Mother Teresa

      Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was the loving mother to the ailing humanity. She was an apostle of love, peace, and benevolence. she was a rare phenomenon in this unfeeling world of woes. This saintly woman was born on 27 August,1910 in the village Skopji in Albania. Her earlier name was Agnes Gonxhas Bojaxhiu. Her father, who was a kind and charitable man, was a building contractor. Her mother who was a pious lady came from Venice in Italy. From her childhood, Agnes took great interest in the ritual of the church. She loved books and spent long hours in reading.

She had her early education at the Sacred Heart Church School in Albania. At twelve, she first expressed her desire to be a nun. She learnt that early missionaries had offered services to India. She also came to know about the Loreto nuns who had been working in Bengal. She came to Kolkata in 1928. From Kolkata, she was sent to Darjeeling where she began her life as a trainee nun at the Loreto Novitiate. After two years of prayer, discipline and hard work, she became a sister of Loreto. She came to be known as Sister Teresa in 1931. Having completed her training, Sister Teresa joined Loreto Convent at Entally in Kolkata as a Geography teacher and after a few years became its principal.

But her heart cried for the distressed dwellers of a slum opposite to the convent. She wanted to help and share everything she had poor and dying people in the slums. With all her love, energy, and dedication, she won the hearts of the poor slum dwellers.

It was 10 September, 1946. she decided to leave the convent to serve the suffering humanity. She got permission from the pope, who blessed her on her mission. Clad in a white saree with a blue border, a small cross and the Bible in one hand, she left the convent with strength of mind. She left the convent with strength of mind. She went to medical training to be a nurse at Patna. On her return, she started her mission of serving the poor and the distressed in Kolkata. She started her work in the slum area around Loreto Convent, Entally. She taught slum children not to use bad language and to always help others. She gave them lessons on hygiene. She set up a school. The school began to grow, and was given the name 'Nirmal Hriday'.

She set up Missionaries of Charity in 1950. She also founded 'Nirmala Kennedy Centre'. 'Nirmal Sishubhavan', 'Leprosy Heritage' in Howrah and Sodepur. She extended her works abroad. She was love personified. Honours were showred upon her from India and abroad. She was the recipient of 'Padmasree', 'Jawaharlal Nehru Award', 'Desikottam', 'Magsaysay', etc. She was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1979. Bharat Ratna was awarded to her in 1980. Such a great soul left her mortal frame on September 5, 1997. She was beatified in Vatican by pope John Paul ll on October 19, 2003.

She is no more among us. But her call 'clothe the naked child' still rings in our ears. This angelic soul remains and will remain in our loving memory forever. In the present days of disharmony, Mother Teresa is, of course, a very symbol of peace and salvation.