Mother Teresa – An Angel of Mercy - A Nagaratna

Mother Teresa, the founder of "The Missionaries of Charity" in India has gained international acclaim through her dedicated and endless service for the poverty-stricken people. She is deemed as an embodiment of a "Living Saint" by many people especially Catholics. She was the only being featured on the Indian postage stamp while still alive.

Mother Teresa, who is referred as "An Angel of Mercy" and "A Saint of Gutter", was born on August 27, 1910 in Skopje (a town in the Turkish Empire), Macedonia. Her parents were Nikollë (Kolë) and Dranafile Bojaxhiu (of Albanian origin). Her father was a merchant. They had three children, of whom Agnes was the youngest. Her original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. At a very tender age of 12, she firmly felt to be baptized, had a strong mission to serve the poor, and spread the love of Christ. When she was 18, the Vatican granted her permission to leave Skopje (her native place) and join Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns in Rathfarnham with a mission in Calcutta (now called Kolkota). The reason for her joining them was that Sister of Loreto mission was to provide education to girls and help the poor in India. Her desire to serve the people in India was aroused after attending the meetings conducted by an organization called the "Sodality of Our Lady", where letters by the Yugoslavian priests working in Bengal were read.

It Immediately after the completion of her training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin, she was sent to Darjeeling, India, on May 24, 1931 as a novice sister, where she took her initial vows as nun. She has chosen her name as Sister Mary Teresa paying tribute to St. Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the missionaries. After she came to India, she taught geography and catechism at St. Mary’s High School, Kolkata, from 1931 to 1946. In 1944, she became the Principal. However, the sight of the poor, their suffering and grief had a profound impact on her mind and forced her to give up teaching profession. She quitted the convent in 1946 and devoted herself to serve the poor in the slums of Kolkata.

As described by Mother Teresa, she received a call from God saying that "serving the poorest among the poor is similar to serving him." Obeying the call from God, she stood firm on the path she has chosen always reminding herself: "I see God in every human being". She further added "When I wash the leper’s wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?" To identify herself with the poor, she chose simple attire—a simple plain white sari, with a blue border and a cross pinned to her left shoulder.

With the consent of Pope Pius XII (the Archbishop of Calcutta) Mother Teresa left her community in 1948, the same year when she became the citizen of India, and started to live as an independent nun. She received short training with medical mission sisters in Patna. Later she came back to Kolkota and got placed in a temporary house with the little sisters of the poor. She started an outdoor school for the homeless and abandoned children, and was able to get the assistance of the charitable members, voluntary helpers, and financial aid too from other municipal authorities. All this elevated her spirit and strengthened her dedication towards her work. In 1949, with the help of her acquaintances, she found a rented room in Kolkata for the needy and the destitute and named it the "Home for the Dying".

© ICFAI University Press 6-3-354/1, Stellar Sphinx, Road # 1, Banjara Hills, Panjagutta, Hyderabad 500 082. Website: www.icfaipress.org.

<< Back