´Mother Teresa:¨Don’t Wait for Leaders; Do it Alone, Person to Person.¨´

Mother Teresa (Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu 1910-1997 Republic of Macedonia) was an Albanian-Indian missionary and saint who, at a young age committed herself to a religious life.  She was the founder of  Missionaries of Charity.   Mother Teresa left home at the age of 18 and joined Loreto Abbey in  Ireland to learn English.  Her idea was to become a missionary in India, and English was the language of instruction at Loreto Abbey in India. She learned Bengali when in India and taught at St. Teresa’s School for twenty years.  She took her religious vows in 1931 and chose to be named after Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries.

In 1946 Mother Teresa experienced what she later described as ¨the call within the call¨ when she was to leave the convent and live among the poor. In 1948 she began missionary work with the poor, adopted Indian citizenship and received basic medical training.  At first she had no income and had to beg for food and supplies.  She experienced self-doubt and contemplated returning to her comfortable life at the convent.  However, through her experience working with the poor, she said she learned that the poverty of the poor must be so hard for them, that she must persevere and place herself at the service of others.  Throughout her life, Mother Teresa had periods of doubt in her spiritual beliefs, and of renewal.  She was greatly influenced by Franciscan spirituality, whose vows were very similar to hers.  Saint Francis had devoted his life to helping the poor.

In 1949, she was joined by a group of young women, and laid the foundation for Missionaries of Charity, which was to help the poorest of the poor.  The Indian government soon recognized her efforts, and Mother Teresa also received Vatican permission to establish the Missionaries of Charity.

In her words, she would care for:  “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone”

Members of the Charity profess a vow to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.”  It takes nine years to become a member.  This congregation was officially established in 1950 and cares for refugees, the mentally ill, people with AIDS, sick children, abandoned children, the aged and the convalescent.  They have schools that educate street children, run soup kitchens, as well as other services for the community.  Missionaries of Charity has 19 homes in Calcutta, which include homes for women, orphaned children and a leper colony.  Services are provided, without charge, and regardless of religion or social status.

In 1965, Mother Teresa expanded her congregation to several countries in South America, Africa, Europe and Asia.  Today, the organization operates over 600 missions in more than 100 countries.  Outside of her Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa was also known for her international humanitarian work and projects.

Mother Teresa was awarded numerous prizes for her service to humanity.  She was honored for her work with the poor by organizations and governments around the world.  She was a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and was canonized a saint (Saint Teresa of Calcutta) by the Catholic church in 2016.

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