About Mother Teresa
Agnes Gondzha Bojaxhiu was born on 26 of August, 1910 in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia (then part of the Ottoman Empire) in the family of Nichola and Drana Boaxhiu as the youngest one of three children. Her father was a famous trader and member of the City Council of Skopje as the only Catholic member. Bojaxhiu family house was open to all, especially to the poorest. On August 27, 1910 she was baptised in the Catholic Church "Sacred Heart of Jesus," and took this date for her birthday. At five and a half years of age received her First Communion. In 1919 Nikola Bojaxhiu died and then her family suffered a financial difficulties.
The letters of the missionaries from India that have been read between young girls in the Girls Christian Society in the Catholic Church, left strong impression on her and at the age of twelve she had her first call of God.
LORRETO
On September 26, 1928 leaves Skopje her home town, and her family to join the Loreto Sisters, Institute of Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin, Ireland. On October 12, 1928 officially joined the sisters of Loreto and chose the name Teresa after St. Teresa from Lisieux (Patron of the Missionaries in France). During the six weeks stay in Dublin, she was introduced in the order, where she was learning the English language, teaching which took place in schools in order Loreto in India.
On December1st the same year from Dublin with a group of nuns leaves for India by ship .On January 6, 1929 arrives in Calcutta, India and begins her spiritual retreat in Darjeeling, West Bengal town in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. On May 25, 1931 gives his first vows as a sister Teresa. She was given the first professional assignment to teach geography and catechism at St. Mary high School in Calcutta in the monastery of the Loreto Order. Gives the final vow on May 24, 1937 and became known as Mother Teresa.
Mother Teresa is among the first women teachers in India and she was respected and beloved by her students. Working as a teacher with passion in 1944 she became a director of the school St. Mary. Although Mother Teresa enjoyed her job as a professor in the school, the poverty that surrounded her outside of the walls of the convent disturbed her badly.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSSIONARIES OF CHARITY
On September 10, 1946, travelling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, experienced something that will later called a "call within a call" to "put down the infinite thirst of Jesus crucified on the cross for love" - I thirst (for love) -- thirst for love, not for water, which will serve as an inspiration to leave the monastery of Loreto and to commit to caring for the poorest of the poor.
By decree of Pope Pius XII on April 12, 1948 Mother Teresa received permission from Vatican to leave the monastery of Loreto and to begin her mission among the poorest in the streets of Calcutta. On 17 August the same year she replaced her own nun clothes with simple white cotton sari with blue stripes (symbol of humility, modesty and love of the Mother of God) and went to Patna where she attended a course for medical nurses in medical mission in preparation for her humanitarian activities. She moved to the slams (lowest ghettos) of Calcutta, spending the first days among the poor. Although she had no any funds she begins with teaching in school under the open air for the children of the slams. She opened kitchens for the hungry, though often she had to beg for food and supplies. On March 19 she received the first candidate in her mission Subashini Das (Sister Agnes after turning in a row) her former student in the school St Mary within in the monastery of Loreto.
In 1950 on Thanksgiving Day, October 7, Congregation of the Missionaries Sisters of Charity at that time with twelve members were officially established as Diocesan Congregation of the Archdiocese of Calcutta under Archbishop Ferdinand Perry. This day is celebrated each year by the Missionaries of Charity.
LAST YEARS
In the 80’s her health has been seriously disturbed and on several occasions she was hospitalized because of heart problems, and in September 1989 she had a pacemaker surgery.When AIDS takes swing the world as a disease of the new time, new lines of activities are directed towards raising public awareness of the causes and consequences of the disease. On this occasion of December 24, 1985, Mother Teresa opens first hospital for the people sick from AIDS in New York. That same year by U.S. President Ronald Reagan received the highest award that can be awarded to a civilian in the United States - the Presidential Medal of Freedom, another in a series of accolades and awards for her humanitarian work In 1996 the Act of Congress as Mother Teresa was declared an honorary citizen of the United States, and is one of the six people who had that honour.
The period from 1990 and until her death in 1997 was a period of intense activity. Although her health was seriously disturbed, didn’t prevent the spreading of the mission and the opening of more than 170 companies worldwide. In the last years of her life Mother Teresa wanted to withdraw several times from the forehead lines, but the sisters with a secret ballot in January put her in charge again. After two heart surgeries in 1993 and 1996 she withdraws and in March 13, 1997 Sister Nirmala was elected as her successor like Superior General. That same year on September 5 she died in Calcutta at the age of 87. In a sign of gratitude the Indian government gave her a funeral with state honours. Her body was laid in the Motherhouse in Calcutta. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayers of people of all faiths and social strata.
PROCESS OF CANONIZATION
On June 12, 1999 started the diocesan stage process of the beatification and canonization of Mother Teresa. In 2003 on October 19 Pope John Paul II declared Mother Teresa as blessed on the Sunday Mass at the end of celebrations marking the 25 anniversary of his pontificate and on 5th of September was established as a day in its liturgical celebration.