Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997)
Quick Summary
Mother Teresa (1910 – 1997) was a catholic religious sister and major figure in history. Born in Üsküb, Ottoman Empire (today Skopje, North Macedonia), Mother Teresa left a lasting impact through Founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950.
Birth
August 26, 1910 Üsküb, Ottoman Empire (today Skopje, North Macedonia)
Death
September 5, 1997 Calcutta (Kolkata), India
Nationality
Albanian and Indian
Occupations
Complete Biography
Origins And Childhood
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born into an Albanian Catholic household active in parish life and civic charity. Her father, Nikollë, a businessman engaged in local politics, died when she was eight, leaving her mother Drana to run the family and teach her children concrete solidarity. Educated by Loreto sisters in Skopje, Agnes learned Albanian, Serbian, Turkish, and French, sang in the church choir, and joined parish relief works. Missionary periodicals, especially The Missionary of the Sacred Heart, stirred her teenage desire to serve abroad, particularly in India.
Historical Context
Mother Teresa’s formative years unfolded amid the waning Ottoman Empire and rising ethnic tensions in the Balkans. Catholic Albanians in Skopje were a minority yet closely knit community. After World War I the city became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. Meanwhile British-ruled India, her future mission field, faced nationalist movements, urban poverty, and recurring famines. The Bengal famine of 1943, Partition violence, and public-health crises would later frame her ministry among the destitute of Calcutta.
Public Ministry
In 1928 she entered the Loreto Sisters at Rathfarnham, Ireland, taking the name Sister Mary Teresa and travelling to Darjeeling for novitiate. She professed temporary vows in 1931 and final vows in 1937. For more than fifteen years she taught at St. Mary’s School in Calcutta, eventually serving as headmistress. Witnessing the misery of the slums, intensified by the 1943 famine and 1946 communal riots, she felt compelled to leave the classroom. On 10 September 1946 she experienced what she called a "call within a call" to serve Christ in the poorest. After two years of discernment and ecclesial permissions, she left the Loreto convent in 1948, received basic medical training in Patna, donned the white sari with blue border, and began working in Calcutta’s streets, teaching children and visiting families in desperate conditions.
Teachings And Message
Mother Teresa’s message centred on the inherent worth of every person and the power of doing "small things with great love." Prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and simplicity anchored her spirituality. She linked material poverty with loneliness and spiritual abandonment, insisting that care for the unwanted was service rendered directly to Christ. Her public interventions stressed the sanctity of life, opposition to contraception and abortion, and the need for personal conversion. Influenced by Thérèse of Lisieux and Francis of Assisi, she invited volunteers, politicians, and world leaders alike to practice compassion through concrete acts.
Activity In Galilee
Approved in 1950 by the Archdiocese of Calcutta and the Holy See, the Missionaries of Charity opened their motherhouse at Nirmal Hriday ("Pure Heart") in Kalighat, a former Hindu temple dedicated to Kali. The sisters bathed, fed, and comforted the dying, while respecting the faith traditions of each person. Houses for leprosy patients, such as Shanti Nagar, mobile clinics, street schools, and orphanages soon multiplied. During the 1960s and 1970s the congregation expanded to Latin America, Africa, and Europe; brothers, priests, and lay co-workers joined the movement. Volunteers accepted austere conditions—simple bedding, minimal technology, focus on presence. In 1985 she opened the Gift of Love home for people with HIV/AIDS in New York; in 1986 she met Pope John Paul II in Rome as the Vatican established the Missionaries of Charity Fathers.
Journey To Jerusalem
Global acclaim brought honours and contention. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and addressed the United Nations in 1985. Critics, including journalist Christopher Hitchens and physician Robin Fox in The Lancet (1994), questioned medical standards, pain management, and acceptance of donations from controversial benefactors. Financial transparency, evangelization methods, and views on reproductive health were debated. From 1983 onward she suffered heart problems, offered to resign in 1990, but was asked to continue until 1997. Her state funeral in India reflected both national gratitude and global attention. The beatification process launched in 1999 included examination of alleged miracles and correspondence revealing her long interior darkness.
Sources And Attestations
Primary insight into her spirituality comes from letters preserved in Missionaries of Charity archives, published in Come Be My Light. Authorized biographies by Kathryn Spink and Navin Chawla rely on interviews with sisters, volunteers, and political figures. Malcolm Muggeridge’s documentary and book Something Beautiful for God helped popularize her image, while Hitchens’s The Missionary Position presents a sceptical view. Reports from Indian health officials, NGOs, and medical professionals supply evidence about the conditions within her homes, enabling balanced historical assessment.
Historical Interpretations
Scholars interpret Mother Teresa as both saintly exemplar and emblem of contested charity. Religious historians emphasize her role in revitalizing Catholic witness to mercy during the Cold War era. Critics from liberation theology and postcolonial studies argue that her approach alleviated symptoms more than systemic causes and could reinforce stereotypes of passive poverty. Feminist ethicists explore her theology of self-gift, while public-health historians examine the adequacy of care provided under resource constraints. The multiplicity of perspectives underscores how her persona functions as a mirror for debates on aid, power, and sanctity.
Legacy
By 2024 the Missionaries of Charity included about 5,600 sisters in over 130 countries, alongside brothers, priests, and lay collaborators. Their houses continue to welcome the dying, abandoned children, refugees, and disaster victims. Pope Francis canonized her in 2016, cementing her status within the Catholic Church. Her image inspires philanthropic initiatives, volunteer programmes, and civic engagement while fuelling ongoing discussions on effective charity, patient dignity, and the intersection of faith with humanitarian practice.
Achievements and Legacy
Major Achievements
- Founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950
- Opened Nirmal Hriday hospice for the dying in Kalighat
- Expanded humanitarian centres for homeless people, leprosy patients, and those with HIV/AIDS worldwide
- Received the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and advocated for human dignity
Historical Legacy
Mother Teresa’s legacy endures through a worldwide network of communities dedicated to the poorest, the global diffusion of a Christian imagination of compassion, and ongoing debates about social justice, healthcare, and the role of faith in humanitarian work.
Detailed Timeline
Major Events
Birth
Born on 26 August in Üsküb, Ottoman Empire, to an Albanian Catholic family.
Loreto entry
Left Skopje to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland and then India.
Call within a call
During a train journey she resolved to serve Calcutta’s poorest residents.
Foundation
The Missionaries of Charity received canonical approval in Calcutta.
Nobel Peace Prize
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian work.
HIV/AIDS home
Opened the Gift of Love home for people with HIV/AIDS in New York.
Death
Died on 5 September in Calcutta; India held a state funeral.
Canonization
Declared Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis.
Geographic Timeline
Famous Quotes
"What we do is only a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something."
"Peace begins with a smile."
"We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love."
External Links
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Mother Teresa born?
She was born on 26 August 1910 in Üsküb, Ottoman Empire (today Skopje, North Macedonia), to an Albanian Catholic family.
What does the ‘call within a call’ mean?
In September 1946, during a train journey, she felt an inner command to leave her congregation and live among Calcutta’s poorest, a decision that led to the Missionaries of Charity.
What services did the Missionaries of Charity provide?
They established homes for the dying, dispensaries, orphanages, shelters for leprosy patients, and centres aiding homeless people and those living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Why did she receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979?
The Nobel Committee honoured her humanitarian efforts for the destitute and her witness to human dignity, urging the world to practice active compassion.
What controversies surround her work?
Journalists and physicians criticized medical standards, pain management, and her opposition to contraception and abortion, highlighting broader debates between charitable relief and social rights.
Sources and Bibliography
Primary Sources
- Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light (Letters to a Saint)
Secondary Sources
- Kathryn Spink – Mother Teresa: An Authorized Biography ISBN: 9780060958212
- Navin Chawla – Mother Teresa ISBN: 9780670087288
- Malcolm Muggeridge – Something Beautiful for God
- Christopher Hitchens – The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice ISBN: 9781859840542
- Robin Fox, "Mother Teresa's care for the dying" – The Lancet, 1994
External References
See Also
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