Teresa of Calcutta

About Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta became a global icon of charity and service to the poorest of the poor. Born Anjezë Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in Skopje, she joined the Sisters of Loreto at 18 and was sent to India, where she taught in Calcutta for nearly 20 years. In 1946, while traveling by train, Teresa experienced her "call within a call"—a divine summons to serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta's slums. After receiving permission, she left the convent in 1948, adopted Indian dress (the famous blue-bordered white sari), and began her mission. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to serving "the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society." The order grew to over 4,500 sisters in 133 countries, operating hospices, orphanages, and charity centers worldwide. Mother Teresa received numerous honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize (1979), which she accepted "in the name of the poor." Her care for dying destitutes, lepers, and abandoned children incarnated Christ's love for the marginalized. She died in 1997 and was canonized in 2016. Her private writings revealed decades of spiritual darkness—feeling God's absence while serving His poorest children—making her witness even more profound.