MOTHER TERESA

MOTHER TERESA

1.Write a short note on the early life of Mother Teresa.


One of the great servants of humanity, Mother Theresa was born on August 26, 1910. Her actual name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun, who subsequently acquired Indian Citizenship. She was the youngest of the children of the family from Shkoder, Albania, born to Nikolle and Drana Bojazhiu. Her father was involved in Albanian politics. Her father died when Agnes was only eight years old. After her father’s death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic. Since her early years, Agnes was attracted by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service, and by age 12 was convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never again saw her mother or sister.

Agnes initially went to the Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland, to learn English, the language the Sisters of Loreto used to teach school children in India. She arrived in India in 1929, and began her work in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan mountains. She took her first religious vows as a nun on May 24th, 1931. At that time she chose the name Teresa after Teresa de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She started serving as a teacher at the Loreto convent school in eastern Calcutta. Though Teresa enjoyed teaching at the school, she was much disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. A famine in 1943 brought misery and death to the city; and the outbreak of communal violence in August 1946 plunged the city into despair and horror.

On September 10th, 1946, Teresa experienced what she later described as ‘the call within the cal’ while travelling to loreto convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for her annual retreat. She was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order. To fail would have been to break the faith. She began serving to the poor in 1948, changing her traditional loreto habit with a simple white cotton sari decorated with a blue border adopted Indian citizenship and stepped out into the slums. Firstly, she started a school in motijhil; soon she started attending to the needs of the destitute and starving. With her wholehearted dedication she served humanity.


2.What are the services Mother Teresa rendered as a Humanitarian?

Mother Teresa in her twelve years old, she decided to become a nun and serve God. She learned English and came to India in 1929. Later on, in 1946 she felt “the call within the call” and decided to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. She realized that the poor must be aching in body and soul looking for a home, food and health.

Teresa started Missionaries of Charity, its aim is to care of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers all those people who are aparted, uncared, unloved throughout the society. This charity began with 13 members in Calcutta; today it has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages. AIDS, Hospices and charity centers worldwide, and caring for refugees, the bling, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, victims of floods, epidemics and famine.

In 1952, Mother Teresa opened the first Home for the Dying in space made available by the city of Calcutta. With the help of Indian officials she converted an abandoned structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the Home of the Pure Heart (Nirmal Hriday). Those brought to the home received medical attention and were afforded the opportunity to die with dignity, according to the rituals of their faith; Muslims were read the Quran, Hindus received water from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites.



“A Beautiful Death’. She said ‘is for people who lived like animals to die like angels – loved and wanted’.

Mother Teresa soon opened a home for those suffered from leprosy, and called the hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity further established several leprosy outreach clinics throughout Calcutta, providing medication, bandages and food.

In 1955 she started the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the Children’s Home of the Immaculate Heart, as a heaven for orphans and homeless youth. Sooner, Mother Teresa expanded her chartable missionaries throughout India as she received charitable donations. Mother Teresa had become internationally famous as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor and homeless, due in part to a documentary, and book, Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980 for her humanitarian work. Lay Catholics and non-Catholics were enrolled in the co-workers of Mother Teresa, the sick and suffering co-workers, and the Lay Missionaries of Charity.

Mother Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963 and a branch of the Sisters in 1976. For the poor, the homeless, the hopeless, the diseased, the dying, the unloved, the uncared for, the unfed, the unlettered and orphans, she was the mother. Mother Teresa also started the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests in 1981 and the Missionaries of Charitity Fathers in 1984. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity continuesto expand with an evergrowing number of services. By 2007 it had 450 brothers and 5000 nuns worldwide operating 610 services centres in 130 countries.

No wonder, for all her humanitarian services, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979, and India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980. She was beautified by Pope John Paul II on 19th October 2003, with the title, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

3.Write a brief note about last days of Mother Teresa.

After 1983, Teresa had suffered from heart attack, pneumonia, malaria, and failure of the left heart ventricle. She had heart surgery, but it was clear that her health was declining. On March 13th, 1997, she stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity and died on September 5th, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday. The process is on to declare her a saint. Meanwhile she was beautified by Pope John Paul II on 19 october 2003.


4.Whose name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu?
5.When did Agnes became Teresa?

Mother Teresa’s actual name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She arrived in India in 1929, and began her work in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan mountains. She took her first religious vows as a nun on May 24th, 1931. At that time she chose the name Teresa.

6.What happened in 1950?

Vatican gave Teresa permission on October 7th, 1950 to start Missionaries of Charity, its aim is to care of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers all those people who are aparted, uncared, unloved throughout the society. This charity began with 13 members in Calcutta; today it has more than 4,000 nuns running orphanages. AIDS, Hospices and charity centers worldwide, and caring for refugees, the bling, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, victims of floods, epidemics and famine.

7.When did Teresa consider her birthday to be?

One of the great servants of humanity, Mother Theresa was born on August 26, 1910. She considered August 27, the day she was baptized, to be her “true birthday”.

8.What stories fascinated the young Agnes?
9.What did she do at the age of eighteen?

Agnes was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service, and by age 12 was convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never again saw her mother or sister.

10.When did Agnes arrive in India and where did she begin her work?

She arrived in India in 1929, and began her work in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan Mountains.

11.What incident disturbed Teresa while she was teaching in Calcutta?

When Teresa was teaching in Calcutta she was increasingly disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. A famine in 1943 brought misery and death to the city; and the outbreak of communal violence in August 1946 plunged the city into despair and horror.

12.What kind of a call did Teresa experience in September 1946?
13.When did she begin her work with the poor and how did it begin?

On September 10th, 1946, Teresa experienced what she later described as ‘the call within the cal’ while travelling to loreto convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for her annual retreat. She was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. It was an order. To fail would have been to break the faith. She began serving to the poor in 1948, changing her traditional loreto habit with a simple white cotton sari decorated with a blue border adopted Indian citizenship and stepped out into the slums. Firstly, she started a school in motijhil; soon she started attending to the needs of the destitute and starving. With her wholehearted dedication she served humanity.

14.What kind of a temptation did Teresa overcome initially?

When Teresa started initially she had no income and had to resort to begging for food and supplies. Teresa experienced doubt, loneliness and the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life during these early months.

15.What did Teresa start the Missionaries of Charity and what was its primary objective?

Mother Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963 and a branch of the Sisters in 1976. And the primary objectives to serve the poor, the homeless, the hopeless, the diseased, the dying, the unloved, the uncared for, the unfed, the unlettered and orphans, she was the mother. Mother Teresa also started the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests in 1981 and the Missionaries of Charitity Fathers in 1984. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity continuesto expand with an evergrowing number of services. By 2007 it had 450 brothers and 5000 nuns worldwide operating 610 services centres in 130 countries.

16.What did Teresa mean by the expression ‘a beautiful death’?

In 1952, Mother Teresa opened the first Home for the Dying in space made available by the city of Calcutta. With the help of Indian officials she converted an abandoned structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the Home of the Pure Heart (Nirmal Hriday). Those brought to the home received medical attention and were afforded the opportunity to die with dignity, according to the rituals of their faith; Muslims were read the Quran, Hindus received water from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites.
“A Beautiful Death’. She said ‘is for people who lived like animals to die like angels – loved and wanted’

17.What is Shanti Nagar?

Mother Teresa soon opened a home for those suffered from leprosy, and called the hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity further established several leprosy outreach clinics throughout Calcutta, providing medication, bandages and food

18.Who is the author of the book Something Beautiful for God?

Malcolm Muggeridge is the author of the book Something Beautiful for God.

19.In which year did Teresa step down as Head of Missionaries of Charity? Write a brief note about last days of Mother Teresa.

After 1983, Teresa had suffered from heart attack, pneumonia, malaria, and failure of the left heart ventricle. She had heart surgery, but it was clear that her health was declining. On March 13th, 1997, she stepped down from the head of Missionaries of Charity and died on September 5th, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday. The process is on to declare her a saint. Meanwhile she was beautified by Pope John Paul II on 19 october 2003.


20.What proof made the authorities beautify Mother Teresa?

Indian Woman, Monica Besra said that a beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was formally beautified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle is required for her to proceed to canonization.

21.What was the range of work of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity at the time of her death in 1997?

Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity continue to expand. While at the time of her death in 1997, it was operating 600 missions in 120 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children’s and family counseling programs, orphanages, and schools, by 2007 the Missionaries of Charity numbered approximately 450 brothers and 5,000 nuns worldwide, operating 610 missions, schools and shelters in 123 countries.