Mother Teresa of Calcuta - Saint

Mother Teresa of Calcuta,

whose name is Agnes Gonxha Bopjaxhiu,

was born 26 of August 1910

in Skopje in the actual Republic of Macedonia, (then belonging to the Otoman Empire)

(Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia until it gained independence

en 1991).

BIOGRAPHY OF MOTHER TERESA

Agnes, born in 1910, was the youngest. Her father died when she was 8.

This proved very difficult for her mother and they were very poor, yet though she was brought up

strictly there was plenty of love. This influenced her character and vocation

Agnes made her first

Holy Communion when she was six,

and received

confirmation

a year later.

From the day of her first Communion she was very devoted and religious.

1928, at 18 years she entered the Sisters of

our Lady of Loreto, in Ireland

THE RELIGIOUS LIFE

1929, She travelled to Calcuta India, where she taught at Saint Mary,’s school for girls. She was 19 years old.

1937, Agnes

made her religous

vows and taught girls and young

women for 20 years.

1931, Agnes took her religious name from St Teresa, a French nun of

Lisieux who was canonized in 1927

Agnes was helped in

her religious

formation by the Jesuit

Parish of the Sacred

Heart

In 1937, Sister Teresa made her perpetual religious profession , becoming Spouse of Christ forever.She continued teaching young women, and became headmistress of the St Mary’s school in 1944

Teresa was always prayerful and dedicated to her sister nuns and students. Always joyful and helpful,

she lived out her consecration to God faithfully and valiently.

A CALL WITHIN A CALL

She was moved by the condition of the poor and destitute who

lived outside the walls of the

convent. In 1946 during a journey

to her annual retreat she

received the inspiration, her calling. The love

of souls took control of her

heart.

In the following months she received visions and interior locutions.

Jesus revealed to her his heart’s desire to find souls who would spread his love.

He showed his sorrow because the poor were abandoned, and did not know him.

- Jesus asked her to found a religious congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the

poorest of the poor, those who were rejected, unloved, whom all ignored.

Many years passed before

she received permsission

to begin her work.

It was a time of trial and discernment.

1948, Pope Pius XII Gave her permission to go outside the cloister

to the streets of Calcuta to the poor,

the sick and the starving.

On 17 of August 1948 she wore the sari

(a traditional indian dress) bordered with

blue.

Some of her older past -students began to help her in this mission.

The mother house of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcuta.

Her first apostolic work was helping to teach the poor street children.

In 1950, Mother Teresa began to help the lepers.

Her houses multiplied and extended. There was room for everyone in them.

After only 10 years,in 1960 Mother Teresa began to send her sisters to other parts of India.

Encouraged by Pope Paul VI, she founded a community in

Venezuela. Later her houses extended to the 5

continents, even in Communist countries.

From 1965 on, Mother Teresa founded houses in Italy and Tanzania. Today there are 600 houses in 123

countries.

1965, Pope Paul VI

took the congregation

of the missionaries

of Charity under his direct controland authorized

Mother Teresa to expand

the relgious order to other

countries.

Centres were opened throughout the world for lepers,

the elderly, the blind, and people suffering from AIDS .

Schools and orphanages were set up for the poor and abandoned

In 1980, she came to Leganés (Madrid) to found a house for her Missionaries. By the time of her death in 1997 she

had consecrated almost 4,000 missionaries and had established communities in 123

countries.

1963, Mother Teresa with Bro Joseph Langford founded

the male order “Brothers Missionaries of Charity”

to better help the spiritual and physical needs of the poor.

Fr. Joseph Langford M.C.

FOUNDATIONS

In 1976 she founded the contemplative branch of the sisters,

and in 1979 the contemplative brothers.

In 1981 her same spirit inspired the Lay Missionaries of Charity.

In reply to the petition of many priests, Mother Teresa began in 1981

a Priestly Movement, Corpus Christi, as a small way to holiness

for those priests who wanted to share in her charism and spirit.

In 1984 The

Missionary of Charity

fathers were

founded.

her inspiration

was not limited to those who

felt a religious

vocation.

She formed the Collaborators of Mother Teresa and the Colaborators of the Sick and suffferingPeople of different beliefs and nationalities with whom she sharede her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and apostolate, based in works of love.

Mother Teresa was sent as an ambassador of peace to

Lebanon by Pope John Paul II.Through prayer she managed to get a

ceasefire, and entered Beirut to save children

trapped in the hospital.

In1997, Mother Teresa blessed

her newly elected successor

Sor Nirmala, (who had been one of

her past students and helpers right from the start),

as General Superior of her

Missionaries and then made

another foreign mission

1979, She received the Nobel Prize for Peace.

FAME of HOLINESS

At the same

time, the mass media started

to follow her

activities.

Her attitude was that

the prizes and

attention were all “for the Glory of

God and in the name of the poor”

With Queen Elizabeth of England

She folllowed Jesus, often not feeling his presence, only her longing for Him.

The desire to unite herself with the Lord dominated her life.She was heroically faithful even in the simplest daily

chores.

Her dark night of the soul

“The Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve

and give his life as ransom for many” (Mk 10, 45). Mother Theresa shared the passion of the

Crucified Christ in a special way during long years of “interior darkness”

In the darkest hours she prayed more fervently before the Blessed Sacrament. This harsh trial made her identify more with those she served every day,

experiencing their sorrow, and at times their rejection.

“May your mercy fall upons us Lord, come down on us. since we have hoped in You.

Mother Teresa, like the

psalmist , in the moments

of interior desolation,

repeated to the Lord,

“I hope oin you, My God”

After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, Mother Theresa returned to Calcutta, where she lived out the last weeks of her life. She spent her last days receiving visits and instructing her sisters.

final days

She died in Calcuta, India, on 5 of Sept. 1997.

The government of India gave her a state funeral.

Her body was buried in the mother house of the Missionaries of CharityHer tomb immediately

became a place of pilgrimage and prayer

for people of faith from all sectors of life, rich and

poor alike.

Barely two years after her death, John Paul II allowed

her cause of canonization to be introduced,

because of her fame of holiness and the favours

that were attributed to her.

20 Dec 2002 he approved

the decrees of heroism of her virtues,

and a miracle obtained

through her intercession.

2003, she was beatified by

Pope John Paul II

and canonized saint by Pope Francis on 5 Sept

2016

Jesus’ cry from the

cross “I thirst”

(Jn 19, 28), expresses

the depth of God’s love for man.

This penetrated her soul

and found a fertile soil

in her heart. JP II

MOTHER TERESA’S

SPIRITUALITY

“whoever would be the first, should be the servant of all” (Mc 10, 44).

“whoever would be great, let him be your servant" (Mc 10, 43).

“I say to you, when you do this to one of these my smallest brothers, you do it to me" (Mt 25,

40).

I try to be a sign of the the

presence and

compassion of God, and thus remind

all ,of the value and dignity of every son

of God, made to

love and be loved”.

“If you hear that

a woman doesn’t want

her son, and wants to

abort, try to

convince her to bring that child to me. I shall love him, seeing

in him the sign of God’s love.

In her total surrender of herself to God and neighbour,

Mother Teresa found her complete realization and lived the noblest qualities of her femininity.

JPii

Mother Teresa “brought the souls to God and God to the souls” and satiated the thirst

of Christ, especially of the most needy, of those who

could not see God in the midst of their suffering and sorrow.

We venerate this small woman who loved God; humble messanger of the gospel, and tireless

benefactor of humanity.We honour in her one of the most important

personalities of our era. Let us receive her message and follow her example.

Virgen Mary, Queen of all saints, help us to be meek

and humble of heart like this intrepid messanger of love.

Help us serve, joyfully, with a smile, all the people we meet.

Help us be Missionaries of Christ, our peace and our hope. Amen.