BLESSED MOTHER TERESA
26th August 1910 – 5th September 1997
Mother Teresa (Agnesë Gonxha Bojaxhiu), of father Nikola and mother Drona, was born on August 26th in Skopje, Macedonia, whereas the next day, August 27th, she was baptized in the Collegiate Church “Holy Heart of Jesus” in Skopje and was named Agnesë Bojaxhiu. She grew up in a well-off Catholic family. She was brought up by her parents in a religious manner. Her father, who was well-known for his generosity, suddenly passed away when Agnesë was nine years old. Therefore, following her father’s death, her mother Drona, who was a woman of impeccable character and outstanding piety, raised her alone. Devotion and love for the closest ones were crucial in the Bojaxhiu family. Hence, at the early age of 12, the young Agnesë was convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life.
On June 10th 1970 Mother Teresa, for the first time since she left in the year 1928, returns to her hometown Skopje. Once again she visited Skopje in the year 1978, and during her third visit to her hometown, on June 27th 1980 she was declared an honorary citizen of Skopje. The day after this ceremony, she officially opened the House of the Sisters Missionaries of Charity. On September 19th 1986, during her fourth and last visit, the present House of the Sisters Missionaries of Love in Skopje was bought.
Mother Teresa passed away on September 5th 1997 in Calcutta. Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II. The beautification took place only one year after her death and not as a customary practice five years later. Upon the completion of the beatification process of Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II bestowed on her the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
Missionary Work
Call for Loreto
The zeal for souls in the year 1928 guided Gonxha to Dublin, Ireland, where she joined the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto. From Dublin she left for Calcutta, India, where she arrived on January 6th 1929 and remained there till the end of her life. She took her first religious vows as a nun on May 25th 1931, and her solemn vows on May 24th 1937.
Call to serve Jesus, among the most destitute of the destitute
Mother Teresa understood Jesus’ words at the cross “I thirst” as the most profound expression of God’s love and craved to return Jesus’ love with love thus quenching His thirst. Hence, in the year 1946 during one of the numerous journeys through the million city Calcutta sister Teresa experienced “the call within the call” to minister to the most destitute of the destitute. Nevertheless, in order to accomplish this mission bestowed on her by God, she had to obtain a special permission. Two years later she was allowed to leave the order Loreto. Mother Teresa was allowed to leave the order without having to renounce her status of a nun. Since then, Teresa has lived among the most destitute of the destitute into the slums of Calcutta fulfilling God’s will, because those that experience the greatest sufferings of humanity are the ones that most endure the sufferings of the crucified Jesus. Mother Teresa everywhere and all times identified herself with Jesus by spreading her prayer message that “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread”. As a founder of the order Missionaries of Charity, she devoted herself to charity work by tendering to the ill and the poor. Due to this work she won the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 1979. Despite the fact that her work has been praised by people worldwide, she has faced a diverse range of criticism concerning her conservative convictions primarily due to her strong anti-aborting stance. Mother Teresa saw abortion as “the greatest destroyer of peace in the world”.
The Family of Mother Teresa – Missionaries of Charity
1. Missionaries of Charity Sisters (Active Branch) – established on October 7th 1950
2. Missionary of Charity Brother (Active Branch) – established on March 25th 1963
3. Missionaries of Charity (Contemplative Branch) – established on July 25th 1976
4. Missionaries of Charity (Contemplative Brothers) – established on March 19th 1979
5. Missionary of Charity Fathers – established on October 31st 1984
6. Sick and Suffering Co-Workers – established in October 1952
7. Corpus Christi Movement – established in 1981
8. Lay Missionaries of Charity – established in 1987.
Mother Teresa has established these orders to provide care for the dying, the orphaned and the ill and in order to alleviate the pain they were experiencing. Nonetheless, they were especially concerned with providing care to those suffering from Hansen’s disease, commonly known as leprosy. At present, in Mother Teresa’s Order known as Missionaries of Charity Sisters (Active Branch) there as more than 3.000 sisters and more than 500 Missionaries of Charity Brothers (Active Branch) in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Mother Teresa – Genuine Daughter of the Church
Deep in her heart Mother Teresa kept profound and sincere love for the Catholic Church, because the Church is one part of the body of Jesus Christ. Love for the Church, and primarily for the Holy Father and priests’ dignity, had a special place in her heart.
Mother Teresa’s Spirituality
On numerous occasions Mother Teresa stated “I belong to Jesus”. Hence, her spirituality did not recognize any barriers once she revealed the presence of Jesus in her heart through the Eucharist and eventually to ministering to the most destitute of the destitute. The spirituality of Mother Teresa was directed to Jesus, primarily to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and Jesus present with the sufferers.
Mother Teresa – God’s Message for the Present
Mother Teresa was acknowledged all over the world, not only as the apostle of God’s love but also as a strong proponent of the holiness of life in mothers’ wombs until the very grave. “Abortion is the greatest destroyer of peace and love. You too must bring that presence of God in your family for the family that prays together stays together; and if you stay together, you will love one another with the same love with which God loves each one of us. Love begins in the family. Peace begins in the family. Where there is love, there is unity, peace and joy. Today, a child is undesired. Each child is created in the special image and likeness of God for greater things - to love and to be loved.” Therefore, we have to do everything in our power to save the child that God has given to us, just like Jesus has said “What you are doing to the youngest ones, you are doing it to Me, and if you accept a small child, you accept Me.” Every time abortion is made, we reject Christ and we do not love him.
We have to be holy not because we want to feel holy, but because we have to enable Jesus Christ to live His life fully in us.
Mother Teresa
Returning home to God
September 5th 1997
Everything God wanted Mother Teresa to do for His glory, has already been done…
