A Short Biography of Mother Teresa
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” ― Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa is a
universal name in the field of charity. She started off as a nun and
spread the message of love through her selfless service to mankind. She
dedicated her entire life for a cause and always felt that the real
prize for her was the smile that she could see in other people’s lives.
Her selfless attitude and undeterred determination to serve the needy
made her one of the most popular person globally. She sought happiness
in serving people.
Early life of Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Macedonia on August 26th
1910. When she was around 12 years old, felt the love and call of God.
She wanted to spread the love of Christ all around the world. At the age
of eighteen she came across the Sisters of Loreto, a missionary of nuns
who had branches in India. She had her initial training in Dublin and
on 24th May 1931, she took the vows of a nun. From then
onward, she was called Mother Teresa. Though she taught in a school in
Calcutta between 1931 and 1948, she was not satisfied with her work. The
poverty that she saw outside the convent moved her heart from within.
She felt it was her duty to serve them. In this regard she took the
permission of her seniors to leave the school and work full time in
serving the poor who dwelled in the slums of Calcutta. With the
intention of educating the children who lived in slums, she started a
school. Her strong determination could garner the support of other
volunteers who helped her in this endeavour. Donations from people also
helped her to widen the scope of her purpose.
Establishment of “The Missionaries of Charity”
In 1950, in order to spread her mission of love and devotion, Mother Teresa started her own order of “The Missionaries of Charity”.
The main aim of the missionary was to take care of those people who do
not have anybody to look after. Slowly the missionary spread its wings
and in 1965 the pope issued a decree and it became an International
Religious Family. The missionary was set up in all continents and in
most of the communist countries that include Soviet Union, Cuba and
Albania.
Establishment of other missionaries
Mother Teresa
personally took care of TB patients, Leprosy patients and people who did
not have anybody else to take care of them. Mother truly believed that
serving the poor and destitute is service to God himself. In true words,
with her deeds she set an example for others. She could not stop
herself from starting more missions like The Missionaries of Charity
brothers in 1963, The contemplative branch of the Sisters in 1976,
Contemplative Brothers in 1979 and The Missionaries of Charity Fathers
in 1984.
Awards
Mother Teresa won
several awards and rewards for her exemplary social service. The major
awards were the Padma Shri award in 1962, Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in
1971, Nehru Peace Prize in 1972, Balzan Prize in 1978 and the ultimate
Nobel Peace prize in 1979. She was awarded the highest civilian prize in
India, Bharat Ratna.
Beatification
Mother Teresa withdrew as the Head of Missionaries and Charity in March 1997. She breathed her last on 5th
September 1997. She was buried with state honors by the Indian
Government. The place where she was buried has become a pilgrimage for
the rich and poor and people of different faiths. Mother Teresa has
proved that undeterred determination and faith can make a person morally
very strong and can become a personification of love. She attained
immortality with her charitable work and will remain in the hearts of
everyone who want to lend their hand in the upliftment of the society.
Owing to her greatness and popularity, Pope decided to go ahead with the
beatification process and Mother was bestowed with the title “Blessed”
after two years of her demise.
Mother’s legacy
Mother Teresa
is an epitome of love and affection. Her name is synonymous with care
and affection for the downtrodden. Her dynamic spirit has inspired
several souls to take up the path of social service and charity. It is
amazing to see how a little girl from a foreign country adapted to India
and served the poorest of the poor here. She is an embodiment of strong
will power. She has shown the world that if you believe in doing
something, nothing can hinder your advances. One needs to instill
tremendous confidence and a never-give-up attitude to reach their goals.
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