MOTHER TERESA (1910 - 1970)
(NON - DETAILED)
Objectives of the Lesson
To introduce the biography of the greatest humanitarian of all times,
Rev.Mother Teresa.
To exhort the philanthropic services of Mother Teresa to the impoverished and
destitute of the society.
To motivate and enthuse today’s youth to serve their fellow beings
To inspire the people from the hardship and hurdles of Mother Teresa in
serving the society
To detail about the establishment of Missionaries of Charity
To introduce the awards, honours rewards conferred.
To explore about the expansion of the Missionaries of Charity in India and
abroad.
1. Whose name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu?
Ans: Mother Teresa
2. What happened in 1950?
Ans: On 7th October, 1950,
Mother Teresa was given permission by Vatican
to start Diocesan Congregation that would become the Missionaries of
Charity. Its aim is to take care of ‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the
crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout society and are shunned by everyone. It started on a
small scale with 13 members in Culcutta. Today it has expanded with morethan 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospices, and charity centers
worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the
poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine.
3. When did Teresa consider her birthday to be?
Ans: Infact, Mother Teresa was born on August 26, she however, considered
August 27 as her birthday. It is because she was baptized on that day and it
was ‘true birth day’ for her.
4. What stories fascinated the young Agnes?
Ans: According to the biography by Joan Graff Clucas, Mother Teresa, in her
early years, got fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their
service. At the age of 12, she was convinced and determined that she should
commit herself to a religious life. Consequently, she left home at the age of 18
to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never again saw her mother
or sister.
5. What did she do at the age of eighteen?
Ans: Mother Teresa left home at the age of 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. It is the
language in which the sisters of Loreto used to teach school children in India.
She stepped on Indian soil in 1929 and began her work in Darjeeling, near
the Himalayan Mountains.
6. When did Agnes arrive in India and where did she begin her work?
Ans: She stepped on Indian soil in 1929 and began her work in Darjeeling,
near the Himalayan Mountains. Later, she took her first religious vows as a
nun on May, 24, 1931. This was the time she chose the name Teresa afterTherese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She took her solemn
vows on May 14, 1937, while serving as a teacher at the Loreto Convent
School in eastern Calcutta. Though she found the teaching profession
interesting and rewarding, she was constantly disturbed by the povertystricken
lives of the people around her in Calcutta.
7. When did Agnes become Teresa?
Ans: Agnes became Teresa when she took her first religious vows as a nun
on May, 24, 1931. This was the time she chose the name Teresa after
Therese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She took her solemn
vows on May 14, 1937.
8. What incidents disturbed Teresa while she was teaching in Calcutta?
Ans: After taking solemn vows on May 14, 1937, Mother Teresa entered into
the teaching profession which was of a great satisfaction to her. During her
service as a teacher at the Loreto Convent School in eastern Calcutta, she
came across many tragic incidents. She was constantly disturbed by the
poverty-stricken lives of the people around her in Calcutta. There were two
major incidents which upset her deeply. Firstly, a famine which brought
misery and death to the city in 1943. It was followed by the outbreak of
communal violence which plunged the city into despair, horror and hopeless
condition in August 1946.
These incidents disturbed her deeply while she was teaching in Calcutta.
9. What kind of a call did Teresa experience in September 1946?
Ans: On September 10, 1946, Teresa experienced what she later described
as “the call within the call”. She experienced it while she was traveling to the
Loreto convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for her annual retreat. Expressing
In her words, “I 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”.Thus, she experienced a call with in a call which transformed and enlightened
her.
10. When did she begin her work with the poor and how did it begin?
Ans: Soon after experiencing “the call within the call”, Teresa began her
missionary work in 1948. She was completely engrossed in uplifting the poor
and needy of the society. In this process, she replaced her traditional Loreto
habit with a simple white cotton sari decorated with a blue border, adapted
Indian citizenship, and slums. She initiated it by starting a school in Mothijhil.
Immediately, she started attending to the needs of the destitute and starving.
Her philanthropic efforts were received immediate attention by the Indian
officials. She soon won a word of praise and encouragement from the Prime
Minister of India.
11. What kind of temptation did Teresa overcome initially?
Ans: Soon after beginning her philanthropic efforts, she experienced many
hurdles and problems. She had to struggle to overcome her initial
temptations. During these trouble times, she wrote a diary and mentioned
how her first year was fraught with difficulties. This was because
She had no income and support. She had to resort to begging for food and
supplies. During these testing times, she experienced doubt, loneliness and
the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life. During these early
months, she wrote in her diary: God asks her to be a free nun and serve the
poor.
She personally experienced how hard and tough life was when she walked
miles looking for a home. She imagined the case of the poor and destitute
and felt distressed deeply. At times, she got tempted to back to her comfort
profession in the convent. But she surpassed her temptation and remained in
the service of the mankind and she never let a single tear come.
12. When did Teresa start the Missionaries of Charity and what was its
primary objective?
Ans: On 7th October, 1950, Mother Teresa was given permission by Vatican
to start Diocesan Congregation that would become the Missionaries of
Charity. Its aim is to take care of ‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the
crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout society and are shunned by everyone.
Mother Teresa started the first Home for the Dying in space made available
by the city of Calcutta in 1952. With the help of Indian officials, she
transformed an obsolete structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free
hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the home for the pure heart
(Nirmal Hriday). Its objective is to treat patients and give them medical
attention and to give an opportunity to die with dignity, according to their
respective religion’s rituals.
Teresa later opened a home for those suffering from Leprosy, and called the
hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity gradually
expanded its operations and facilities to several Leprosy outreach clinics
throughout Calcutta, providing necessary facilities such as medication,
Bandages and food. This was followed by the need for lost children taken up.
Teresa opened the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan (The Children’s Home for the
Immaculate Heart) in 1955. It soon becomes a heaven for orphans and
homeless youth. In the process of expansion, she started hospices,
orphanages, and Leper houses all over India. She started first house in
Venezuela in 1965 with five sisters and in Rome, Tanzania, and Austria in
1968. This apart, during 1970’s she opened houses and foundations in
dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States.
The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963 and a
contemplative branch of the Sisters founded in 1967. By the 1970’s, Teresa
earned name and fame internationally through her selfless service to the poor
and needy. She famed as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor andhelpless, due in part to a documentary, and book, Something Beautiful for
God by Malcolm Muggeridge.
For her relentless efforts to uplift the poor and needy, she was honoured with
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian award ‘Bharat
Ratna in 1980 for her humanitarian work.
13. What did Teresa mean by the expression ‘a beautiful death’?
Ans: Mother Teresa started the first Home for the Dying in space made
available by the city of Calcutta in 1952. With the help of Indian officials, she
transformed an obsolete structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free
hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the home for the pure heart
(Nirmal Hriday). Its objective is to treat patients and give them medical
attention and to give an opportunity to die with dignity, according to their
respective religion’s rituals; Muslims were read Quran, Hindus received water
from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites. She called it ‘the
Beautiful Death’ for those who lived like animals to die like angels – loved and
wanted.
This was what meant by Mother Teresa by the expression ‘Beautiful Death’.
14. What is Shanti Nagar?
Ans: Teresa opened a home for those suffering from Leprosy, and called the
hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity gradually
expanded its operations and facilities to several Leprosy outreach clinics
throughout Calcutta, providing necessary facilities such as medication,
Bandages and food.
15. Who is the author of the book Something for God?
Ans: Teresa earned name and fame internationally through her selfless
service to the poor and needy. She famed as a humanitarian and an advocatefor the poor and helpless. Malcolm Muggeridge was the author of the book,
‘Something Beautiful for God’ where he described the noble service rendered
by Mother Teresa.
16. In which year did Teresa step down as Head of Missionaries of Charity?
Ans: Teresa stepped down as Head of Missionaries of Charity on March 13,
1997 and died on September 5, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday.
17. What proof made the authorities beatify Mother Teresa?
Ans: Soon after Teresa’s death, the Holy See began the process of
beatification, the second step towards possible canonization. This process
requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of
Mother Teresa. In 2002, the Vatican recognized a miracle the healing of a
cancer tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following
an application of a locket containing Teresa’s picture. Monica said that a
beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother
Teresa was formally beatified by Poe John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with
the title Blesses Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle was required for her to
proceed to canonization.
18. What as the range of work of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity at
the time of her death in 1997?
Ans: Mother Teresa‘s Missionaries of charity continue to expand indifferent
parts of the world. It was operating 600 missions in 120 countries at the time
of her death I 1977. Their operations include maintaining 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 about 450 brothers and 5,000 nuns all over
the globe, operating 610 missions, schools and shelters in 123 countries.
19. Give a detailed sketch of Mother Teresa’s background and her service
to the poor and needy?
Ans: Mother Teresa is one of the world’s leading humanitarians who advocate
the responsibility, love, care and compassion towards the fellow beings. She is
an epitome of selfless service to humanity. She was born on August 26, 1910
and her original name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was an Albanian
Roman Catholic nun who later acquired Indian citizenship. She started the
Missionaries of Charity in Kolkatta (Calcutta), India in 1950. Since then she has
been rendering her noble services for 45 years for the betterment of the poor,
sick, orphaned and dying. She worked hard for the expansion of these
missionaries in India and abroad. Recognizing Mother Teresa’s philanthropic
services, she was honoured with the Noble prize in 1979 and Indian government
conferred her with ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1980.
Though she was born in August 26 she decided to celebrate her ‘true birth day’
on August 27 which was to day on which she got baptized. After her father’s
sudden death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic. Since her early
age, Teresa had a great fascination to of the lives of missionaries and their
service which was also mentioned in the biography of Joan Graff Clucas. As a
result, she left home at 18 to loin the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary.
Loreto Abbey, Rathfanham, Ireland was her chosen place to learn English which
is the language used by the sisters of Loreto to teach English to Indian children.
She first came to Darjeeling (near the Himalayas), India in 1929. During her first
religious vows as a nun (on May 24, 1931) she chose the name Teresa after
Teresa de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She later took her solemn
vows on May 14, 1937, while serving as a teacher at the Loreto convent,
Calcutta. During this period, she came across many tragic incidents. She was
constantly disturbed by the poverty-stricken lives of the people around her in
Calcutta. Firstly, she came through a famine in 1943 and secondly experienced
the outbreak of communal violence in August 1946 which brought misery despair
and death to the city. Since then she was constantly disturbedOn September 10, 1946, Teresa experienced ‘Call within the Call’ which
enlightened and transformed her life completely. It realized her to leave the
convent and dedicate herself for the service of the poor. It was an order failing
which is breaking the faith. She then adopted Indian citizenship and began her
journey in the slums. She began it with a school in Motijhil and started attending
to the needs of the poor and soon got a wide attention and won a word of praise
from the Indian Prime Minister.
Soon after beginning her philanthropic efforts, she experienced many hurdles
and problems. She had to struggle to overcome her initial temptations. During
these trouble times, she had no income and support. Though she experienced
doubt, loneliness and the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life she
never gave up.
Teresa began her journey of serving the poor and needy by establishing the
Missionaries of Charity. On 7th October, 1950, with the permission of Vatican she
started Diocesan Congregation that would become the Missionaries of Charity.
Its aim is to take care of ‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the
blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for
throughout society and are shunned by everyone.
Mother Teresa started the first Home for the Dying, Kalighat Home for the Dying,
a free hospice for the poor in Calcutta in 1952. She renamed it Kalighat, the
home for the pure heart (Nirmal Hriday). Its objective is to treat patients and give
them medical attention and to give an opportunity to die with dignity, according to
their respective religion’s rituals.
Teresa later opened a home for those suffering from Leprosy, and called the
hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity spread
throughout India, providing necessary facilities such as medication, Bandages
and food. For the sake of lost children, Teresa opened the Nirmala Shishu
Bhavan (The Children’s Home for the Immaculate Heart) in 1955. It soon
becomes a heaven for orphans and homeless youth. She started first house in
Venezuela in 1965 with five sisters and in Rome, Tanzania, and Austria in 1968.This apart, during 1970’s she opened houses and foundations in dozens of
countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States.
The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963 and a contemplative
branch of the Sisters founded in 1967. On the requests of many priests in 1984,
Teresa began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests and in 1984 founded with
Fr.Joseph Langford the Missionaries of Charity Fathers to combine the
vocational aims of the missionaries of charity.
Mother Teresa Suffered a heart attack in Rome in 1983, while visiting Poe John
Paul II. She received an artificial pacemaker after second attack in 1989. she
suffered further with pneumonia and heart problems and consequently offered
resignation to her position as the head of the Missionaries of Charity. Because of
requests, she had to continue her work as a head of the order few more years.
On March 13, 1997, she stepped down from the position and died on September
5, 1997, just 9 days past her 87th birthday.
Soon after Teresa’s death, the Holy See began the process of beatification, the
second step towards possible canonization. This process requires the
documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa. In
2002, the Vatican recognized a miracle the healing of a cancer tumor in the
abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following an application of a locket
containing Teresa’s picture. Monica said that a beam of light emanated from the
picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was formally beatified by
Poe John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title Blesses Teresa of Calcutta. A
second miracle was required for her to proceed to canonization.
Mother Teresa‘s Missionaries of charity continue to expand globally and It was
operating 600 missions in 120 countries till her death in 1977. By 2007, the
Missionaries of charity numbered about 450 brothers and 5,000 nuns all over the
globe, operating 610 missions, schools and shelters in 123 countries.
Her life is ideal for generations so her life was made into documentary and book
titled ‘Something Beautiful for God’ by Malcom Muggeridge. Thus, Teresa earned
name and fame internationally through her selfless service to the poor and
needy. She famed as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor and helpless.
(NON - DETAILED)
Objectives of the Lesson
To introduce the biography of the greatest humanitarian of all times,
Rev.Mother Teresa.
To exhort the philanthropic services of Mother Teresa to the impoverished and
destitute of the society.
To motivate and enthuse today’s youth to serve their fellow beings
To inspire the people from the hardship and hurdles of Mother Teresa in
serving the society
To detail about the establishment of Missionaries of Charity
To introduce the awards, honours rewards conferred.
To explore about the expansion of the Missionaries of Charity in India and
abroad.
1. Whose name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu?
Ans: Mother Teresa
2. What happened in 1950?
Ans: On 7th October, 1950,
Mother Teresa was given permission by Vatican
to start Diocesan Congregation that would become the Missionaries of
Charity. Its aim is to take care of ‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the
crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout society and are shunned by everyone. It started on a
small scale with 13 members in Culcutta. Today it has expanded with morethan 4,000 nuns running orphanages, AIDS hospices, and charity centers
worldwide, and caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the
poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine.
3. When did Teresa consider her birthday to be?
Ans: Infact, Mother Teresa was born on August 26, she however, considered
August 27 as her birthday. It is because she was baptized on that day and it
was ‘true birth day’ for her.
4. What stories fascinated the young Agnes?
Ans: According to the biography by Joan Graff Clucas, Mother Teresa, in her
early years, got fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their
service. At the age of 12, she was convinced and determined that she should
commit herself to a religious life. Consequently, she left home at the age of 18
to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never again saw her mother
or sister.
5. What did she do at the age of eighteen?
Ans: Mother Teresa left home at the age of 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. It is the
language in which the sisters of Loreto used to teach school children in India.
She stepped on Indian soil in 1929 and began her work in Darjeeling, near
the Himalayan Mountains.
6. When did Agnes arrive in India and where did she begin her work?
Ans: She stepped on Indian soil in 1929 and began her work in Darjeeling,
near the Himalayan Mountains. Later, she took her first religious vows as a
nun on May, 24, 1931. This was the time she chose the name Teresa afterTherese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She took her solemn
vows on May 14, 1937, while serving as a teacher at the Loreto Convent
School in eastern Calcutta. Though she found the teaching profession
interesting and rewarding, she was constantly disturbed by the povertystricken
lives of the people around her in Calcutta.
7. When did Agnes become Teresa?
Ans: Agnes became Teresa when she took her first religious vows as a nun
on May, 24, 1931. This was the time she chose the name Teresa after
Therese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She took her solemn
vows on May 14, 1937.
8. What incidents disturbed Teresa while she was teaching in Calcutta?
Ans: After taking solemn vows on May 14, 1937, Mother Teresa entered into
the teaching profession which was of a great satisfaction to her. During her
service as a teacher at the Loreto Convent School in eastern Calcutta, she
came across many tragic incidents. She was constantly disturbed by the
poverty-stricken lives of the people around her in Calcutta. There were two
major incidents which upset her deeply. Firstly, a famine which brought
misery and death to the city in 1943. It was followed by the outbreak of
communal violence which plunged the city into despair, horror and hopeless
condition in August 1946.
These incidents disturbed her deeply while she was teaching in Calcutta.
9. What kind of a call did Teresa experience in September 1946?
Ans: On September 10, 1946, Teresa experienced what she later described
as “the call within the call”. She experienced it while she was traveling to the
Loreto convent in Darjeeling from Calcutta for her annual retreat. Expressing
In her words, “I 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”.Thus, she experienced a call with in a call which transformed and enlightened
her.
10. When did she begin her work with the poor and how did it begin?
Ans: Soon after experiencing “the call within the call”, Teresa began her
missionary work in 1948. She was completely engrossed in uplifting the poor
and needy of the society. In this process, she replaced her traditional Loreto
habit with a simple white cotton sari decorated with a blue border, adapted
Indian citizenship, and slums. She initiated it by starting a school in Mothijhil.
Immediately, she started attending to the needs of the destitute and starving.
Her philanthropic efforts were received immediate attention by the Indian
officials. She soon won a word of praise and encouragement from the Prime
Minister of India.
11. What kind of temptation did Teresa overcome initially?
Ans: Soon after beginning her philanthropic efforts, she experienced many
hurdles and problems. She had to struggle to overcome her initial
temptations. During these trouble times, she wrote a diary and mentioned
how her first year was fraught with difficulties. This was because
She had no income and support. She had to resort to begging for food and
supplies. During these testing times, she experienced doubt, loneliness and
the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life. During these early
months, she wrote in her diary: God asks her to be a free nun and serve the
poor.
She personally experienced how hard and tough life was when she walked
miles looking for a home. She imagined the case of the poor and destitute
and felt distressed deeply. At times, she got tempted to back to her comfort
profession in the convent. But she surpassed her temptation and remained in
the service of the mankind and she never let a single tear come.
12. When did Teresa start the Missionaries of Charity and what was its
primary objective?
Ans: On 7th October, 1950, Mother Teresa was given permission by Vatican
to start Diocesan Congregation that would become the Missionaries of
Charity. Its aim is to take care of ‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the
crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved,
uncared for throughout society and are shunned by everyone.
Mother Teresa started the first Home for the Dying in space made available
by the city of Calcutta in 1952. With the help of Indian officials, she
transformed an obsolete structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free
hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the home for the pure heart
(Nirmal Hriday). Its objective is to treat patients and give them medical
attention and to give an opportunity to die with dignity, according to their
respective religion’s rituals.
Teresa later opened a home for those suffering from Leprosy, and called the
hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity gradually
expanded its operations and facilities to several Leprosy outreach clinics
throughout Calcutta, providing necessary facilities such as medication,
Bandages and food. This was followed by the need for lost children taken up.
Teresa opened the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan (The Children’s Home for the
Immaculate Heart) in 1955. It soon becomes a heaven for orphans and
homeless youth. In the process of expansion, she started hospices,
orphanages, and Leper houses all over India. She started first house in
Venezuela in 1965 with five sisters and in Rome, Tanzania, and Austria in
1968. This apart, during 1970’s she opened houses and foundations in
dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States.
The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963 and a
contemplative branch of the Sisters founded in 1967. By the 1970’s, Teresa
earned name and fame internationally through her selfless service to the poor
and needy. She famed as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor andhelpless, due in part to a documentary, and book, Something Beautiful for
God by Malcolm Muggeridge.
For her relentless efforts to uplift the poor and needy, she was honoured with
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian award ‘Bharat
Ratna in 1980 for her humanitarian work.
13. What did Teresa mean by the expression ‘a beautiful death’?
Ans: Mother Teresa started the first Home for the Dying in space made
available by the city of Calcutta in 1952. With the help of Indian officials, she
transformed an obsolete structure into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free
hospice for the poor. She renamed it Kalighat, the home for the pure heart
(Nirmal Hriday). Its objective is to treat patients and give them medical
attention and to give an opportunity to die with dignity, according to their
respective religion’s rituals; Muslims were read Quran, Hindus received water
from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites. She called it ‘the
Beautiful Death’ for those who lived like animals to die like angels – loved and
wanted.
This was what meant by Mother Teresa by the expression ‘Beautiful Death’.
14. What is Shanti Nagar?
Ans: Teresa opened a home for those suffering from Leprosy, and called the
hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity gradually
expanded its operations and facilities to several Leprosy outreach clinics
throughout Calcutta, providing necessary facilities such as medication,
Bandages and food.
15. Who is the author of the book Something for God?
Ans: Teresa earned name and fame internationally through her selfless
service to the poor and needy. She famed as a humanitarian and an advocatefor the poor and helpless. Malcolm Muggeridge was the author of the book,
‘Something Beautiful for God’ where he described the noble service rendered
by Mother Teresa.
16. In which year did Teresa step down as Head of Missionaries of Charity?
Ans: Teresa stepped down as Head of Missionaries of Charity on March 13,
1997 and died on September 5, 1997, just 9 days after her 87th birthday.
17. What proof made the authorities beatify Mother Teresa?
Ans: Soon after Teresa’s death, the Holy See began the process of
beatification, the second step towards possible canonization. This process
requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of
Mother Teresa. In 2002, the Vatican recognized a miracle the healing of a
cancer tumor in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following
an application of a locket containing Teresa’s picture. Monica said that a
beam of light emanated from the picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother
Teresa was formally beatified by Poe John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with
the title Blesses Teresa of Calcutta. A second miracle was required for her to
proceed to canonization.
18. What as the range of work of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity at
the time of her death in 1997?
Ans: Mother Teresa‘s Missionaries of charity continue to expand indifferent
parts of the world. It was operating 600 missions in 120 countries at the time
of her death I 1977. Their operations include maintaining 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 about 450 brothers and 5,000 nuns all over
the globe, operating 610 missions, schools and shelters in 123 countries.
19. Give a detailed sketch of Mother Teresa’s background and her service
to the poor and needy?
Ans: Mother Teresa is one of the world’s leading humanitarians who advocate
the responsibility, love, care and compassion towards the fellow beings. She is
an epitome of selfless service to humanity. She was born on August 26, 1910
and her original name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was an Albanian
Roman Catholic nun who later acquired Indian citizenship. She started the
Missionaries of Charity in Kolkatta (Calcutta), India in 1950. Since then she has
been rendering her noble services for 45 years for the betterment of the poor,
sick, orphaned and dying. She worked hard for the expansion of these
missionaries in India and abroad. Recognizing Mother Teresa’s philanthropic
services, she was honoured with the Noble prize in 1979 and Indian government
conferred her with ‘Bharat Ratna’ in 1980.
Though she was born in August 26 she decided to celebrate her ‘true birth day’
on August 27 which was to day on which she got baptized. After her father’s
sudden death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic. Since her early
age, Teresa had a great fascination to of the lives of missionaries and their
service which was also mentioned in the biography of Joan Graff Clucas. As a
result, she left home at 18 to loin the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary.
Loreto Abbey, Rathfanham, Ireland was her chosen place to learn English which
is the language used by the sisters of Loreto to teach English to Indian children.
She first came to Darjeeling (near the Himalayas), India in 1929. During her first
religious vows as a nun (on May 24, 1931) she chose the name Teresa after
Teresa de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. She later took her solemn
vows on May 14, 1937, while serving as a teacher at the Loreto convent,
Calcutta. During this period, she came across many tragic incidents. She was
constantly disturbed by the poverty-stricken lives of the people around her in
Calcutta. Firstly, she came through a famine in 1943 and secondly experienced
the outbreak of communal violence in August 1946 which brought misery despair
and death to the city. Since then she was constantly disturbedOn September 10, 1946, Teresa experienced ‘Call within the Call’ which
enlightened and transformed her life completely. It realized her to leave the
convent and dedicate herself for the service of the poor. It was an order failing
which is breaking the faith. She then adopted Indian citizenship and began her
journey in the slums. She began it with a school in Motijhil and started attending
to the needs of the poor and soon got a wide attention and won a word of praise
from the Indian Prime Minister.
Soon after beginning her philanthropic efforts, she experienced many hurdles
and problems. She had to struggle to overcome her initial temptations. During
these trouble times, she had no income and support. Though she experienced
doubt, loneliness and the temptation to return to the comfort of convent life she
never gave up.
Teresa began her journey of serving the poor and needy by establishing the
Missionaries of Charity. On 7th October, 1950, with the permission of Vatican she
started Diocesan Congregation that would become the Missionaries of Charity.
Its aim is to take care of ‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the
blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for
throughout society and are shunned by everyone.
Mother Teresa started the first Home for the Dying, Kalighat Home for the Dying,
a free hospice for the poor in Calcutta in 1952. She renamed it Kalighat, the
home for the pure heart (Nirmal Hriday). Its objective is to treat patients and give
them medical attention and to give an opportunity to die with dignity, according to
their respective religion’s rituals.
Teresa later opened a home for those suffering from Leprosy, and called the
hospice Shanti Nagar (city of peace). The Missionaries of Charity spread
throughout India, providing necessary facilities such as medication, Bandages
and food. For the sake of lost children, Teresa opened the Nirmala Shishu
Bhavan (The Children’s Home for the Immaculate Heart) in 1955. It soon
becomes a heaven for orphans and homeless youth. She started first house in
Venezuela in 1965 with five sisters and in Rome, Tanzania, and Austria in 1968.This apart, during 1970’s she opened houses and foundations in dozens of
countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States.
The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was founded in 1963 and a contemplative
branch of the Sisters founded in 1967. On the requests of many priests in 1984,
Teresa began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests and in 1984 founded with
Fr.Joseph Langford the Missionaries of Charity Fathers to combine the
vocational aims of the missionaries of charity.
Mother Teresa Suffered a heart attack in Rome in 1983, while visiting Poe John
Paul II. She received an artificial pacemaker after second attack in 1989. she
suffered further with pneumonia and heart problems and consequently offered
resignation to her position as the head of the Missionaries of Charity. Because of
requests, she had to continue her work as a head of the order few more years.
On March 13, 1997, she stepped down from the position and died on September
5, 1997, just 9 days past her 87th birthday.
Soon after Teresa’s death, the Holy See began the process of beatification, the
second step towards possible canonization. This process requires the
documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa. In
2002, the Vatican recognized a miracle the healing of a cancer tumor in the
abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, following an application of a locket
containing Teresa’s picture. Monica said that a beam of light emanated from the
picture, curing the cancerous tumor. Mother Teresa was formally beatified by
Poe John Paul II on October 19, 2003 with the title Blesses Teresa of Calcutta. A
second miracle was required for her to proceed to canonization.
Mother Teresa‘s Missionaries of charity continue to expand globally and It was
operating 600 missions in 120 countries till her death in 1977. By 2007, the
Missionaries of charity numbered about 450 brothers and 5,000 nuns all over the
globe, operating 610 missions, schools and shelters in 123 countries.
Her life is ideal for generations so her life was made into documentary and book
titled ‘Something Beautiful for God’ by Malcom Muggeridge. Thus, Teresa earned
name and fame internationally through her selfless service to the poor and
needy. She famed as a humanitarian and an advocate for the poor and helpless.
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