On Mother Teresa and her missionary work
Facts on Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa of Calcutta has won the heart of the world by her missionary work among the "poorest of the poor" in Calcutta, India. Written here are some facts about her and her missionary work.
A second vocation
Before Mother Teresa discovered her call to a "second vocation", she was a member of a teaching congregation of sisters - the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland. It was said that while she was teaching at Calcutta to middle-class girls at Saint Mary's High School, she peered out the window of the school and saw the poor of Calcutta. That was one of the turning points of her vocational crisis. Eventually, it was while in a train ride that she felt the call to serve the "poorest of the poor" in Calcutta. On August 16, 1948 A.D., she left her congregation to follow her "second" call. This was a major turning point that soon paved the way for her to receive the honor of the title, "the living saint".
Herewith is a list of important facts and highlights in the life and missionary work of Mother Teresa
1910 A.D.: She was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26 in Skopje, of Albanian parents. Her father, Nikolle, had a construction supply store. When he died, Drana Bernai, her mother supported the family by engaging in dressmaking.
1928 A.D.: She arrives in India to join a convent school in Calcutta, administered by the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto
1931 A.D.: Agnes makes her religious profession of chastity, poverty and obedience on May 25, taking the name Teresa, after Saint Therese of Lisieux.
1946 A.D.: Mother Teresa is inspired to set up her own home to help the poor and sick of Calcutta
1948 A.D.: She becomes an Indian citizen
1950 A.D.: Mother Teresa sets up the Missionaries of Charity
1960 A.D.: Mother Teresa makes her first trip outside India. Her trip eventually led her to visit London where she was interviewed by Malcolm Muggeridge, who convinced the BBC to make a documentary of her work. The program thus produced, plus a later biography, "Something Beautiful for God", would make her world-famous.
1965 A.D.: On February 1, the Vatican granted the Missionaries of Charity official approval.
1971 A.D.: Awarded the Pope John Peace Prize
1979 A.D.: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1980 A.D.: Mother Teresa is bestowed India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna.
1989 A.D.: She suffers heart trouble and is fitted with a pacemaker
1990 A.D.: She is asked to stand down as head of the order but is voted back in as superior general.
1991 A.D.: Undergoes heart surgery in the United States.
1993 A.D.: Further surgery in Calcutta is performed to clear a blocked heart vessel.
1994 A.D.: Pope John Paul II persuades Mother Teresa to continue as head of the order.
1996 A.D.: She suffers heart failure on August 22. Her heart stops beating for around two minutes but she is resuscitated. She later has a heart attack and undergoes further surgery to clear her heart arteries.
1997 A.D.: On March 13, Sister Nirmala is elected to succeed Mother Teresa as head of the Missionaries of Charity. On May 16, Mother Teresa sets off on a nine-week tour of Europe and the United States to introduce her successor to the Pope. She then becomes embroiled in a dispute over a television film of her life which she says glamorizes her work. She then dies in Calcutta on September 5, at age 87.
Mother Teresa died having written to her Sisters, "Love for Jesus in prayer, love for Jesus in your brothers and sisters, love for Jesus in the poorest of the poor. Nothing else."
Because of Mother Teresa's commitment to the "poorest of the poor", her Order has expanded throughout the world - running hospices, treatment centers, and hospitals and caring for the abandoned, the aged, and the homeless.
In October 19, 2003 A.D., Pope John Paul II celebrated the solemn eucharistic liturgy for the beatification of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. This is one step before she is declared a saint in the universal Church.
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