Bl.Teresa of Calcutta
Patron of World Youth Day
1910 - 1997
Beatified By: Pope John Paul II
The remarkable woman who would be known as Mother Theresa began life named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, she was the youngest child born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu, Receiving her First Communion at the age of five, she was confirmed in November 1916. Her father died while she was only eight years old leaving her family in financial straits.
Gonxha's religious formation was assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was very involved as a youth.
Subsequently moved to pursue missionary work, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 at the age of 18 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. She received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux. In December of 1929, she departed for her first trip to India, arriving in Calcutta. After making her First Profession of Vows in May 1931, Sister Teresa was assigned to the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta and taught at St. Mary's School for girls.
Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, On May 24, 1937, becoming, as she said, the "spouse of Jesus" for "all eternity." From that time on she was called Mother Teresa.
She continued teaching at St. Mary's and in 1944 became the school's principal. Mother Teresa's twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy.
It was on September 10, 1946 during a train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat,Mother Teresa received her "inspiration, her call within a call." On that day, in a way she would never explain, Jesus' thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life.
By means of interior locutions and visions, Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for "victims of love" who would "radiate His love on souls." "Come be My light,'"He begged her. "I cannot go alone."
Jesus revealed His pain at the neglect of the poor, His sorrow at their ignorance of Him and His longing for their love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor.
Nearly two years of testing and discernment passed before Mother Teresa received permission to begin. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in a white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of her beloved Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor.
After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On December 21, she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and tuberculosis. She started each day with communion then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him amongst "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students.
On October 7, 1950 the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India. The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent. Starting in 1980 and continuing through the 1990s, Mother Teresaopened houses in almost all of the communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba.
In order to respond better to both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, in 1976 the contemplative branch of the Sisters, in 1979 the Contemplative Brothers, and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers.
Mother Theresa's inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with who she shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love.
This spirit later inspired the Lay Missionaries of Charity. In answer to the requests of many priests, in 1981 Mother Teresa also began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests as a "little way of holiness" for those who desire to share in her charisma and spirit.
During the years of rapid growth the world began to turn its eyes towards Mother Teresa and the work she had started. Numerous awards, beginning with the Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, honored her work, while an increasingly interested media began to follow her activities. She received both prizes and attention 'for the glory of God and in the name of the poor."
There was a heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, the darkness. The "painful night" of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresato an ever more profound union with God. Through the darkness she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love, and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor.
In spite of increasingly severe health problems towards the end of her life, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa's Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. In March 1997 she blessed her newly-elected successor as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity and then made one more trip abroad. After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters.
On September 5, Mother Teresa's earthly life came to an end. She was given the honor of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike.
Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity. Her response to Jesus' plea, "Come be My light," made her a Missionary of Charity, a "mother to the poor," a symbol of compassion to the world, and a living witness to the thirsting love of God. As a testament to her most remarkable life, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonization. On December 20, 2002 he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles.
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Dear and beloved Mother Teresa, I saw your loving face, when you visited Cochin duing the final years of your earthly life. Your simple message to all was based on 'Love'; like St. Therese' of Lissieux. Please remember me and pray for my family.
happy feast day Bl. Mother Teresa. thank you for your sacrifice and charity. thank you for helping my mom and i.
Dear Mother Teresa of Calcutta, I realy thank God for you life and I beg you to help us pray to God that He may give us the grace to understand when He is calling us and what He want from us and to respond quickly to His call with passion as you did or even do more. ST TERESA OF CALCUTTA, PRAY FOR US!
Mother Theresa, am very inspired by your humble life, you lived and how you learned others to have the same kind of life. You had always looked after the poorest people, so will you please pray for me, to enable me to look after the needy young ones.
will you pray also, for us to continue to receive financial help for children's lunch at school.
Thank you for your prayer/
The story of Blessed Theresa of Calcutta is quite motivational and inspiring. Her worked of charity,her life of chastity and poverty brings tears to the eyes.
Lord, give us the strength never to reject anyone the society have rejected, or not to show love to those we ought to, give us strength to emulate the good work of Mother Teresa, in our home, offices, Church, society and world,give us the spirit to yearn for u, to yearn for your love,to thirst for you...........even in our weakness give us strength.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Pray for us.
Jesus meek and humble of heart..... Make our heart like unto thine.
blessed st mother teresa no words can say how good you are x
god bless you god help the poor
i ask you 2 pray for me and my family amen
Most Dear and great St.Mother Teresa!,I hail you and pray you for your divine nature.Your life is very exemplary and ideal.I feel proud and fortunate to live in your life time and view .Your Charity and service to the' poorest of the poor', around the Globe,spreading over to 123 odd countries with more than 610 foundations is a clear indication of your' burning bright' for the Jesus call "Come be my Light". Please pray for me dear St.Mother, to cultivate the noble quality of' MEEK' in my self and in my neighbours for making the society of your dream. Amen..
Dear Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
Today is Wednesday, 5 September 2012 and it is your Feast Day. I am on a retreat here in the Marian Valley not far from the army base and the township of Canungra is only 15 minutes drive from this (the bush) retreat centre. I came here speciafically for you and this is my gift to you on your Feast Day. I had the great privilege of meeting you and we celebrated the Holy Mass at each others side in the autumn of 1983 in Fitzroy where you opened your first house in Melbourne. I will cherish that memory to my last breath.
This morning I attended the communal rosary in your honour and the Holy Mass celebrated by Fr Anthony and Fr David from Poland. I am looking forward to a hearty lunch at the local pub where I will wash it down with a cold ale. Life is to be celebrated all the time and today I will celebrate life DOUBLY. You made the colour of my life from the moment you embraced me that autumn day in 1983.
I LOVE YOU
Mother Teresa, in my opinion, was the greatest, most loving, caring woman on earth. Even after her death she is still praised by many. I wish that I could have met her. She was one of a kind.
Please complete the biography on Mother Teresa. She did so much more after joining the Irish convent. Thanks
Mother Teresa lived a miracle every day. She has inspired millions. She is a modern day SAINT in every sense of the word. It is time to update her profile to include the fact that she embodied love, compassion and hope through her unconditional love, as she cocreated with God, her world wide charities, starting with one soul that eventually included thousands, in the one of the poorest parts of the world, in the Calcutta slums. She provides inspiration to ALL humanity, and those souls, regardless of race or religion, that are seeking to help and heal the world in fulfilling their own divine potential. Deepak Chopra, a well known new age spiritual teacher and healer, notes that when medical students watched a video of Mother Teresa, their own individual immune systems were actually improved, that is, the students' bodies became better protected, just by viewing Mother Teresa, on screen, in a video (see YouTube Video). Blessings and love and light, and thank you for your website. Namaste. Diane Marie
Is this all you have on Mother Theresa? She did so much and all you mention is that she joined a convent in Ireland. Where are all her works and her world-changing charity?
Mother Teresa has been a huge influence in my life...she was an incredible person. This article is short - there is a great book, "Come be my Light" about how Mother Teresa answered the call to serve the Lord. If you get a chance, read it!!
Unless I missed something, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta is not yet a saint, which I say with all due respect to her as a remarkable human being who is still being considered for sainthood the last I heard. Her life stands as testimony to our most precious Catholic values, which are in stark contrast to the widespread superficiality and sinfulness extolled so broadly in our culture today. She was the type of person who lived her life for love and charity, something we all can emulate in our daily lives.
Nice start to a beautiful message...now add a "read more" link so people can read on...
you forgot to tell when did she die . probably the 5th of september , but what year ?
I loved her from the first time I saw her and now, I always will. I'm glad I was born in the time of the two greats, Mother Teresa & John Paul ll. Pray for us.
I just cannot believe that more was not written about this loving and saintly lady. She was a true saint and should be recognized as such. Mother Teresa's life truly emulated the love of Christ as she was fully committed to His heart and His cross. She won the "Noble Peace Prize", won the hearts of millions and yet this is how we pay tribute to her?
Dear Bl.Teresa of Calcutta,
please pray for us sinners... amen!!!
Mother St. Teresa, we are privileged that you lived in our lifetime to teach us how to be Christ-like. Pray for us, dear saint. Help all those who are bed-ridden, helpless and sad on account of being immobile. Teach us to be caring towards them, no matter what difficulties we face. Dear saint, we know about you and your life. Thank you.