Mother Teresa is a name that reflects love, care and kindness to the core. She was one of the purest souls who dedicated her entire life for the wellbeing of others.
Mother ‘Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje, which is now the capital of Macedonia. Mother Teressa was only 12 when she decided to dedicate her life to God. It was a religious call.
She served many poor and destitute, including Leprosy, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS patients. She was honoured in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
In April 1996, Mother Teresa fell, breaking her collarbone, and four months later she had malaria and heart failure. Although she underwent heart surgery, her health was clearly declining.
According to Archbishop of Calcutta Henry Sebastian D'Souza, he ordered a priest to perform an exorcism (with her permission) when she was first hospitalised with cardiac problems because he thought she might be under attack by the devil.
On March 13 1997, Mother Teresa resigned as head of the Missionaries of Charity. She died on September 5.
At the time of her death, the Missionaries of Charity had over 4,000 sisters and an associated brotherhood of 300 members operating 610 missions in 123 countries.
These included hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counselling programmes, orphanages and schools. The Missionaries of Charity were aided by co-workers numbering over one million by the 1990s.
Mother Teresa lay in repose in an open casket in St Thomas, Calcutta, for a week before her funeral. She received a state funeral from the Indian government in gratitude for her service to the poor of all religions in the country.
Take a look at some quotes by her:
“Peace begins with a smile.”
“We fear the future because we are wasting today.”
“When you don’t have anything, then you have everything.”
“If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.”
“Work without love is slavery.”
“Profound joy of the heart is like a magnet that indicates the path of life.”
“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.”
