Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Nun who founded Missionaries of Charity to serve the world's poorest.
Patronage
Calcutta, the dying, the poor, the sick, missions, marginalized people
Virtues & Traits
Biography
Born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje (now North Macedonia), she joined the Sisters of Loreto at eighteen, taking her religious name Teresa. Professed in 1931, she taught in Calcutta for nearly two decades. In 1946, experiencing a profound spiritual calling, she received permission to leave her convent and serve the destitute. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to caring for those society abandoned: the dying, the poor, lepers, and orphans. Her work expanded globally, opening hospices, schools, and medical facilities across multiple continents. Characterized by radical simplicity, she lived among those she served, performing intimate acts of dignity for the forgotten. Though her faith was tested by decades of spiritual darkness, she remained committed to her mission. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, donating all proceeds to her work. She was canonized in 2016. Mother Teresa epitomized Christ's love manifested through tireless service to humanity's most vulnerable members.
Prayer
Prayer to Mother Teresa of Calcutta
O Mother Teresa, you who spent your life serving the poorest of the poor with unwavering love and compassion, we ask for your intercession before the throne of God. Help us to see Christ in every person we encounter, especially in those who suffer and are forgotten. Grant us the courage to serve with humble hearts and the grace to love as you loved. Through your prayers, may we grow in faith, hope, and charity. Amen.
Generated by Find My Saint for personal reflection. Not an official Church prayer.