Anand Bheemarasetti was only 10 years old when Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited Visakhapatnam, his hometown in India, to start a small convent, in 1985. He then had the chance to meet her and kiss her feet — a moment he describes as "a beautiful encounter which never left me."

This was the first time Mother Teresa impacted his life, and, growing up, he was inspired by her testimony and apostolate of love for the poor. So, as an adult, despite being a software engineer, Bheemarasetti felt the desire to start serving those in need around him. His missionary work began through FOCUS.

While working as a FOCUS missionary, he began taking college students on mission trips to Calcutta every year. "Sisters from Calcutta became close friends, going there so many times," he explained. 

These experiences were so impactful that, even after leaving FOCUS, he continued organizing mission trips for groups of young adults to the famous Indian city. At a certain point, he started asking himself, "What am I doing taking people to India every year while Mother Teresa wanted people to find their own Calcutta right where they are?"

Project Finding Calcutta

It was in 2019 that Bheemarasetti, along with his wife Lindsey and their four children, began to "find Calcutta" in Dallas, where they live. They started visiting nursing homes, going downtown to talk to the homeless, and engaging in other activities to get closer to the poorest of the poor. Then friends started joining them, parish groups wanted to participate, and Bheemarasetti understood that God wanted to lead more people to find their own Calcutta.

For the founder, the purpose of the lay ministry Project Finding Calcutta is to facilitate the process for those who want to be involved in a social apostolate but don't know where to start. "You don't have to worry about where you want to go serve. 'Is it safe? Who do we go with?' It's nice to have someone show the ropes."

Today, Project Finding Calcutta has grown; and in 2025 alone, it had the help of 2,500 volunteers. The goal is to expand even further to other cities and dioceses.

At the SEEK 2026 conference in Fort Worth, Texas, volunteer Kristin Velasquez said it is important to bring God to the people around oneself without needing to go long distances. "Oftentimes we think about going international, going abroad, and that people need more help 'out there,' but sometimes it's the person who's in your office building working 9 to 5 who needs Christ more than that other person internationally."

The project's tent was also giving away a free trip to Calcutta for its annual mission and invited visitors to write a letter to a prisoner on death row in Texas.

"Sometimes we can kind of be in our bubbles, and so there are people right now currently who are on death row, and it could be their last day. Something that we really want to do is bring Christ into all those different pockets. We're at SEEK 2026 Fort Worth, so we're really using this opportunity — where there are about 6,000 people here — to be able to write these letters to people who probably would never receive anything, and so that's reaching and finding our Calcutta in Texas," Velasquez explained.

Serving on Saturdays

The project offers volunteer opportunities every week on "Service Saturday," working in partnership with various parishes and organizations, whether going to nursing homes, visiting the sick or talking to homeless people in Dallas.

"It's so humbling and life-changing, the people you encounter; and sometimes they have Christ in their hearts way more than you do, and so they're the ones who are preaching to us," shared Velasquez.

"A lot of us are very uncomfortable facing people who maybe are sick, or facing people who are on the streets. Even when you drive past a red light and there's someone asking for money, there sometimes you don't want to look at them, and a lot of times doing this ministry and doing service Saturdays helps you to get out of that comfort zone more naturally, to where in daily life now [at] that red light, I'm rolling down my window; I'm talking to the person. I'm, like, 'Hey; all I can do right now is pray for you. What's your name?' Have a conversation; and that's literally sometimes what people just need. They just need Christ to be there with them, to be seen, to be held, to be known, to be called by their name."

Matthew Tull moved from Boston to Dallas almost a month ago to be a full-time missionary for Project Finding Calcutta and stated that it "has been one of the best things that's happened in my life."

"I'm a recent convert to Catholicism from Protestantism," shared Tull, "and I got an opportunity super quickly to go serve, and I think just being able to find Christ not only in the Mass but also in the poor, recognizing that Christ endured these same conditions, for the Son of Man had no place to lay his head, is just beautiful. It's another way to encounter Him."

He encourages people who had never served with the weaker and more vulnerable members of society not to be afraid to take the first step.

"It's not hard, they're people; we're serving people: homeless, the elderly who get no visits, the people in prison who we're writing to, they're still people; they're still made in the image of God and have dignity. And it doesn't take much, even just a simple conversation, can change their day and show them the love of Christ."

Every year, during spring break, Project Finding Calcutta also organizes a mission trip to Calcutta for college students, where participants have the chance to pray and attend Mass at the tomb of Mother Teresa, serve with the Missionaries of Charity and do some sightseeing.

And during the months of June and July, the project offers the opportunity for a summer internship in Dallas, with service and prayer, for young people age 18 and older.

Said founder Bheemarasetti, "Even though Mother Teresa is now in heaven, her sisters are continuing her work as religious, and my hope is as laity we continue the work as well."

For more information on how to get involved, visit ProjectFindingCalcutta.com.