The Calling of Tony Cointreau

Rabbi Rami talks to Tony Cointreau about his mentor Mother Theresa and his new book A Gift of Love.

After an affluent childhood as an heir of the Cointreau liqueur family and a successful theatre career, Tony Cointreau felt that he needed something more meaningful in his life. Even though he had never been exposed to poverty, Cointreau found himself drawn to Mother Teresa’s work with “the poorest of the poor.” In 1989 he flew to India to see her work firsthand and went again in 1990. Upon his return to New York City, Cointreau began volunteering at Gift of Love, Mother Teresa’s home in Greenwich Village for destitute men dying of AIDS. Unexpectedly he found that Mother Teresa made frequent visits to New York and she soon became a mentor and his third “other mother.” His memoir A Gift of Love shares these experiences and the wisdom he gained.

On September 10, 2016, The Rubin Museum hosts The Wisdom Matrix: Gyetrul Jigme Rinpoche + Tony Cointreau. Tickets are now on sale at rubinmuseum.org/wisdom. Tony also has an upcoming workshop at the 92nd Street Y entitled "End of Life Care: Lessons Learned from Mother Teresa" which will be held on Wednesday, September 28th at 6:30 p.m.