotees.

"This year we celebrate the 365th anniversary of Mother Teresa's birth, and we would like that by the 375th anniversary – which will coincide with the Diocese’s 500th anniversary – the process of Mother Teresa's canonization be at another level," said Canon Adriano Borges.

The new statue of Mother Teresa of Annunciation in natural size was placed in the churchyard, and the Bishop of Angra blessed it. But the statue will soon be at the altar, in order to bring more dignity to the image of the driving force behind the cult of the Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres. "I hope that in a larger place, less hidden, more dignified, there will be greater respect for the statue of Mother Teresa", and that "on the other hand, the space where people pray will be a more beautiful place, closer to the sanctuary, a more sacred place", he explains, admitting that he never considered it to be "the most appropriate place to have Mother Teresa beside Antero's bench".

The old statue, larger and with an austere expression, which stood next to "Antero de Quental's bench" – where the poet committed suicide – has been transferred to the convent's garden. "It seems to me that it was always an idea of the people who are devotees of Mother Teresa that that statue (from 1983) was not the most beautiful and the best way to present Mother Teresa," said Canon Adriano. Therefore, "with all the respect we have for the author of the project and for the people who at the time contributed to that statue being made, we decided to put it inside the convent (in the garden), in a dignified place.”

As Canon Adriano Borges explains, the idea of creating a new statue came up in 2018, and he decided to hand the project over to Armando Moreira. "The concept, the idea, the sketch and the design… the creator is Armando Moreira, who had the precious collaboration of Alda Raposo," he explains.

"We recognize Armando Moreira for the brilliant idea that he had, the research that he did, the time consuming work, as well as Alda Raposo, who, with all the merit of her collaboration, will certainly have a place in history," praises the rector of the Shrine.

The rector of the Shrine also says he is grateful to the Ponta Delgada City Council, which covered the cost of the statue's production (32.5 thousand euros).
Armando Moreira explains that, for the concept, he started from the idea of the medal as the "treasure of the poor". Thus, Mother Teresa has in her hand a small medal and is "on a small pedestal" with the shape of three medals.

Armando Moreira believes that the new statue is "much more faithful to what Mother Teresa of Annunciation was", in comparison with the old one that has "a great density, almost masculine". To learn about her physiognomy, he searched the archives for relevant information. "It was based on what I read”: she would be 1.60 m, and she would be thin, "since she fasted many times”. The results of this research were published in a book and will be presented in a TV film during the Feast of Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres.
In addition to the statue, an installation representing a medal of the Holy Christ was placed so that, "at night, whoever goes through Campo de São Francisco will have the impression that the medal is suspended in the churchyard," explains Armando Moreira.

Invited by Armando Moreira to sculpt the clay statue, Alda Raposo confesses: "I often found myself working alone with her, talking to her, and when I felt tired I would say: 'for God's sake help me’". For the ceramist who made this work so gracefully, it was a pleasure to work on the statue of Mother Teresa, but it was also a challenge, because she had never made a work larger than one meter.

With her talent for molding clay, Alda Raposo explains that she tried to make Mother Teresa's expression "reflect the devotion she had for the Holy Christ. I tried to transmit in her eyes the love, devotion, and loyalty she had for the Lord," reveals the award-winning ceramist who has been working clay for 40 years and is the author of works in public spaces, such as the monument to the fisherman in Rabo de Peixe.