Mother Teresa …...

The Daughter Of God

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Agnes Bojaxhu was born in Yugoslavia in 1910. She entered the convent at the age of 18, taking the name of Sr Teresa. She sailed for India and for years, taught at a girls’ Catholic school. Most of the students were from wealthy families.

While on a train returning from her annual retreat, Sister Teresa felt the call of God to leave the security of her convent life.

She believed God was calling her to minister to the poorest of the poor on the streets of Calcutta.

She responded to this call, and left the convent in 1948. She lived very simply, and spent her days picking up dying people from the streets.

In 1950 she opened the first Home for the Dying, where the outcasts of Calcutta could die with dignity.

Many girls she had taught at the Loretto convent school joined her in her work. They too, dedicated their lives to Jesus in serving the very poor. In 1950, Sr Teresa’s order became known as the Missionaries of Charity.

She taught her nuns to live very simple lives, to pray constantly and to see the face of Jesus in every person, especially the poorest of the poor.

She and her sisters set up homes not only in third world countries, but also in New York and Rome. She saw spiritual poverty as the worst poverty of all.

Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her service of love to the world. She accepted the award –

..”in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, of all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people who have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.”- Mother Teresa’s Acceptance Speech

Awards that she got • 1962 - Padma shri award • 1971 - Pope John XXIII peace prize • 1975 - Albert Schweiter international prize • 1976 - Pacem in Terris award • 1978 - Balzon prize • 1979 - Noble Peace Prize • 1983 - Order of Merit • 1985 - Medal of Freedom • 1994 - Golden Honour of the Nation [Albania]

• 1996 - Honorary citizenship of USA

1998 - Pope John Paul II begins the process to make her a saint. This process is still going on !

Missionaries of Charity

• October 7th 1950 – Vatican permission to set up Missionaries of Charity, to care for the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind and lepers.

• She started with 13 nuns now there are over 4,000

Where she helped • 1982 – siege of Beirut • 1985 - Ethopia

• 1986 - Chernobyl• 1988 - Armenia

Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87.

Her Missionaries of Charity continue to grow and serve the poorest of the poor.

Her Order is currently going through the process of having Mother Teresa declared a saint.

Pictures of her funeral

The greatness of this unpretentious nun from India is in her deeds. Everyone reveres her relentless work in the rehabilitation of the poor. Mother Teresa had immense love and compassion for all living beings. That is probably why her statements resonate in our hearts.

MOTHER TERESAMOTHER TERESA

IN HER OWN WORDSIN HER OWN WORDS

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

Mother Teresa taught us by her sample what it really

means to ‘live’ the Gospel.

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.”

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the

feeling of being unwanted.”

“The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the

feeling of being unwanted.”

“There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread.”

“There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread.”

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest

poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

“We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest

poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”

"The other day I dreamed that I was at the gates of heaven. And St. Peter said, 'Go back to Earth. There are no slums up here.'"

-- Quoted as telling Prince Michael of Greece in 1996.

"The other day I dreamed that I was at the gates of heaven. And St. Peter said, 'Go back to Earth. There are no slums up here.'"

-- Quoted as telling Prince Michael of Greece in 1996.

ON HER LIFE’S WORK

ON HER LIFE’S WORK

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

“The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.”

“The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.”

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

“Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.”

“Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.”

“Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation,

and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.”

“Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation,

and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness, or impatience.”

“There should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone's house. That says enough.”

“There should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone's house. That says enough.”

“At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much

money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.’”  ’”

“At the end of our lives, we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much

money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.’”  ’”