Biography Of Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa (1910-1997) was a Roman Catholic nun who devoted her life to helping the homeless and poor across the globe. She lived for a long time in Calcutta, India where she established the Missionaries of Charity, a religious group dedicated to helping those who are in dire need. In 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and became an icon of charity and selfless service. The year was 2016. Mother Teresa was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa.
Short Biography of Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in Skopje which is the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia. There is not much information about her childhood, but when she was a child she was able to discern a call to become a nun and help the less fortunate. At 18 years old, she was granted permission to join a religious order of nuns in Ireland. After a couple of months of instruction, under Sisters of Loreto, Sisters of Loreto, she was permitted to go to India. She made her official vows of faith in 1931. She decided to name her church after Saint Therese of Lisieux who was one of the saints who patronize missionaries.
After she arrived in India her first task was teaching; however, the poverty of Calcutta caused a profound impression on her and resulted in her establishing an order that was named “The Missionaries of Charity”. The main goal of the mission was to care for those who no one other person was willing to care for. Mother Teresa felt that serving other people was the most important concept of the doctrines that were taught by Jesus Christ. She frequently referred to the words of Jesus,
“Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.”
The way Mother Teresa said herself:
“Love can’t be left alone It is meaningless. Love must take action and that’s what’s called service .” Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa
She went through two particularly painful periods during her time in Calcutta. First was the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the second was the violence between Muslims and Hindus in 1946, before an eventual partition of India. In 1948 she went to a convent to live fully among the poorest in Calcutta. She wore a white Indian Sari, which had blue borders, as a mark of respect for the tradition of Indian dress. In the past, Mother Teresa and a small group of other nuns lived on very low earnings and food, often needing to beg for cash. However, her efforts in helping the most disadvantaged were noticed and acknowledged by the local community as well as Indian political leaders.
She was born in 1952 and established her first home for dying persons in 1952, which allowed those who were dying to pass away with dignity. Mother Teresa often spent time with people who were suffering. Some have complained about the absence of medical treatment, as well as the inability to prescribe painkillers. Others have said that it gave many people who have neglected the chance to rest in peace knowing that there was someone who cared for them.
Her work was widely spread throughout the globe. In 2013 700 missionaries were operating in more than 130 countries. The scope of their mission has also been expanded to include hospices and orphanages for people suffering from a terminal illnesses.
“Not everyone can achieve great feats. We can, however, do little things with great passion.”
– Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa never sought to convert people of other faiths. Her hospices received the religious rituals that were suitable to their religious beliefs. But she was of an extremely firm Catholic conviction and held a strict stance regarding abortion, the death penalty, and divorce even though her views were not popular. All of her life, she was heavily influenced by her faith and her religion even when at times she admitted she didn’t sense God’s presence. God.
The Missionaries of Charity now have branches across the globe, which includes branches across the developing world, where they assist the homeless and those suffering from AIDS. In 1965, the organization was made an International Religious Family by the order of Pope Paul VI.
The 1960s saw the story of Mother Teresa brought to increased public attention via Malcolm Muggeridge who wrote a book and made a documentary entitled ” Something Beautiful for God”.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. received the Nobel Peace Prize “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.” She did not attend the banquet however she requested to have the $192,000 prize distributed to the most disadvantaged.
In later years, she became more involved in the western developed nations. She said that even though the West was rich in material terms but there was often a spiritual deprivation.
“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
– Mother Teresa
When asked how to help promote peace in the world when she was asked how to promote world peace, she replied, “Go home and be a loving family”.
In the latter two years of her life, Mother Teresa suffered various health issues, but nothing was able to hinder her from her mission to serve the needy and poor. Up until her last illness, she was active in traveling all over the world, visiting various branches of The Missionaries of Charity. In her final years, she had the pleasure of meeting Princess Diana at her home in the Bronx, New York. They both passed away within one week of one another.
Following the death of Mother Teresa, the Vatican initiated the beatification process which is the next step toward sainthood and canonization. Mother Teresa was formally beatified in October 2003 by Pope John Paul II. In September 2015, Pope Francis declared:
“Mother Teresa was, in every aspect of her life a generous spokesman for God’s mercy extending her hand to all through her hospitality and protection of human life, the in utero and who were abandoned and discarded,” She kneeled before those who were savaged, abandoned, or abandoned to die by the roadside as she saw in them God-given dignity. She raised her voice before the power of the world so that they would be able to recognize their responsibility for the injustice of poverty that they created.”
Mother Teresa was a living saint who provided a wonderful example and inspiration to the entire world.
Awards are presented to Mother Teresa
It was the first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. (1971)
Kennedy Prize (1971)
The Nehru Prize -” for the promotion of peace in the world and understanding”(1972)
Albert Schweitzer International Prize (1975),
The Nobel Peace Prize (1979)
States Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985)
Congressional Gold Medal (1994)
U Thant Peace Award 1994
Citizenship honorary in the United States (November 16, 1996),