MOTHER Teresa, now a saint, has made India proud by showcasing what one person’s mission can accomplish. Born in Albania in 1910, she arrived in India in 1929 and founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. This organization, still active in over 133 countries, runs homes for people dying of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and leprosy, regardless of caste, creed, colour or religion. India honoured her with its highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980, and the world recognized her efforts with the Nobel Peace Prize a year before her death.
In 1948, Mother Teresa became an Indian citizen, receiving training as a nurse in Patna. She began her work in Kolkata, opening a school in a slum area, relying on donations from the public. Many of her former students became nuns, assisting in her social work. Despite facing criticism, even within the Catholic Church, she responded not with words but through her life of selfless service. Her life, a testament to gratuitous mercy, stands as the only convincing response to her critics.
Mother Teresa’s untiring service to the poor, the orphaned, and the sick in Kolkata’s streets will always be remembered. Her work is recognized by the Catholic Church, which canonized her as a saint on September 4, 2016, a date that also marked her 19th death anniversary. With her canonization, India now has eleven saints of its own, including St. Gonsalo Garcia, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Alphonsa.
Mother Teresa’s legacy lives on in what she said and did throughout her life. She began her mission with no money, relying solely on Divine Providence. She nursed the sick and dying, taught street children, sheltered the homeless, and cared for the unloved and lonely, always spreading the Word of God. Both the rich and the poor have felt drawn to God’s mercy through her example as a follower of Jesus Christ.
Clad in her simple white khadi saree with a blue border, she, along with her sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, became a global symbol of love, care, and compassion. She was a beacon of hope for the sick, the aged, the destitute, the unemployed, the terminally ill, and those abandoned by their families.
From a young age, Mother Teresa was blessed with profound empathy, unwavering commitment, and unshakable faith. At 18, she turned her back on worldly pleasures to serve mankind. After years of teaching and mentoring, she experienced a call within her religious vocation, changing the course of her life entirely. As the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, she utilized her remarkable organizational skills to build an international organization dedicated to aiding the impoverished.
Though declared a saint by the Catholic Church, she remains a mother to all, her good deeds continuing to inspire. Mother Teresa’s work has ensured that many abandoned newborns left to die on the streets are given a chance at life. Who would have imagined that a fragile nun from Albania could come to India and make such a profound impact? Mother Teresa proved to the world what one person’s mission can achieve, making India proud.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Mumbai, India
Email: jubeldcruz@yahoo.com
