Saint Teresa of Calcutta is one of the most beloved figures of the modern Church—a woman whose life of tireless service to the poorest of the poor has inspired millions around the world. Commonly known as Mother Teresa, she was a living icon of Christ's love in a century so often scarred by poverty, violence, and indifference. Small in physical stature, she was a giant by faith and compassion, in the eyes of God and His people.

Life and Vocation

Mother Teresa was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, North Macedonia.. Born into a fervently Catholic family, she was profoundly influenced by the witness of her mother demonstrating charity and compassion towards the poor. When she was 18, she felt the vocation to a religious state and entered the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland. A short while later, she was sent to India, and she became a teacher in a girls' school in Calcutta.

She worked faithfully as a principal and teacher for nearly twenty years, but her heart was restless. In 1946, during a train journey, she received what she called a “call within a call.” Jesus was beckoning her, she felt, to leave the security of the convent behind and step into the streets to do His mission among the poorest of the poor. In courage and obedience, she resigned from the convent in 1948 and embarked upon her mission by herself, dressed in a simple white sari with a blue border. She set out to help the poor in any way she can, and to create a community dedicated to the service of the poor and less fortunate.

Mission and Commitment to the Poor

Mother Teresa soon gathered other women around her, and together they founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. Their mission was clear: to care for those who were most unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. She opened homes for the dying, orphanages for abandoned children, and shelters for lepers and the homeless. To her, each person was not just a human in need but Christ Himself in disguise.

Her own simple slogan, “Do small things with great love,” became a way of living. She did not crave any publicity or fame, but the world was attracted to her prophetically bold witness. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but she reminded the world the deepest poverty was not of the material kind, but the poverty of being unloved.

Regardless of her public image, Mother Teresa lived through enormous interior struggles, facing a prolonged experience of interior sadness and feeling isolated from God. Yet even in this hidden suffering, she kept believing, and she offered her suffering as an oblation to others. This made her witness all the greater: she served and loved even when she didn't experience any comfort herself.

On September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa died at the age of 87 in Calcutta, surrounded by her sisters and mourned by the world. Her funeral drew world leaders, the poor she served, and faithful of every background. She had lived a life poured out in love, and her passing was felt as a great loss, especially among those she had touched personally with her compassion.

Legacy and Canonization

Mother Teresa's legacy lives on through the Missionaries of Charity, now in over 130 nations, continuing her mission of compassion. Today, over 5,000 people are part of the organization. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 2003 and Pope Francis canonized her as Saint Teresa of Calcutta on September 4, 2016.

Her contribution to the Church goes very deep. She showed us that saintliness is not only in great actions or in theological depth, but in everyday lived faithful love. She showed the modern world that Christ is in the hungry, the sick, the rejected, and serving them meant serving Him. Saint Teresa of Calcutta remains a radiant example of charity in action—a woman who lived the Gospel fully, teaching us that the measure of our life is not how much we accomplish, but how much we love.

Mother Teresa, pray for us!