St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)

Feast Day: September 5

Teresa was already a religious sister when she felt God asking more of her.

She was teaching in a school in India.

Her life was stable.

Her community was established.

Then, during a train journey in 1946, she experienced what she later described as a “call within a call.”

She became convinced that Jesus wanted her to leave the convent school and serve Him among the poorest people in the streets.

So she went.

She cared for the dying.

She gathered abandoned children.

She washed wounds.

She fed the hungry.

She held the hands of people who had no one else.

And she kept repeating a simple idea:

when we serve the poorest person in front of us, we serve Christ.

Her work eventually became the Missionaries of Charity, serving the poor in countries around the world.

The small Albanian nun in a white sari became known everywhere.

But her mission remained simple:

love Jesus in the person right in front of you.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.

Who Was St. Teresa of Calcutta?

St. Teresa of Calcutta was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire.

She grew up in a Catholic family of Albanian background.

From a young age, she felt drawn toward religious life and missionary service.

As a teenager, she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto.

She eventually went to India.

Becoming Sister Teresa

After joining the Loreto Sisters, she took the religious name Teresa, inspired by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

She became a teacher in Calcutta.

For years, she taught girls in a Catholic school and later became headmistress.

She was already living a serious religious life.

But then came the experience that changed everything.

The “Call Within a Call”

On September 10, 1946, while traveling by train to Darjeeling, Teresa experienced what she later called a “call within a call.”

She believed Jesus was asking her to leave the Loreto convent and go directly into the slums.

There, she would serve people who were poor, sick, abandoned, and dying.

Teresa did not act impulsively.

She sought permission from her religious superiors and Church authorities.

Eventually, she was allowed to begin.

Into the Streets

Teresa left the convent school and began working among the poor.

She received some basic medical training.

She visited families.

Taught children.

Cared for the sick.

And begged for supplies.

At first, she had very little.

The mission began with one woman, a strong conviction, and the needs directly in front of her.

The Missionaries of Charity

Other women began joining Teresa.

In 1950, the Church officially approved the Missionaries of Charity.

Their purpose was to serve what Teresa often called “the poorest of the poor.”

The sisters took the traditional religious vows and added a special commitment to wholehearted free service to the poorest.

The congregation spread rapidly.

The White Sari

The Missionaries of Charity became known for their simple white sari with blue borders.

The clothing helped them live close to the people they served in India.

It became one of the most recognizable religious habits in the world.

But for Teresa, the habit was not about being recognized.

It was about belonging to Christ and serving simply.

Caring for the Dying

One of Teresa’s best-known ministries was care for people dying on the streets.

She opened a home in Calcutta where dying people could be washed, fed, comforted, and accompanied.

Not everyone could be cured.

But everyone could be treated as a human person.

Teresa believed no one should have to die alone and unwanted.

“You Did It to Me”

Teresa’s spirituality was strongly shaped by Matthew 25.

Jesus says:

“Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Teresa took those words very literally.

The hungry person was Christ.

The sick person was Christ.

The abandoned person was Christ.

The dying person was Christ.

Serving them became a way of serving Jesus Himself.

Children

Teresa and her sisters also cared for abandoned and orphaned children.

They opened homes and worked to provide food, medical care, education, and family placements.

Her work touched people at every stage of life.

The common principle was dignity.

Every person mattered because every person was made in the image of God.

Prayer at the Center

Teresa’s public work was extremely active.

But the Missionaries of Charity built their day around prayer.

Mass.

Eucharistic adoration.

The Rosary.

Spiritual reading.

Silence.

Teresa believed the sisters could not serve Christ in the poor if they were not first spending time with Christ in prayer.

Love for the Eucharist

The Eucharist was central to Teresa’s life.

She believed the same Jesus adored in the Blessed Sacrament was encountered in the suffering poor.

The altar and the street belonged together.

Prayer without charity would be incomplete.

Charity without prayer would eventually become empty.

A Long Interior Darkness

After her death, private letters revealed that Teresa experienced long periods of intense spiritual dryness.

For years, she often felt little sense of God’s presence.

This surprised many people because her public faith seemed so strong.

But her interior struggle makes her witness even more striking.

She continued praying.

Serving.

Going to Mass.

Loving the poor.

Even when consolation was absent.

Faith Without Feeling

Teresa’s spiritual darkness teaches an important lesson.

Faith is not the same thing as feeling close to God.

A person can feel spiritually empty and still remain faithful.

Teresa continued choosing Christ when prayer did not feel rewarding.

Her perseverance became part of her holiness.

Worldwide Mission

The Missionaries of Charity expanded beyond India.

Communities opened across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and other regions.

They served people with severe illnesses, the homeless, abandoned children, the dying, and others in desperate need.

Teresa became one of the most internationally recognized Catholics of the twentieth century.

Public Recognition

Teresa received many awards and honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

She used public attention to speak about the dignity of human life, care for the poor, family, prayer, and love of God.

She repeatedly tried to redirect attention away from herself and toward the people she served.

A Simple Spirituality

Teresa’s spirituality was not complicated.

Do small things with great love.

Serve the person in front of you.

Begin at home.

Pray.

Forgive.

Smile.

Love Christ.

She believed people often become overwhelmed by trying to solve every problem in the world.

Her answer was to begin with one person.

Her Death

Mother Teresa died in Calcutta in 1997.

By then, the Missionaries of Charity had spread across the world.

Her funeral drew enormous attention.

The work continued after her death.

Canonization

Pope St. John Paul II beatified Teresa in 2003.

Pope Francis canonized her in 2016.

She is officially known as St. Teresa of Calcutta, though many people still affectionately call her Mother Teresa.

What St. Teresa of Calcutta Teaches Us

St. Teresa teaches us that love becomes real through action.

We may not be able to help everyone.

But we can help someone.

She also teaches us not to judge the value of another person by usefulness, health, wealth, intelligence, or social status.

Every person has dignity because every person is made by God.

And her hidden spiritual suffering teaches us something even deeper:

holiness does not require constant spiritual consolation.

Sometimes love means remaining faithful in the dark.

When Is the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta?

The Catholic Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta on September 5.

She is remembered as the founder of the Missionaries of Charity and a great servant of the poor, sick, abandoned, and dying.

Prayer Inspired by St. Teresa of Calcutta

Lord Jesus Christ,

give us the charity and perseverance of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Help us recognize You in the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the forgotten.

Teach us to serve without seeking praise.

Strengthen us when prayer feels dry.

Deepen our love for You in the Holy Eucharist.

And help us do the small things placed before us with great love.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us. Amen.