Mother Teresa

Who Was Mother Teresa?

Mother Teresa, also known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was a nun and missionary whose life was dedicated to serving the sick and impoverished. Born in Macedonia to Albanian descent, she began her teaching career in India, where she spent 17 years. In 1946, she experienced what she described as her “call within a call,” leading her to establish an order that created hospices, centers for the blind, elderly, and disabled, as well as a leper colony.

In recognition of her humanitarian efforts, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She passed away in September 1997 and was beatified in October 2003. In December 2015, Pope Francis acknowledged a second miracle attributed to her, paving the way for her canonization on September 4, 2016.

Mother Teresa’s Family and Early Life

Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, the present-day capital of the Republic of Macedonia. She was baptized the following day as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Her parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were of Albanian descent; her father was a businessman engaged in construction and trade. The Bojaxhiu family was devoutly Catholic, with Nikola actively participating in local church activities and city politics, advocating for Albanian independence.

Tragedy struck in 1919 when Agnes was only eight years old and her father unexpectedly fell ill and died. Although the exact cause of his death remains uncertain, there are speculations that he may have been poisoned by political adversaries.

In the wake of her father’s death, Agnes grew exceptionally close to her mother, a pious and compassionate woman who instilled in her daughter a profound sense of charity. Despite their modest means, Drana Bojaxhiu opened their home to the less fortunate, teaching Agnes the value of sharing. She often advised her daughter, “My child, never eat a single mouthful unless you are sharing it with others.” When Agnes inquired about the guests at their table, her mother would respond, “Some of them are our relations, but all of them are our people.”

Education and Becoming a Nun

Agnes attended a primary school run by a convent and then moved on to a state-run secondary school. She participated in the local Sacred Heart choir and was frequently asked to sing solo performances. During an annual pilgrimage to the Church of the Black Madonna in Letnice at the age of 12, Agnes felt her initial calling to religious life.

In 1928, at the age of 18, she left for Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, adopting the name Sister Mary Teresa in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. A year later, Sister Mary Teresa continued her journey to Darjeeling, India, for her novitiate period. In May 1931, she made her First Profession of Vows and was subsequently assigned to Calcutta, where she began teaching at Saint Mary’s High School for Girls, a Loreto school focused on educating girls from impoverished Bengali families. During this time, Sister Teresa became fluent in both Bengali and Hindi, dedicating herself to alleviating the educational and social hardships faced by her students.

On May 24, 1937, Sister Teresa took her Final Profession of Vows, committing to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As per Loreto custom, upon making her final vows, she assumed the title of “Mother” and became known as Mother Teresa. She continued to serve at Saint Mary’s, becoming the school’s principal in 1944. Through her kindness, generosity, and unwavering commitment to her students’ education, she aimed to inspire them toward a life devoted to Christ, famously praying, “Give me the strength to be ever the light of their lives, so that I may lead them at last to you.”

Mother Teresa’s Family and Young Life

Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, the current capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The following day, she was baptized as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.

Her parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were of Albanian descent. Nikola was an entrepreneur engaged in construction and trade, while the Bojaxhiu family practiced devout Catholicism. Nikola was actively involved in local church affairs and politics, advocating for Albanian independence.

In 1919, when Agnes was only eight years old, her father suddenly fell ill and died. Although the exact cause of his death remains unclear, it is speculated that political enemies may have poisoned him.

Following her father’s death, Agnes developed a close bond with her mother, a compassionate woman who instilled in her daughter a profound commitment to charity. Despite not being wealthy, Drana Bojaxhiu frequently invited the destitute of the city to share meals with their family. She advised Agnes, “My child, never eat a single mouthful unless you are sharing it with others.” When Agnes inquired about the identities of their guests, her mother would reply, “Some of them are our relations, but all of them are our people.”

Education and Nunhood

Agnes received her early education at a convent-run primary school before attending a state-run secondary school. She sang in the local Sacred Heart choir and was often featured as a soloist. During an annual pilgrimage to the Church of the Black Madonna in Letnice, she felt her first calling to religious life at the age of 12. Six years later, in 1928, an 18-year-old Agnes Bojaxhiu traveled to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, where she adopted the name Sister Mary Teresa in honor of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

A year later, Sister Mary Teresa continued her journey to Darjeeling, India, for her novitiate period. In May 1931, she made her First Profession of Vows and was subsequently assigned to Calcutta, where she taught at Saint Mary’s High School for Girls. This institution, run by the Loreto Sisters, focused on educating girls from the poorest Bengali families. Sister Teresa became fluent in Bengali and Hindi, teaching geography and history while dedicating herself to improving her students’ lives through education.

On May 24, 1937, she took her Final Profession of Vows, committing to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. As per the tradition of Loreto nuns, she assumed the title of “Mother” and became known as Mother Teresa. She continued her role at Saint Mary’s, becoming the school’s principal in 1944. Through her kindness and commitment to education, she aimed to guide her students toward a life devoted to Christ, praying, “Give me the strength to be ever the light of their lives, so that I may lead them at last to you.”

‘Call Within a Call’

On September 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced a transformative moment she referred to as the “call within a call.” While traveling by train from Calcutta to the Himalayan foothills for a retreat, she felt that Christ spoke to her, urging her to leave teaching and dedicate herself to serving the impoverished and sick in Calcutta’s slums.

Bound by her vow of obedience, she could not depart from her convent without official permission. After nearly 18 months of persistent advocacy, she received approval in January 1948 to pursue her new calling. That August, wearing the blue-and-white sari that would become her signature attire, she left the Loreto convent and entered the city. After six months of basic medical training, she ventured into Calcutta’s slums, intent on assisting “the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for.”

Missionaries of Charity

Mother Teresa quickly translated her calling into tangible actions to aid the city’s poor. She established an open-air school and founded a home for the dying destitute in a dilapidated building secured from the city government. In October 1950, she received canonical recognition for a new congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded with a small group of former teachers and students from St. Mary’s School.

As her congregation grew and donations flowed in from India and around the world, the scope of Mother Teresa’s charitable activities expanded dramatically. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, she established a leper colony, an orphanage, a nursing home, a family clinic, and a series of mobile health clinics.

In 1971, Mother Teresa traveled to New York City to open her first American charity house, and in the summer of 1982, she discreetly went to Beirut, Lebanon, crossing between Christian and Muslim areas to assist children from both faiths. In 1985, she returned to New York to speak at the 40th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly and opened Gift of Love, a home for those affected by HIV/AIDS.

Mother Teresa’s Awards and Recognition

In February 1965, Pope Paul VI awarded the Decree of Praise to the Missionaries of Charity, enabling Mother Teresa to expand internationally. By the time of her death in 1997, the Missionaries of Charity had grown to more than 4,000 members, alongside thousands of lay volunteers, operating 610 foundations in 123 countries worldwide.

This Decree marked the beginning of numerous honors recognizing Mother Teresa’s relentless and impactful charity work. Among these, she received the Jewel of India, the highest civilian honor in India, as well as the Soviet Union’s Gold Medal from the Soviet Peace Committee. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in “bringing help to suffering humanity.”

Criticism of Mother Teresa

Despite her widespread acclaim, Mother Teresa’s life and work have not been free from controversy. She has faced criticism for her vocal support of certain contentious doctrines of the Catholic Church, particularly her opposition to contraception and abortion. In her 1979 Nobel Prize lecture, she asserted, “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion.”

In 1995, Mother Teresa publicly urged voters to reject a proposal in Ireland aimed at ending the constitutional ban on divorce and remarriage. One of the most pointed critiques of her legacy comes from Christopher Hitchens, whose book The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice contends that she romanticized poverty for her own purposes, effectively justifying the very institutions and beliefs that perpetuate widespread poverty.

When and How Mother Teresa Died

After years of declining health, marked by heart, lung, and kidney issues, Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87.

Mother Teresa’s Letters

In 2003, the release of Mother Teresa’s private letters prompted a significant reassessment of her life, revealing a profound crisis of faith that troubled her for much of her final five decades. In a poignant letter to a confidant, she expressed her inner turmoil, writing, “Where is my Faith—even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness—My God—how painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith—I dare not utter the words and thoughts that crowd in my heart and make me suffer untold agony.” While these revelations might be shocking given her public persona, they render her a more relatable figure for many who grapple with doubts in their beliefs.

Mother Teresa’s Miracles and Canonization

In 2002, the Vatican acknowledged a miracle involving an Indian woman named Monica Besra, who claimed she was healed of an abdominal tumor through Mother Teresa’s intercession on the first anniversary of her death in 1998. Subsequently, she was beatified as “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” on October 19, 2003, by Pope John Paul II.

On December 17, 2015, Pope Francis recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, which facilitated her canonization as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. This miracle involved the recovery of Marcilio Andrino, a Brazilian man who fell into a coma due to a viral brain infection. Following prayers to Mother Teresa by his family and friends, he awoke pain-free prior to emergency surgery.

Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint on September 4, 2016, the day before the 19th anniversary of her passing. The canonization mass, led by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square, drew tens of thousands of Catholics and pilgrims, celebrating the woman often referred to as “the saint of the gutters” for her charitable endeavors with the impoverished.

In his homily, Pope Francis stated, “After due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother bishops, we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to be a saint, and we enroll her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole Church.” He highlighted her life of service, stating, “Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy… She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created.”

The Pope urged the faithful to emulate her compassion: “Mercy was the salt that gave flavor to her work; it was the light that shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering. May she be your model of holiness.”

Legacy

Since her passing, Mother Teresa has continued to capture public attention. Renowned for her steadfast commitment to aiding the most vulnerable, she is celebrated as one of the 20th century’s greatest humanitarians. Her profound empathy, combined with remarkable organizational skills, enabled her to establish a vast and effective international network of missionaries dedicated to alleviating poverty worldwide.

Despite the monumental scale of her charitable work and the countless lives she impacted, Mother Teresa maintained a humble view of her achievements. In her characteristic self-effacing manner, she summed up her identity: “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”