“I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich
could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I
willingly cure him for the love of God.” — Mother Teresa
Short Biography
Career:
In the early stages of her life, she was fascinated by the
stories of missionaries. At the age of 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in
Calcutta (Now, Kolkata) in order to start the charity works and spread the
message of love in the world. She had renamed her name from Agnes to Teresa
after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patroness of the missions. She was appointed as a
teacher at St. Mary’s School, Calcutta. Sister Teresa became Mother Teresa on
24th May 1937. She taught from 1931 to 1948.
Call of Duty:
The condition of the poor people outside the convent school
where she was teaching were utterly bad. It, indeed, hurt her very deeply. She
understood the need of the hour to help the destitute. It was really a call
from the God to turn her attention towards the poor from then on. With courage
and divinity, she had started an open-air school for the slum dwellers of
Calcutta. Though she had not got any funds at the beginning, things were
gradually changing positively to help her service by many volunteers. Once
financial support were coming in, she had got all the power to serve to the
humanity in a better way!
She did not stop with the service of teaching the poor
children. She had also taught the adults and gave medical treatments to the ill
patients by providing the basic amenities such as hospitals and clinics. She
has been better known for starting off “Missionaries of Charity” with her
pupils. Shishu Bhavan, establishment of center for AIDS patients and many Homes
had also been started for the orphanages. Her service is still being followed
in many parts of the world. She is an ideal person to be a good social worker
and set as an example to the entire world as the icon of peace and love.
Mother Teresa was one of the greatest human beings of all
time! A gift for the poor and destitute. She had received many high profiled
awards. Some of them were:
* Padmashree award in 1962
* Nobel Peace Prize in 1979
* Bharat Ratna in 1980
* The Pope John XXIII Peace Prize
* Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth
* Medal of Freedom
Mother Teresa’s original name was Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu.
She was the youngest child for her parents, Nicola and Drane. She was born on
26 August 1910 in Skopje, capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Her “true
birthday” was considered to be on 27 August, the day of her baptism. Having
lost her father at the age of 8, her mother had taken much care, and developed
her to had a good character.
Let’s recall the saga of Blessed Teresa in brief (‘Blessed
Teresa’ was a title given by Pope John Paul II during the beatification of
Mother Teresa.)
