St. Teresa of Calcutta

The remarkable woman who would be known as Mother Teresa began life named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, she was the youngest child born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu. Receiving her First Communion at the age of five, she was confirmed in November 1916. Her father died while she was only eight years old leaving her family in financial straits. Gonxha's religious formation was assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was very involved as a youth. Subsequently moved to pursue missionary work, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 at the age of 18 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. She received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux. In December of 1929, she departed for her first trip to India, arriving in Calcutta. After making her First Profession of Vows in May 1931, Sister Teresa was assigned to the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta and taught at St. Mary's School for girls.

Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, On May 24, 1937, becoming, as she said, the "spouse of Jesus" for "all eternity." From that time on she was called Mother Teresa. She continued teaching at St. Mary's and in 1944 became the school's principal. Mother Teresa's twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy. It was on September 10, 1946 during a train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, that Mother Teresa received her "inspiration, her call within a call." On that day, in a way she would never explain, Jesus' thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life.

By means of interior locutions and visions, Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for "victims of love" who would "radiate His love on souls." "Come be My light,'" He begged her. "I cannot go alone." Jesus revealed His pain at the neglect of the poor, His sorrow at their ignorance of Him and His longing for their love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor. Nearly two years of testing and discernment passed before Mother Teresa received permission to begin. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in a white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of her beloved Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor.

After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On December 21, she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and tuberculosis. She started each day with communion then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him amongst "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for." After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students. On October 7, 1950 the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India. The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent.

Starting in 1980 and continuing through the 1990s, Mother Teresa opened houses in almost all of the communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba. In order to respond better to both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, in 1976 the contemplative branch of the Sisters, in 1979 the Contemplative Brothers, and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. Mother Teresa's inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with who she shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love.

During the years of rapid growth the world began to turn its eyes towards Mother Teresa and the work she had started. Numerous awards, beginning with the Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, honored her work, while an increasingly interested media began to follow her activities. She received both prizes and attention 'for the glory of God and in the name of the poor." There was a heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, the darkness. The "painful night" of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Through the darkness she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love, and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor. On September 5, Mother Teresa's earthly life came to an end. She was given the honor of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003, and canonized by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016.

Liturgical Celebration

The feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta is celebrated on September 5th, the anniversary of her death, during the early autumn season when the Church reflects on the themes of harvest and service. This feast is celebrated as a memorial in the Roman Catholic Church, recognizing Mother Teresa's importance as a model of charity and service to the poor. The feast falls during a time when many people are returning to their regular routines after summer, making it an ideal time to remember Mother Teresa's message about the importance of serving others in our daily lives. The feast provides an opportunity to honor Mother Teresa's memory and to reflect on how we can serve Christ in the person of the poor and suffering in our own communities.

Traditions and Customs

On the feast day of St. Teresa of Calcutta, many people participate in special prayers and devotions to honor her memory and seek her intercession. Churches, particularly those with connections to the Missionaries of Charity or social justice ministries, hold special Masses and services. Many people gather to pray for the poor and suffering, asking for St. Teresa's intercession in helping them to serve those in need. The day is also marked by acts of charity and service, with many people volunteering at soup kitchens, visiting the sick, or performing other acts of kindness in honor of Mother Teresa's example. Many people also take time to reflect on their own call to serve others and to pray for the grace to see Christ in every person they encounter. The feast is also a time to reflect on how we can incorporate Mother Teresa's virtues of love, compassion, and service into our daily lives.

Prayer and Devotion

The feast day is an excellent time to pray for the gift of charity and the ability to serve others with love and compassion. Many people make special petitions for the poor and suffering, asking for St. Teresa's intercession in helping them to find comfort and assistance. The day is also a time to reflect on the importance of serving others and to pray for the grace to see Christ in every person, especially those who are most in need. St. Teresa's feast day encourages us to remember that we are all called to be saints and that holiness is achieved through love and service to others. It is also a time to pray for the grace to persevere in prayer and service, even when we experience spiritual dryness or difficulties. The feast reminds us that every act of love, no matter how small, has eternal value and that we are called to be instruments of God's love in the world.