Mother Teresa (1910-1997), born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Skopje, was a world-renowned Roman Catholic nun and missionary of Albanian descent. She dedicated her life to helping the poorest of the poor and the dying in the slums of Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, and founded the order of the Missionaries of Charity.
Her work earned her worldwide recognition, the Nobel Peace Prize, and ultimately canonization as a saint.
1. Born in the Ottoman Empire
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born on August 26, 1910, in Üsküb, Ottoman Empire, now Skopje in North Macedonia. She grew up in a prosperous Albanian Catholic family.
Her early life was marked by the Balkan Wars and World War I, which may have influenced her later calling to help the victims of suffering.
2. Called to Religious Life at a Young Age
At the age of 12, Anjezë already felt called to religious life. She was fascinated by stories of missionaries in India and decided she wanted to dedicate her life to serving God by helping the poor.
At 18, she left her parental home and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish religious order doing mission work in India. She never saw her mother and sister again.
3. Teacher in Calcutta
After her novitiate in Ireland, where she took the name Teresa (after Thérèse of Lisieux), she was sent to Calcutta. There, she worked for nearly twenty years as a geography and history teacher, and later as principal, at St. Mary’s High School for Girls, a school for affluent girls.
Although she loved her work, she became increasingly confronted with the harrowing poverty and suffering just outside the school walls.
4. The ‘Call Within a Call’
On September 10, 1946, during a train journey to Darjeeling for a retreat, Mother Teresa received what she described as a ‘call within a call’. She felt a clear command from God to leave the convent and dedicate herself fully to caring for ‘the poorest of the poor’ in the slums.
She received permission from the Vatican to leave the Loreto order and establish a new congregation, although she remained under the authority of the Archbishop of Calcutta.
5. Founding the Missionaries of Charity
In 1950, Mother Teresa officially founded the Missionaries of Charity. The order started with just 13 members in Calcutta but quickly grew into a worldwide organization.
The sisters took the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, plus a fourth vow: ‘wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor’.
6. The Iconic White and Blue Sari
Mother Teresa chose a simple white cotton sari with three blue borders as the habit for her order. This was the attire worn by the poorest women in Bengal. The white color symbolizes purity, and the blue color represents Mother Mary.
This simple habit became the global symbol of Mother Teresa and her missionaries.
7. Focus on the Dying and Destitute
The work of the Missionaries of Charity initially focused on providing care and dignity to people literally dying on the streets. Mother Teresa opened Nirmal Hriday (Home of the Pure Heart), a hospice where the dying poor could pass away with respect and love.
Later, the work expanded to include orphanages, leprosy clinics, soup kitchens, and schools for the very poor.
8. Nobel Peace Prize (1979)
For her tireless dedication to the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She accepted the award ‘in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for’.
She requested that the traditional banquet honoring the laureates be canceled so the money could be spent on the poor in Calcutta.
9. Criticism and Controversy
Despite worldwide admiration, Mother Teresa and her work also faced criticism. Critics pointed to the substandard medical care in her homes, her conservative stances on abortion and contraception, and questions about the use of the large sums of money her organization received.
Some found her approach to poverty alleviation too focused on alleviating symptoms rather than addressing structural change.
10. Crisis of Faith and ‘Inner Darkness’
After her death, letters and journal entries emerged revealing that Mother Teresa had struggled for decades with a deep crisis of faith and a feeling of ‘inner darkness’ and God’s absence.
This image of a woman who, despite her own doubts and spiritual pain, tirelessly continued her work out of love for God and the poor, made her, for many, even more human and admirable.
11. Rapid Canonization
Even during her lifetime, Mother Teresa was regarded by many as a saint. After her death in 1997, the process for her beatification and canonization was initiated exceptionally quickly by Pope John Paul II.
She was beatified in 2003 and canonized by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016, just 19 years after her death. This required two miracles attributed to her intercession to be recognized by the Vatican.
12. Meetings with World Leaders
Due to her global fame, Mother Teresa met numerous heads of state, popes, and other influential figures. She often used these meetings to draw attention to the needs of the poor and to advocate for peace.
She did not shy away from controversy and spoke clearly on moral issues.
13. A Symbol of Charity
More than any other figure in modern times, Mother Teresa became the global symbol of selfless charity and compassion. Her small stature and simple sari became iconic.
Although her life and work were not without debate, her dedication to the ‘poorest of the poor’ remains a powerful source of inspiration for millions worldwide.
