Mother Teresa : The Saint of the twentieth century.
Mother Teresa was 38 when she took the vows of poverty, purity, and obedience. Giving up the Habit of the Sisters of Loreto, she took to wearing a cheap white cotton sari with a blue border. Sister Teresa then went to Patna to train herself as a nurse. She realized the importance of such training in her venture to help the poor who lived in dirty and unhealthy habitation. After completing her training, Sister Teresa came back to Kolkata and began her life’s vocation—to live among the poor and to help them.
Soon, she became a common figure in the slums and the streets of Kolkata. Her white sari, her fluent Bengali and her unrelenting effort to improve the hygiene and literacy in the slums, soon made her an endearing figure. Rising early at dawn, the Sister worked with dedication and inner spiritual strength that comes with sincere prayer. At this time, Sister Teresa, so sure of the virtue of her vocation, took Indian nationality. Her will to help the needy became stronger with each passing day.
With continuous work, their community grew. Soon, Sister Teresa began thinking seriously about starting a congregation. This was approved on October 7th, 1950. Thus, the constitution of the “Society of the Missionaries of Charity,” came into being. It was the day of the feast of the Holy Rosary. After five years, the congregation became papal as more and more Sisters joined the congregation and devoted their lives to the sick and the poorest of the poor.
At Kolkata, owing to their growing numbers, the Missionaries of Charity needed a residence. A Muslim leaving for Pakistan sold his house for a nominal price and this was to become the famous Mother’s House at 54 A, Lower Circular Road, Kolkata. While society grew, the Mother’s work kept on increasing. Her work among the lepers of India got her international recognition. She received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. After receiving the honor, Mother Teresa said, “I choose the poverty of our poor people. But I am grateful to receive (the Nobel) in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people who have become a burden to society and are shunned by everyone.”
On September 5th, 1997, Mother Teresa died of a heart attack at 9.30 pm. It was an irreplaceable loss that was felt worldwide. Mother Teresa was buried on September 13th, 1997, exactly 7 months after electing Sister Nirmala as her successor. Mother Teresa would live on in the memory of all those who were, during her lifetime, graced by her tender touch that made all the difference.
