essay on life and achievements of mother teresa

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Mother Teresa

By: History.com Editors

Published: February 26, 2024

Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, an organization that serves the poorest of the world’s population. An ethnic Albanian, born in what is now Macedonia, she lived and worked in India for nearly seven decades and became a citizen of that country. Her dedication to helping the poorest and sickest communities in Kolkata (then Calcutta) earned Mother Teresa widespread fame and numerous honors, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.

Childhood and Move to India

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in what is now Skopje, North Macedonia; at the time it was part of the Ottoman Empire. Her family was of Albanian descent; her father, a reasonably successful merchant, died when she was just eight years old. After his death, the family struggled financially, but her mother instilled in young Agnes the importance of leading a Christian life and serving the less fortunate.

At the age of 12, Agnes first felt a calling to become a nun and devote her life to God. She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish Catholic order with missions in India. She received training near Dublin, where she began learning English, before traveling to Kolkata (then known as Calcutta), India in late 1928. She took her first vows as a nun in May 1931, and received a new name: Teresa, after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. In 1937, when she took her final vows, she became known as Mother Teresa.

'Call Within a Call'

From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography, history and catechism at St. Mary’s High School in Kolkata. She learned Bengali and Hindi, and eventually became the school’s principal. She also regularly visited the city’s slums and saw how suffering increased there during the devastating famine in 1943, which killed hundreds of thousands of people in India’s Bengal province.

In September 1946, Mother Teresa experienced what she described as a “call within a call” while riding on a train within India. In response, she sought and received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and live and work in the slums among the city’s sickest and poorest residents. With this move, Mother Teresa began wearing what would become her trademark garb: a white sari with a blue border, later adopted as the habit for the other nuns who worked alongside her.

The Order of the Missionaries of Charity 

In 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See to found her own order, the Missionaries of Charity. The order’s purpose was to help the poor while living among them, sharing their experience and treating them with kindness, compassion and empathy, but never pity. Mother Teresa and those who joined her order built various facilities as an open-air school, housing for orphan children, nursing homes for lepers and hospices for terminally ill patients.

Mother Teresa’s order expanded over the years to serve communities outside Kolkata, and in 1965, received permission from Pope Paul VI to expand internationally. It opened its first center in the United States in 1971 in New York City, and would eventually reach around 90 countries.

As her work earned her international renown, Mother Teresa was awarded honors including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971) and the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding (1972). In 1975, she was featured on the cover of TIME magazine and called one of the world’s “living saints.”

Nobel Peace Prize and Criticism

In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what the prize committee cited as her “work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress in the world, which also constitute a threat to peace.” By that time, the Missionaries of Charity included more than 1,800 nuns and 120,000 lay workers, working in more than 80 centers in India and more than 100 other centers internationally. The following year, the Indian government awarded Mother Teresa the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honor.

Despite her numerous honors and widespread fame and admiration, Mother Teresa became a target of criticism as well. She held hard-line conservative views against divorce, contraception and abortion , as well as highly traditional views about the role of women in society. Some critics cast doubt on the level of hygiene and care at some of her order’s facilities; others accused her of trying to convert the people she served to Christianity.

Declining Health, Death and Sainthood 

After suffering a heart attack in 1989, Mother Teresa attempted to resign as head of the Missionaries of Charity but was returned to that office by a nearly unanimous vote; hers was the only dissent. In 1997, her worsening health forced her permanent retirement, and the order chose an Indian-born nun, Sister Nirmala, to replace her. Mother Teresa suffered cardiac arrest and died on September 5, 1997, in Kolkata, just days after her 87th birthday.

As the world mourned Mother Teresa’s death, Pope John Paul II issued a special dispensation to speed the process of her canonization, or becoming a saint. In 2003, he beatified Mother Teresa after an Indian woman attributed her recovery from stomach cancer to Mother Teresa’s intercession, which the Vatican recognized as a miracle.

Twelve years later, the Holy See recognized a second miracle, after a Brazilian man recovered from a life-threatening brain infection after his family prayed to Mother Teresa. In September 2016, Pope Francis I officially declared Mother Teresa a saint 19 years after her death—a markedly fast pace for modern times.

“She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created,” the Pope said in the canonization ceremony, held in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City .

Mother Teresa - Biographical. The Nobel Prize .

Eric Pace, “Mother Teresa, Hope of the Despairing, Dies at 87.” The New York Times , September 6, 1997.

Kathryn Spink. Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography , (Harper Collins, 1997).

Elisabetta Povoledo, “Mother Teresa Is Made a Saint by Pope Francis.” The New York Times , September 3, 2016.

Mallika Kapur and Sugam Pokharel, “‘Troubled individual:’ Mother Teresa no saint to her critics.” CNN , September 4, 2016.

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World History Edu

• Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa’s Greatest Achievements

by World History Edu · November 29, 2021

Mother Teresa – Biography, achievements and facts

Quick Facts about Mother Teresa

Name at baptism : Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Date of birth : August 26, 1910

Place of birth : Skopje, North Macedonia (formerly part of the Ottoman Empire )

Died: September 5, 1997

Place of death : Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Nationality: Albanian, Indian

Cause of death : Cardiac arrest

Mother: Dranafile Bojaxhiu

Father: Nikollë

Siblings: Aga Bojaxhiu, Lazar Bojaxhiu

Religion: Roman Catholic

Most known for : offering assistance to the poor, disease-stricken, and destitute around the world

Date of canonization : September 4, 2016 (by Pope Francis)

Major honors and awards : Nobel Peace Prize (1979), Balzan Prize (1978), Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971), Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1969), Padma Shri (1962)

Also known as : Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, “the Saint of the Gutters”

Quick Biography

Albanian-born Indian citizen Mother Teresa and her sisters from the Missionaries of Charity often donned white, blue-bordered sari and sandals.

She was born on August 26, 1910 to parents Nikolle and Dranafile Bojaxhiu in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her father was a businessman, while her mother was an influential member of the local church in Skopje.

Mother Terasa was the youngest among her siblings. She took her First Communion around the age of six. At the age of eight, her father passed away, nudging her family into bad financial position.

It’s been said that much of the traits and character that she exhibited was instilled in her by her mother. At an early age she and her mother were involved in the Jesuit Parish of the Sacred Heart.

At the age of 18, she enrolled at the Institute of the Blessed Mary Virgin, also called Sisters of Loreto, in Rathfarnham, Ireland. Her goal was to become a missionary. While in the nun school, she was named Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux.

In 1929, she began her novitiate in Darjeeling, West Bengal. In order to properly reach out to more people, she quickly learned Bengali, the local language of the state.

After taking her first religious vows in May 1931, she proceeded to work as a geography school teacher at St Mary’s School. About 13 years later, she rose to the position of principal of the school.

She came to be called Mother Teresa after taking her Final Profession of Vows in May 1937.

According to Mother Teresa, she received a call from God to be of service to the slums of Calcutta and beyond.

Major Accomplishments of Mother Teresa

Around the age of 18, she started making tentative steps to rid herself from forms of worldly things and pleasures. She reasoned that her calling in this world was to be of service to the poorest of the poor, the terminally ill, the unemployed, and people living in war-torn areas of the world. That calling of hers is the reason reason why many regard her as one of the most influential humanitarians of the 20th century. Image: Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata

Beginning around the mid-1940s, Mother Teresa believed that she received a divine call from God to go out there, into the most destitute areas of India, and be of service to poverty-and disease-stricken communities. She took the message seriously, as not doing so would be going against the instructions of God, so she believed.

During her more than 60-year career as a humanitarian, Mother Teresa was able to accomplish a lot of impactful things in the world of charity. Some of her major accomplishments are as follows:

In 1948, she secured approval from the local Archbishop Ferdinand Perier to go ahead with the establishment of religious community, which she named Missionaries of Charity Sisters. Final approval (from the Vatican) for the charity organization came in October 1950. From then onward, Teresa’s organization would devote itself to being of immense help to people who had been neglected by the society. She was able to imbue in her staff, who were mostly her former students, values such as compassion, empathy, love and kindness.

Seeing all that poverty and misery around her in Calcutta, which was still reeling from the Bengal famine of 1943, Teresa decided to act. Citing what she termed as the “call within the call”, she proceeded to leave the comfort of her convent and establish the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that aims to freely serve the poorest among the poor.

Two years into its inception, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity managed to open their first hospice with the help of local officials in Calcutta. Renovation works were made on an abandoned Hindu temple, turning it into the Kalighat Home for the Dying. The goal of the hospice was to give people a dignified death. As she put it: “is for people who lived like animals to die like angels—loved and wanted.”

In its formative stages, the Missionaries of Charity had a mere 13 members of staff. After a decade or so, the organization grew to become one of the most impactful charity organizations in India and beyond. Her selfless work and astute managerial skills augured very well for the organization. This enabled them to receive handsome donations from around the world. With those financial donations, she was able to expand the activities of the Missionaries of Charity to many other areas, in addition to health and education. By the 1960s, Missionaries of Charity could boast of many branches, orphanages, leper centers, and hospices all over the country.

Mother Teresa began what she called a Home for the Dying in 1952. Heartbroken by the way the most deprived areas in India treated people with terminal illnesses, the Roman Catholic nun set out to give people struck by incurable diseases the opportunity to live their last few days with dignity. What this meant was that her organization was able to attract not just Roman Catholics, but a host of people from different walks of life and religious background. Teresa encouraged her staff to take all kinds of people in need of help regardless of ethnicity, religion, or gender. She always reiterated that her calling was to be of service to humanity and the world in general.

With the help of donations from private and public sources, Teresa was able to transform her organization into real powerhouse in the humanitarian world. Her organization treated all kinds of people struck with awful diseases.

Prior to setting up the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa took some time out to gain some medical training at the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Bihar. She knew that having basic training in health care would come in very handy when the time came for her to uplift the health conditions in those deprived areas of the country. It was out of this passion of hers that a home was created for people plagued with Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy. At the Shanti Nagar – the name of Teresa’s leprosy center – Teresa and her staff took care of all manner of people suffering from the disease. She fed them, clothed them, and imbued in them hope so that they could go on with their lives.

Under the auspices of the Missionaries of Charity and other very charitable organizations, Mother Teresa established a center for orphaned children. The center, which was named Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, also provided shelter for homeless and troubled youth. The Catholic nun’s goal was to catch them young so that those young boys and girls grew up to make something out of themselves.

On the back of a very successful and impactful charity work of the Missionaries of Charity, a sister organization called the Missionaries of Charity Brothers was established in 1963. The goal of that organization was to attend to not just physical needs of the poor, but also the spiritual needs of the poor.

Other notable accomplishments of Mother Teresa

In 1955, Teresa established an orphanage called Nirmala Shishu Bhavan to take in destitute, troubled and orphaned children.

• Beginning around the mid-1960s, Mother Teresa started spreading her tentacles beyond India. As her goal was to be of service to the unloved, the poorest of the poor, and the diseased anywhere in the world, she combined forces with a number of charities to establish branches outside India. The first international branch of the Missionaries of Charity opened in Venezuela, South America, in 1965. That congregation started with a mere five sisters; however, with time, the organization grew to become one of the most leading charities in South America. As the years rolled by, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity started operating in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Teresa’s work also sent her to places in Europe and the United States. In the Middle East for example, her organization was directly involved in rescuing close to 40 orphaned children that had nowhere to go during the Lebanon war in the early 1980s.
• Mother Teresa was involved in the establishment of the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests in 1981. Three years later, she helped found the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. The primary objective of those two organizations was to provide adequate training and resources to Catholic priests and missionaries serving in some of the most horrific of conditions in the world.
• She was involved in the formation of the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa, the Lay Missionaries of Charity, and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers.
• Teresa’s missionary and charity works broke down barriers, both economic and political. Starting around the early 1980s, she received permission from many Soviet countries to establish a congregation or some kind of charitable project. The defining moment of her organization came during the Chernobyl nuclear crisis, where she helped nurse those affected by radiation to reasonable health. She was also quick to intervene during the Ethiopian food crisis and famine, saving the lives of thousands of malnourished and starving African children.
• In the 1980s, her charity organization began making their presence felt in Communities countries that had previously shunned her away. For example, Missionaries of Charity partook in the relief efforts following the devastating 1988 earthquake in Armenia.
• After almost a century since she left her homeland, Mother Teresa returned to Albania and setup up Missionaries of Charity Brothers in the capital Tirana.

More Mother Teresa facts

Mother Terasa’s name at birth was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu.

Her fluency in so many different languages allowed her to conduct charitable activities all across the world, providing care to refugees, the physically impaired, drug addicts, homeless people, victims of natural disasters, and the poor, among others.

At the time of her death, her organization had close to 4,000 sisters working all across the world, bringing solace and physical help to the poor, hungry and troubled. The total number of branches across the world was in the region of 600. Her organization had presence in over 120 countries. Often times partnering with international organizations like the International Red Cross, Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity was operating in six continents. From soup kitchens in Rome to HIV/AIDS center in Tanzania, Mother Teresa did indeed accomplish quite a lot of astounding things. The above feats are just some of the reasons why many consider her one of the greatest humanitarian in modern history.

In some parts of Kolkata, some Hindus revere Mother Teresa as a goddess. This is testament to the immense impact she had on the lives and livellihoods of the people in that region.

A devout Catholic, Mother Teresa was an unflinching pro-life supporter. Her views on contraception and abortion received some bit of criticism.

In 1992, with the help of Indian writer and civil servant Navin Chawla, she was able to publish her first authorized biography.

South Bronx, New York was the first place in America to receive Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. In less than a decade, the organization would expand to about 20 branches across the United States.

Awards and honors

Mother Teresa received some of the highest civilian honors in India, including Bharat Ratna (left) and Padma Shri. She was praised for steering the affairs of the Missionaries of Charity into one that became a symbol for love, compassion and care. Since its inception in 1950, the Missionaris for Charity has tirelessly worked for the destitute, the uncared and unloved across the world.

Mother Teresa’s humanitarian works, both in India and across the world, earned very lofty praises and honors. Some examples of those honors are as follows:

In 1962, the Indian government bestowed one of the highest civilian honors – Padma Shri (also known as Padma Shree) – on her. Seven years later, she received the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding. In 1980, Mother Teresa received the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honor in India, for her untiring humanitarian efforts in India.

In 1971, she became the first recipient of the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. The honor was given to her for untiring commitment and boundless love to meeting the needs of poor people and diseased-stricken areas in the world.

She received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, a Filipino award given to people who have shown strong integrity and commitment in the service of people.

In 1982, the Australian government bestowed the honor of Companion of the Order of Australia. She was praised for her numerous charitable services to not just Australia but the world at large.

Perhaps her biggest recognition on the international stage came when the Nobel Committee selected her as the recipient of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She used the prize money she got from the Nobel Peace Prize to provide services for the poor in India.

On June 20, 1985, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom , the highest civilian honor in our country, from U.S. President Ronald Reagan at a White House Ceremony in the Rose Garden.

In her birth country Albania, she was honored with the Golden Honor of the Nation in 1994.

In 1996, the Clinton administration honored her with a honorary citizenship of the United States.

In 1985, Mother Teresa received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The honor is the highest possible honor a civilian can receive in the United States. Image: President Ronald Reagan presenting Mother Teresa with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony as First Lady Nancy Reagan looks on, 20 June 1985.

In 2001, the international airport in Tirana , Albania was named after Mother Teresa. The airport is called Nënë Tereza.

Did you know : Mother Teresa was fluent in five languages – Albanian, Serbian, Hindi, English, and Bengali?

Later years and death

Towards the later part of the 1980s, her health started to deteriorate. In 1983, she was admitted to a hospital in Rome after suffering a mild heart attack. In the years that followed, the famous Catholic nun would battle a number of heart problems, with some requiring surgeries. Owing to her declining health, she stepped down from the management of her organization in March 1997. She was succeeded by Sister Maria Nirmala Joshi (1934 – 2015), an  Indian Catholic Religious Sister whose tenure as the Superior General saw the charity begin operations in Thailand, Afghanistan and Israel.

On September 5, 1997, the world woke up to the tragic news of the death of Mother Teresa. Due to the immense contribution she made in India, the 87-year-old was given a state funeral, honoring all the things she accomplished in her life.

Mother Teresa’s Beatification and Canonization

Stained glass depiction of key moments in the lifetime of Mother Teresa at the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa in Prishtinë, Kosovo

She was beatified by the Roman Catholic Church in 2003 during the Papacy of John Paul II. With that she came to be known as Blessed Mother Teresa.

On September 4, 2016, Pope Francis announced to the whole world the canonization of Mother Teresa . She thus became Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Teresa and St. Francis Xavier are co-patrons of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta, India. Her feast day is on September 5.

Top 4 quotes by Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Considered one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians, she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.

(1910-1997)

Who Was Mother Teresa?

Nun and missionary Mother Teresa, known in the Catholic church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. Born in Macedonia to parents of Albanian-descent and having taught in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced her "call within a call" in 1946. Her order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged and disabled; and a leper colony.

Mother Teresa’s Family and Young Life

Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, the current capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The following day, she was baptized as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.

Mother Teresa’s parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were of Albanian descent; her father was an entrepreneur who worked as a construction contractor and a trader of medicines and other goods. The Bojaxhius were a devoutly Catholic family, and Nikola was deeply involved in the local church as well as in city politics as a vocal proponent of Albanian independence.

In 1919, when Mother Teresa — then Agnes — was only eight years old, her father suddenly fell ill and died. While the cause of his death remains unknown, many have speculated that political enemies poisoned him.

In the aftermath of her father's death, Agnes became extraordinarily close to her mother, a pious and compassionate woman who instilled in her daughter a deep commitment to charity. Although by no means wealthy, Drana Bojaxhiu extended an open invitation to the city's destitute to dine with her family. "My child, never eat a single mouthful unless you are sharing it with others," she counseled her daughter. When Agnes asked who the people eating with them were, her mother uniformly responded, "Some of them are our relations, but all of them are our people."

Education and Nunhood

Agnes attended a convent-run primary school and then a state-run secondary school. As a girl, she sang in the local Sacred Heart choir and was often asked to sing solos. The congregation made an annual pilgrimage to the Church of the Black Madonna in Letnice, and it was on one such trip at the age of 12 that she first felt a calling to religious life. Six years later, in 1928, an 18-year-old Agnes Bojaxhiu decided to become a nun and set off for Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin. It was there that she took the name Sister Mary Teresa after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

A year later, Sister Mary Teresa traveled on to Darjeeling, India, for the novitiate period; in May 1931, she made her First Profession of Vows. Afterward, she was sent to Calcutta, where she was assigned to teach at Saint Mary's High School for Girls, a school run by the Loreto Sisters and dedicated to teaching girls from the city's poorest Bengali families. Sister Teresa learned to speak both Bengali and Hindi fluently as she taught geography and history and dedicated herself to alleviating the girls' poverty through education.

On May 24, 1937, she took her Final Profession of Vows to a life of poverty, chastity and obedience. As was the custom for Loreto nuns, she took on the title of "Mother" upon making her final vows and thus became known as Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa continued to teach at Saint Mary's, and in 1944 she became the school's principal. Through her kindness, generosity and unfailing commitment to her students' education, she sought to lead them to a life of devotion to Christ. "Give me the strength to be ever the light of their lives, so that I may lead them at last to you," she wrote in prayer.

'Call Within a Call'

On September 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced a second calling, the "call within a call" that would forever transform her life. She was riding in a train from Calcutta to the Himalayan foothills for a retreat when she said Christ spoke to her and told her to abandon teaching to work in the slums of Calcutta aiding the city's poorest and sickest people.

Since Mother Teresa had taken a vow of obedience, she could not leave her convent without official permission. After nearly a year and a half of lobbying, in January 1948 she finally received approval to pursue this new calling. That August, donning the blue-and-white sari that she would wear in public for the rest of her life, she left the Loreto convent and wandered out into the city. After six months of basic medical training, she voyaged for the first time into Calcutta's slums with no more specific a goal than to aid "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for."

Missionaries of Charity

Mother Teresa quickly translated her calling into concrete actions to help the city's poor. She began an open-air school and established a home for the dying destitute in a dilapidated building she convinced the city government to donate to her cause. In October 1950, she won canonical recognition for a new congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded with only a handful of members—most of them former teachers or pupils from St. Mary's School.

As the ranks of her congregation swelled and donations poured in from around India and across the globe, the scope of Mother Teresa's charitable activities expanded exponentially. Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, she established a leper colony, an orphanage, a nursing home, a family clinic and a string of mobile health clinics.

In 1971, Mother Teresa traveled to New York City to open her first American-based house of charity, and in the summer of 1982, she secretly went to Beirut, Lebanon, where she crossed between Christian East Beirut and Muslim West Beirut to aid children of both faiths. In 1985, Mother Teresa returned to New York and spoke at the 40th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly. While there, she also opened Gift of Love, a home to care for those infected with HIV/AIDS.

Mother Teresa’s Awards and Recognition

In February 1965, Pope Paul VI bestowed the Decree of Praise upon the Missionaries of Charity, which prompted Mother Teresa to begin expanding internationally. By the time of her death in 1997, the Missionaries of Charity numbered more than 4,000 — in addition to thousands more lay volunteers — with 610 foundations in 123 countries around the world.

The Decree of Praise was just the beginning, as Mother Teresa received various honors for her tireless and effective charity. She was awarded the Jewel of India, the highest honor bestowed on Indian civilians, as well as the now-defunct Soviet Union's Gold Medal of the Soviet Peace Committee. In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work "in bringing help to suffering humanity."

Criticism of Mother Teresa

Despite this widespread praise, Mother Teresa's life and work have not gone without its controversies. In particular, she has drawn criticism for her vocal endorsement of some of the Catholic Church's more controversial doctrines, such as opposition to contraception and abortion. "I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion," Mother Teresa said in her 1979 Nobel lecture.

In 1995, she publicly advocated a "no" vote in the Irish referendum to end the country's constitutional ban on divorce and remarriage. The most scathing criticism of Mother Teresa can be found in Christopher Hitchens' book The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice , in which Hitchens argued that Mother Teresa glorified poverty for her own ends and provided a justification for the preservation of institutions and beliefs that sustained widespread poverty.

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When and How Mother Teresa Died

After several years of deteriorating health, including heart, lung and kidney problems, Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87.

Mother Teresa’s Letters

In 2003, the publication of Mother Teresa’s private correspondence caused a wholesale re-evaluation of her life by revealing the crisis of faith she suffered for most of the last 50 years of her life.

In one despairing letter to a confidant, she wrote, "Where is my Faith—even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness—My God—how painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith—I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart—& make me suffer untold agony." While such revelations are shocking considering her public image, they have also made Mother Teresa a more relatable and human figure to all those who experience doubt in their beliefs.

Mother Teresa’s Miracles and Canonization

In 2002, the Vatican recognized a miracle involving an Indian woman named Monica Besra, who said she was cured of an abdominal tumor through Mother Teresa's intercession on the one-year anniversary of her death in 1998. She was beatified (declared in heaven) as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta" on October 19, 2003, by Pope John Paul II .

On December 17, 2015, Pope Francis issued a decree that recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing the way for her to be canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. The second miracle involved the healing of Marcilio Andrino, a Brazilian man who was diagnosed with a viral brain infection and lapsed into a coma. His wife, family and friends prayed to Mother Teresa, and when the man was brought to the operating room for emergency surgery, he woke up without pain and was cured of his symptoms, according to a statement from the Missionaries of Charity Father.

Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint on September 4, 2016, a day before the 19th anniversary of her death. Pope Francis led the canonization mass, which was held in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Tens of thousands of Catholics and pilgrims from around the world attended the canonization to celebrate the woman who had been called “the saint of the gutters” during her lifetime because of her charitable work with the poor.

“After due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother bishops, we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to be a saint, and we enroll her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole church,” Pope Francis said in Latin.

The Pope spoke about Mother Teresa’s life of service in the homily. ”Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded," he said. "She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity. She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created."

He also told the faithful to follow her example and practice compassion. “Mercy was the salt which gave flavor to her work, it was the light which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering,” he said, adding. "May she be your model of holiness."

Since her death, Mother Teresa has remained in the public spotlight. For her unwavering commitment to aiding those most in need, Mother Teresa stands out as one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century. She combined profound empathy and a fervent commitment to her cause with incredible organizational and managerial skills that allowed her to develop a vast and effective international organization of missionaries to help impoverished citizens all across the globe.

Despite the enormous scale of her charitable activities and the millions of lives she touched, to her dying day, she held only the most humble conception of her own achievements. Summing up her life in characteristically self-effacing fashion, Mother Teresa said, "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus."

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QUICK FACTS

• Name: Teresa
• Birth Year: 1910
• Birth date: August 26, 1910
• Birth City: Skopje
• Birth Country: Macedonia
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Considered one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians, she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.
• Christianity
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Nacionalities
• Macedonian (Macedonia)
• Albanian (Albania)
• Interesting Facts
• On religious pilgrimage at the age of 12, Mother Teresa experienced her calling to devote her life to Christ.
• Through her own letters, Mother Teresa expressed doubt and wrestled with her faith.
• Mother Teresa was canonized after the Vatican verified two people's claims of having experienced miracles through her.
• Death Year: 1997
• Death date: September 5, 1997
• Death City: Calcutta
• Death Country: India

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Mother Teresa Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/religious-figures/mother-teresa
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: February 24, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.
• God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.
• Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet, especially your family.
• Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.
• Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.
• If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.
• Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.
• Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.
• Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other and in the home begins the disruption of peace in the world.
• There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives-the pain the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.
• Like Jesus, we belong to the world not living for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

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The Life and Work of Mother Teresa Essay (Biography)

Vision of the society, contribution to the society, meaning of the historical figure, works cited.

The day when the world becomes free of all its issues will probably never come. However, it does not mean that one should give up all the aspirations to make it a better place. There are numerous examples of people doing small changes every day and changing the lives of others gradually. If every individual has made their responsibility and capability clear, then the task of making the world a better place for everyone would not seem to be impossible. The purpose of this essay is to consider the life and contribution of the most inspiring women of all times, Mother Teresa.

Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa, was born in today’s capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, in August 1910. However, the date of birth of Mother Teresa is still an issue of a robust discussion. Her parents were of Albanian descent, even though, back in 1910, an Albanian state did not exist yet. It was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912 when the Republic of Albania declared its independence. Although Mother Teresa was Albanian, she had not visited Albania until 1989 (Endresen 53). The reason for this was Albanian officials who refused to issue her a visa. Once the Communist regime fell, the problem solved itself. In her early years, Mother Teresa understood that her mission was to spread the love of Jesus Christ. When she was eighteen, she decided to join a Catholic congregation called “the Sisters of Loreto,” which sent missions to India. Having taken a mandatory training in Dublin, Mother Teresa went to India where she finally made her vows as a nun.

In Calcutta, Mother Teresa was teaching at the school from 1931 to 1948. During these years, she noticed that outside the walls of the convent, ordinary poor people were suffering a lot. This observation was an incentive that made Mother Teresa ask for permission from her congregation to devote herself to helping most marginalized people in Calcutta. First, she started an open-air school, but soon other people, who cared about vulnerable residents of Calcutta, joined her. In 1950, Mother Teresa founded her order called The Missionaries of Charity . Fifteen years after, the congregation received a decree of the Pope, which made the work of the order possible in other countries of the world. Overall, she was a well-respected person who committed herself to help less privileged people. She received such awards as the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian endeavors and contribution (Endresen 53).

Mother Teresa turned her entire life into a commitment to serve people and ease the sufferings of the most vulnerable ones. She saw the inequalities, but, compared to most people, she started to make her contribution to improving the lives of people living in misery all around the world. She is one of the few examples of human beings who sacrificed their lives for the common good. Mother Teresa was a person with a clear vision of how society should look like and what kind of experiences all people should be able to have. Her understanding of existing injustices was deep, profound, and non-hypocritical. From the early beginning of her independent activity, she made it clear for all the people working with her, that the conditions of living should be the same for both helpers and people in need of help.

Her vision was also clear in terms of differences between the societies in developed countries and developing ones. Mother Teresa was well aware of what problems were wide-spread in certain communities, so she kept her mind open to new issues and challenges. Her Charity was asked to come to help people in various corners of the world, so it can be argued with certainty that Mother Teresa was a citizen of the world, as she genuinely aspired to help people everywhere.

Due to her inspiring work, many women joined The Missionaries of Charity to serve the poorest of the poor. By the 1990s, there were established representations of the Charity in 123 countries of the world, including former Communist states such as Russia, Albania, etc. (Metaxas 112). She not only overcame the differences between wealthy societies of the Global North and South but also between two political blocks.

Mother Teresa also took up the initiatives on the issues neglected by others, even the government. For example, she opened a leaper asylum in Calcutta when there were more than 30 000 people afflicted with leprosy in Calcutta about whom nobody really cared. The government was not always on her side, so in the case of a leaper asylum, she was forced to evacuate all the patients. However, Mother Teresa wasn’t a person who would easily give up, she started a fundraising campaign, and when she accumulated enough resources, she founded a mobile leprosy clinic. Furthermore, Mother Teresa opened similar houses for people with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. She traveled to conflict-torn areas to rescue children and move them from demolished hospitals.

Mother Teresa was a good leader who skillfully conveyed her ideas to the general public all around the world. Even though she held strong beliefs in Catholicism, as she was a Catholic nun, her view overcame the borders of one religion and appealed to very different people from distant places of the Earth. Charisma was Mother Teresa’s gift from God as she couldn’t but attracted the attention of media from the very start of her career. In 1968, Malcolm Muggeridge decided to interview Mother Teresa for the BBC (Metaxas). Thanks to this interview on BBC, Mother Teresa obtained world fame.

Despite all the praising words about Mother Teresa, she received a lot of criticism during and after her lifetime. For example, even though the Catholic church recognized Mother Teresa as a saint, not every Catholic agreed with the decision. Some people believe that she had not done enough for the church as she didn’t try to convert people (Donohue). There is also an idea that such famous examples as Mother Teresa may discourage ordinary people from making their contribution in any form of charity (Morin et al.). However, considering Mother Teresa’s Charity from a humanitarian point of view, one can argue that human interests and life matter more than the benefits of any particular religion.

The work of mother Teresa has been inspiring for people all around the world. She is a classic example of a person who devoted her life to helping people in need. Mother Teresa contributed to the elevation of many people’s miseries daily. However, her way of life is not free of criticism, as there are many aspects in her work which could have been improved. What is clear in spite of all these ambiguities surrounding Mother Teresa’s figure is that her example will continue living on and encouraging people of the world to do better for themselves and people around them.

Donohue, Bill. Unmasking Mother Teresa’s Critics . Sophia Institute Press, 2016.

Endresen, Cecilie. “The Nation and the Nun: Mother Teresa, Albania’s Muslim Majority and the Secular State.” Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations , vol. 26, no. 1, 2015, pp. 53–74.

Metaxas, Eric. Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness . Thomas Nelson, 2015.

Morin, Amanda L., et al. “The Mother Teresa Effect: Counterproductive Effects of Touching an Altruist’s Possessions on Charitable Giving.” Current Psychology , vol. 34, no. 4, 2015, pp. 693-701.

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Bibliography

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Essay on Mother Teresa for Students and Children

500+ words essay on mother teresa.

Essay on Mother Teresa: There are many humanitarian in the history of the world. Out of the blue, Mother Teresa stood in that crowd of people. She is a lady of great caliber who spends her whole life serving the poor and needy people. Although she was not an Indian still she came to India to help its people. Above all, in this essay on Mother Teresa, we are going to discuss the various aspects of her life.

Mother Teresa was not his actual name but after becoming a nun she received this name from the church after the name of St. Teresa. By birth, she was a Christian and a great believer of God. And due to this reason, she chooses to become a Nun.

The Beginning of Mother Teresa’s Journey

Since she was born in a Catholic Christian family she was a great believer of God and humanity. Although she spends most of her life in the church she never imagines herself to be a nun one day. When she visited Kolkata (Calcutta), India after completing her work in Dublin her life completely changed. For 15 consecutive years, she enjoyed teaching children.

Along with, teaching school children she worked hard to teach the poor kids of that area. She started her journey of humanity by opening an open-air school where she started teaching poor children. For years she worked alone without any funds but still continues to teach students.

Her Missionary

For doing this great work of teaching poor and helping needy people she wants a permanent place. This place will serve as her headquarters and a place where poor and homeless can take shelter.

So, with the help of the church and the people, she established a missionary where poor and homeless can live and die in peace. Later on, she manages to open several schools, homes, dispensaries, and hospitals through her NGO both in India and overseas countries.

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Death of Mother Teresa and Memorial

She was an angel of hope for the people but death spares no one. And this gem died serving people in Kolkata (Calcutta). Also, on her death the whole nation shred tears in her memory. With her death the poor, needy, homeless, and weak again become orphans.

Many memorials were made in her honor by the Indian people. Apart from that, foreign countries also make several memorials to give tribute to her.

In conclusion, we can say that in the beginning, it was a difficult task for her to manage and teach poor children. But, she manages those hardships delicately. In the beginning, of her journey, she uses to teach poor kids using a stick by writing on the ground. But after years of struggle, she finally manages to arrange the necessary things for teaching with the help of volunteers and some teachers.

Later on, she established a dispensary for poor people to die in peace. Due to her good deeds, she earns great respect in the heart of Indians.

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Biography Online

Biography Mother Teresa

“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”

– Mother Teresa. From: No Greater Love

Short Biography of Mother Teresa

On her arrival in India, she began by working as a teacher; however, the widespread poverty of Calcutta made a deep impression on her, and this led to her starting a new order called “The Missionaries of Charity”. The primary objective of this mission was to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to look after. Mother Teresa felt that serving others was a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus Christ. She often mentioned the saying of Jesus,

“Whatever you do to the least of my brethren, you do it to me.”

As Mother Teresa said herself:

“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service .” – Mother Teresa

In 1952, she opened her first home for the dying, which allowed people to die with dignity. Mother Teresa often spent time with those who were dying. Some have criticised the lack of proper medical attention, and their refusal to give painkillers. Others say that it afforded many neglected people the opportunity to die knowing that someone cared.

Her work spread around the world. By 2013, there were 700 missions operating in over 130 countries. The scope of their work also expanded to include orphanages and hospices for those with terminal illnesses.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

—- Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa never sought to convert those of another faith. Those in her hospices were given the religious rites appropriate to their faith. However, she had a very firm Catholic faith and took a strict line on abortion, the death penalty and divorce – even if her position was unpopular. Her whole life was influenced by her faith and religion, even though at times she confessed she didn’t feel the presence of God.

The Missionaries of Charity now has branches throughout the world including branches in the developed world where they work with the homeless and people affected by AIDS. In 1965, the organisation became an International Religious Family by a decree of Pope Paul VI.

In the 1960s, the life of Mother Teresa was brought to a wider public attention by Malcolm Muggeridge who wrote a book and produced a documentary called “ Something Beautiful for God ”.

In later years, she was more active in western developed countries. She commented that though the West was materially prosperous, there was often a spiritual poverty.

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

-— Mother Teresa

When she was asked how to promote world peace, she replied,”Go home and love your family”.

Over the last two decades of her life, Mother Teresa suffered various health problems, but nothing could dissuade her from fulfilling her mission of serving the poor and needy. Until her very last illness she was active in travelling around the world to the different branches of The Missionaries of Charity. During her last few years, she met Princess Diana in the Bronx, New York. The two died within a week of each other.

Following Mother Teresa’s death, the Vatican began the process of beatification, which is the second step on the way to canonization and sainthood. Mother Teresa was formally beatified in October 2003 by Pope John Paul II . In September 2015, Pope Francis declared:

“Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded,” “She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity. She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created.”

Mother Teresa was a living saint who offered a great example and inspiration to the world.

Awards given to Mother Teresa

• The first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. (1971)
• Kennedy Prize (1971)
• The Nehru Prize –“for the promotion of international peace and understanding”(1972)
• Albert Schweitzer International Prize (1975),
• The Nobel Peace Prize (1979)
• States Presidential Medal of Freedom (1985)
• Congressional Gold Medal (1994)
• U Thant Peace Award 1994
• Honorary citizenship of the United States (November 16, 1996),

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Mother Teresa ”, Oxford, UK.  www.biographyonline.net , 18th May 2006. (Updated September 2016)

Mother Teresa Biography

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Mother Teresa Essay

500+ words essay on mother teresa.

Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, famously known as Mother Teresa, was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje, which is in Macedonia now. Her father was Nikola Bojaxhiu, who was a simple businessman. When she was only eight years old, her father passed away. After that, all the responsibility of the family came onto her mother, Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Mother Teresa was the youngest child among her siblings. She was a beautiful, hardworking girl who was fond of singing. When she was 12, she realised that she would like to dedicate her life to serving people. When she was 18, she decided to join the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. Then she went to Ireland, where she learned English. She came to Calcutta from Ireland on 6th January 1929. This essay on Mother Teresa will help students to know about her life journey. They will get to know the contribution made by Mother Teresa to the welfare of society. Moreover, the Mother Teresa Essay helps students know the social work done by her and the different prizes with which her novel work was rewarded.

Mother Teresa was a disciplined teacher, and students used to love her a lot. She was deeply involved in teaching. But the suffering and poverty around her made her impatient. In 1943, many people died in Calcutta because of starvation. In 1947, due to Hindu-Muslim riots, the situation in the city of Calcutta worsened. In 1946, she decided to serve the helpless and the poorest people in Calcutta throughout the rest of her life. After this, she completed the requisite nursing training at the Holy Family Hospital in Pune. In 1948, she came back to Calcutta and from there, for the first time, she went to Taltala. At Taltala, she took care of patients and helpless people. Gradually, she attracted people through her selfless work. The Prime Minister of India also recognised her work.

Initially, Mother Teresa found her work very tough. She had already left Loreto, so she did not have money; she had to get help from others for her bread and butter. On 7th October 1950, she got permission from the Vatican to open Missionaries of Charity. The purpose of these institutes is to help people who do not have any place in society. Mother Teresa opened an ashram named Nirmal Hriday and Nirmala Shishu Bhavan. The purpose of Nirmal Hriday was to help patients and the poor who had been boycotted from society. The purpose of Nirmala Shishu Bhawan was to help orphans and homeless children. She was awarded “Padma Shri” in 1962 and the highest civilian award, “Bharat Ratna”, in 1980 by the Government of India.

Mother Teresa’s work has been recognised throughout the world. She has been recognised and awarded many prizes for her work internationally. The United States of America awarded her the Medal of Freedom in 1985. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping the poor and helpless. Mother Teresa decided to use the prize money of one lakh and ninety-two thousand US dollars to help the poor and helpless people in India. She was awarded the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971 and the Nehru Prize for promoting peace and understanding in 1972. She suffered from heart and kidney problems for many years. In 1997, when her condition worsened, she resigned from the post of Chief of Missionaries of Charity. She died on 5th September 1997 in Calcutta.

We hope this Mother Teresa essay must have helped students in boosting their essay-writing skills. For more essays on different topics, such as Republic Day Essay , study material, and the latest updates, keep visiting BYJU’S.

Frequently Asked Questions on Mother Teresa Essay

How did mother teresa change the world.

Mother Teresa changed the world through her various humanitarian efforts and showed everyone the true meaning of charity.

How did Mother Teresa contribute to society?

Mother Teresa dedicated her life to the service of mankind, and she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation, to help the poor and sick people.

Why is it necessary for young children to know about charity?

Providing service to the underprivileged section of people and helping the needy and poverty-stricken community is one of the most important qualities which children should imbibe. These practices help our country to become a better place to live in.

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• Mother Teresa Essay

Essay on Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa is one of the greatest humanitarians the world has ever produced. Her entire life was devoted to serving the poor and needy people. Despite being a non-Indian she had spent almost her whole life helping the people of India. Mother Teresa received her name from the church after the name of St. Teresa. She was a Christian by birth and a spiritual lady. She was a nun by choice. She was undoubtedly a saintly lady with oodles of kindness and compassion in her.  

Mother Teresa is not just an inspiration for millions but also for the generations to come. Students must know about this kind soul who devoted her entire life to the well being of others. Therefore, Vedantu has provided the students with an essay on her which will help the students to learn about her life while also learning essential essay writing skills.

She was a deeply pious lady and a Catholic Christian. Her real name was Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was born in 1910 in Skopje, the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia. She spent a major part of her early life in the church. But in the beginning, she did not think about becoming a nun. Mother Teresa came to Kolkata (Calcutta), India after finishing her work in Dublin. She got the new name of Teresa. Her motherly instincts fetched her beloved name Mother Teresa, by which the whole world knows her. When in Kolkata, she used to be a teacher at a school. It is here from where her life went through vigorous changes and eventually she was bestowed with the title “Saint of Our Times”. 

Work of Mother Teresa

She gave education to the poor kids of her area along with her teaching profession. She began her era of humanity by opening an open-air school where she gave education to poor children. Her journey started without any aid from anyone.

Some days later she started to teach the poor kids and help them regularly. For this purpose, she required a permanent place. The place would be regarded as her headquarters and a place of shelter for the poor and homeless people. 

Mother Teresa had built up Missionaries of Charity where poor and homeless people could spend their entire lives with the help of the church and people. Later on, numerous schools, homes, dispensaries and hospitals were established by her both in and outside of India with the help of the people and the then government.

Death of Mother Teresa

For the people of India and across the borders she was an angel of hope. But the ultimate fate of a human being spares no one. She breathed her last serving people in Kolkata (Calcutta). She made the entire nation cry in her memory. After her death, many poor, needy, homeless and weak people lost their ‘mother’ for the second time. Several memorials were made in her name both in and outside the country.

The death of Mother Teresa was the end of an era. In the starting days of her work, it was quite a difficult task for her to manage and give education to poor children. But she managed those tough missions delicately. She used to teach poor children with the help of a stick by writing on the ground. But after several years of struggle, she ultimately managed to organize proper equipment for teaching with the help of volunteers and a few teachers. In the later part of her life, she built up a dispensary for poor and needy people for treatment. She acquires great respect from the people of India because of her good deeds. Mother Teresa will be remembered by all the Indians. 

Did You Know These Facts About Mother Teresa?

Mother Teresa was born in North Macedonia city on 26 August 1910. Her parents were Nikolle and Dranafile Bojaxhiu.

She had two sisters and was the youngest of three girls to her parents. After Mother Teresa left to join the Sisters of Loreto, she never visited her mother or sisters again.

Mother Teresa used to say that she felt drawn to being a Roman Catholic Nun since the age of 12 years. Even as a child, she loved the stories of missionaries who traveled the world to spread Catholicism. 

Her real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. However, she chose the name Mother Teresa after she spent time in Ireland at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mother Teresa knew five languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Albanian and Serbian. This is why she was able to communicate with many people from different parts of the world.

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian services to charity and the poor. However, she donated all the money to the poor of Kolkata and in charity.

Before starting with charitable work she was a Headmistress at the Loreto-Convent School in Kolkata where she worked as a teacher for almost 20 years and left the school as she became more concerned about the poverty surrounding the school.

Mother Teresa spent most of her time for the welfare of the poor and the unwell in India. Focusing on helping the people who lived in the slums of Kolkata. 

She focused a lot on helping children who were poor and unwell for which she also started street schools and orphanages to support them in Kolkata.

Mother Teresa started her organization in 1950 by the name of Missionaries of Charity.  The organizations still care for the poor and sick to this day. Also, there are many branches of the organization in different parts of the world.  

Mother Teresa spoke at the Vatican and at the UN which is an opportunity that only a few chosen influential people receive.

Mother Teresa had a state funeral in India, which is only given to a few important people by the government out of respect.

 She was made a Saint by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church in 2015. Also known as canonization and she is now known as St Teresa of Calcutta in the Catholic Church. 

Many roads and buildings are named after her during her lifetime and even after her death. As Albania’s (Modern name for the country Mother Teresa was born in) international airport is named after her as Mother Teresa international airport.

FAQs on Mother Teresa Essay

1. How did Mother Teresa advocate for the social justice held towards the poor and derived?

Mother Teresa during her lifetime tried bringing God's kingdom by ensuring that everyone was loved and taken great care for. She had her beliefs on inequality - no matter what the age, color or gender is, everyone should be treated equally by all. She spent her life as Jesus would live: To treat everyone as they would want to be treated. Mother Teresa helped the people by providing shelter for them, aiding the unwell, and much more to bring them peace.

2. Why should we learn about Mother Teresa as students?

The students must learn about Mother Teresa as she was the true inspiration of living your life based on your values. She had this belief that the conditions must never deter anyone from his/her personal goals and mission. She taught us that when we live our lives based on positive, time-honored and life-giving values of integrity, charity and compassion, we are blessed with energy and fulfillment that helps us stay positive and empathetic in life. So, students too must learn these values to become better individuals.

3. What are the biggest lessons that Mother Teresa teaches us?

Mother Teresa teaches us some of the greatest lessons of life including the one which says that everyone has a role and a different purpose to live. We all must strive to be the best at what we are gifted, and that should make something beautiful for God. She thought that the greatest poverty is that of being unloved, which is experienced by both the materially rich and the poor who know and experience it.  She truly believed that everyone deserved to be loved.

4. Why is Mother Teresa an inspiration for all?

Mother Teresa is an inspiration in herself as she served people from the schools and orphanages to the people and families she individually had an impact on, she was humble and compassionate, and persevering through the trials of her life. As a Catholic teenager, her life was complicated as one only prepared to be truly committed to the church and God through Confirmation. Even then the simplicity, empathy, and courage that she led her life with inspired billions of people across the globe. The students can learn more about her and other topics on Vedantu’s website for free.

5. How did Mother Teresa demonstrate courage as a strength?

Mother Teresa was a woman of courage as she displayed the strength to help the poor through the tough times in their lives at a time when people didn’t ever do these actions in their dreams also. Her courage is also reflected through her devotion to helping others and the mission to give them a better outlook towards life. She became a nun at an early age and devoted her entire life to the service of the people which shows her incredible strength and courage, this should also be learned by the people of the new age to help serve humanity in the best possible way.

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Essay on Mother Teresa: Samples in 200, 300, 400 Words

• Updated on  
• Oct 7, 2023

Mother Teresa was a missionary and catholic nun. She is renowned for her charity endeavours and for aiding India’s hungry, sick, and impoverished citizens. She laid the foundation of the Missionaries of Charity, which worked for the welfare of nuns and other catholic people. Not only that, in 2016 the Catholic Church declared her a Saint. In this blog, you will go through several essays on Mother Teresa , and how she revolutionised the world with her ideals. 

This Blog Includes:

Who was mother teresa, essay on mother teresa in 200 words, essay on mother teresa in 300 words, essay on mother teresa in 400 words.

Mother Teresa was one of the greatest humanitarians in the world. She spent her entire life helping the needy and impoverished. Despite not being Indian, she spent her whole life assisting impoverished Indian people. 

Mother Teresa’s name was given to her by the church in honour of St. Teresa. She was a devout Christian woman who chose to become a nun. She was unquestionably a saintly woman who possessed an abundance of warmth and compassion. 

She not only inspired millions of people but also worked for future generations. Her story is a testament to the profound impact one individual can have on the world through acts of kindness, love, and service to others.

Mother Teresa, who was also known by the name of Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born in 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. She was a perfect example of generosity and selfless service. She devoted her entire life to supporting the impoverished residents of Calcutta, India. Due to this, her efforts can never be forgotten. 

Mother Teresa travelled to India on her way to becoming a nun. Upon reaching, she saw the country’s terrible poverty and misery. Looking at all of this, she became so inspired that she decided to devote her entire life to aiding people in need. 

In her journey of helping the impoverished, she laid the foundation of the Missionaries of Charity 

In 1950. The congregation’s primary mission was to provide love, care, and support to the destitute, the sick, and the dying, particularly those abandoned by society. She even founded orphanages, hospices, and hospitals for the mentally-sick patients 

Mother Teresa felt that everyone deserves respect and dignity, regardless of how oppressed they may be. Eventually, Mother Teresa’s efforts paid off and she received various honours. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. 

Mother Teresa didn’t stop. She continued working till her last breath, which was in 1997. The Missionaries of Charity as well as the numerous lives she impacted continue to carry on her legacy.

Today, Mother Teresa is known for the love, and compassion she had for the underprivileged and the sacrifices she made in improving their lives. There are many individuals around the world who have gotten inspired by her act and have chosen the path of improving the lives of others. 

Mother Teresa will always be regarded as a person who devoted her life to helping society’s most abandoned and marginalised sections of the society.

Also Read: Essay On Subhash Chandra Bose for Students

Mother Teresa started her journey of helping others at a very young age. She joined the Sisters of Loreto at the age of 18. After that, she spent nearly two decades in India where she taught students at St. Mary’s High School in Kolkata. She experienced an inside calling which brought her to Kolkata’s slums to help the poor and the dying.

Later on, she established the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 which was aimed at aiding the impoverished and people in need. They provided treatment for people with leprosy, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other ailments as their work quickly grew. The Missionaries of Charity soon came to be known as a place where many people found their hope. 

One of her most notable achievements was the establishment of the Home for the Dying in Calcutta, a place where individuals suffering from terminal illnesses could find comfort and companionship in their final moments. The hospice provided a stark contrast to the streets where these people often died alone and ignored.

Mother Teresa’s dedication to sustaining the dignity of every person was one of her most admirable traits. One of her famous quotes is, “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” Her work included showing compassion, attention and physical treatment to those whom society had abandoned.

She won multiple honours for her efforts to end human suffering, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She advocated for the neglected and marginalised using recognition as a platform. 

Mother Teresa passed away on 5th September 1997, leaving behind a legacy of love and service that continues to motivate people all around the world. The Missionaries of Charity continue their work in over 130 countries, providing care and support to the marginalized and suffering. Mother Teresa’s life and example remind us that compassion knows no boundaries and that each of us has the power to make a difference in the world.

Also Read: Speech on Corruption

Mother Teresa who is known as a  well-known humanitarian was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje. Her commitment to aiding the underprivileged and downtrodden throughout her life has left a lasting impression on the world.

Mother Teresa had a strong sense of providing service to others and a deep sense of faith from a young age. Upon reaching Kolkata (then Calcutta) she was extremely moved as she saw the extreme destitution, pain, and death on the streets of Kolkata.

Mother Teresa started a religious order called the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 with the goal of helping the poor. The organisation concentrated on providing care for individuals that society had rejected, the orphaned, and the poor. 

The Missionaries of Charity created hospitals, orphanages, and houses for the needy, and their mission swiftly expanded outside of India.

Mother Teresa’s work was not easy. The conditions of the streets were shabby and the poor she sought to help had no way out of their situations. Which, she took it upon herself to provide those in need to find a path forward. 

Mother Teresa was soon paid off for all the efforts that she had put into society. She was soon honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize. All over the Mother Teresa is known for the kind of humane person she was. 

She is known for her selfless attitude towards the needy and helpless people. It is amazing how she dedicated her entire life to helping society and making a change, both in the world and in the minds of the people. 

It is said that Mother Teresa received a call from God to help the poor people while at the same time living amongst them. 

To end with, Mother Teresa once said, “ “If I ever become a Saint–I will surely be one of ‘darkness. ‘ I will continually be absent from Heaven–to light the light of those in darkness on earth.”

We can only honour her by building houses after Mother Teresa and honour the compassion and selfless love she imparted to those most in need throughout her life.

Finally, Mother Teresa’s life and work serve as a shining example of kindness and sacrifice. Her commitment to aiding the needy and the underprivileged serves as a timeless illustration of the wonderful influence one person can have on the world. 

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Mother Teresa, often known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Indian Roman Catholic missionary and nun who was born in Albania and dedicated her life to serving the poorest members of society. In 1950, she established the Missionaries of Charity in India, where she served the dying, ailing, and orphaned for more than 45 years.

Through her compassion and care for so many sick and impoverished people, Mother Teresa had an impact on others. Their lives were improved by her. Her greatest impact, however, was on the millions of individuals, particularly young people, who were motivated to serve the underprivileged by her life.

Here are some interesting facts about Mother Teresa: She was born in Skopje, Macedonia. She became a nun at the age of 18; She lived and worked in India for almost two decades; She was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for Peace; and She had great organizational skills along with her compassion and love for humanity.

We hope this essay on Mother Teresa gave you insights about her lifelong journey and how she inspired millions of people to help people in need. For more information related to such interesting topics, visit our essay-writing page and make sure to follow Leverage Edu . 

Malvika Chawla

Malvika is a content writer cum news freak who comes with a strong background in Journalism and has worked with renowned news websites such as News 9 and The Financial Express to name a few. When not writing, she can be found bringing life to the canvasses by painting on them.

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Essay on Mother Theresa

Mother Teresa, born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, was a beacon of love, compassion, and unwavering dedication to the service of humanity. Her life’s work, rooted in the depths of kindness and tireless service to the poorest of the poor, has left an indelible mark on the world. This essay delves into the life, achievements, and legacy of Mother Teresa, offering insights into the profound impact of her humanitarian efforts.

Early Life and Calling

From a young age, Anjezë was imbued with a deep sense of religious fervor and commitment to charity, influenced by her mother’s devout Catholic faith and acts of kindness towards the less fortunate. At the age of 18, moved by a calling to serve God and humanity, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, never to see her family again. She was sent to India, where she took her formal religious vows in 1937 and became known as Sister Mary Teresa, after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

Service in Calcutta

While teaching at Saint Mary’s High School in Calcutta, Mother Teresa was confronted with the dire poverty and suffering that lay just outside the convent walls. The Bengal famine of 1943 and the Hindu/Muslim violence in 1946 further exposed her to the depth of human suffering. In 1948, after receiving a “call within a call,” she left the convent to live among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, providing them with basic healthcare and education. This marked the beginning of the Missionaries of Charity, officially established in 1950, with a mission to care for “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society.”

Expansion of Her Work

Mother Teresa’s unwavering commitment to her cause saw the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion beyond India to other countries, providing support to refugees, the blind, disabled, aged, alcoholics, the poor and homeless, and victims of natural disasters through soup kitchens, orphanages, schools, and leper colonies. Her approach was not to convert but to serve all regardless of their religion, stating, “I love all religions, but I am in love with my own.”

Recognition and Criticism

Her work earned her numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, which she accepted “in the name of the poor, the hungry, the sick and the lonely,” emphasizing her message of love and compassion. Despite widespread admiration, Mother Teresa was not without her critics, who questioned the medical care in her missions, her views on abortion and contraception, and the sources of some of the Missionaries of Charity’s funding. Yet, she remained undeterred, focused on her mission of love and service.

Legacy and Canonization

Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997, leaving behind a vast legacy of compassion and unwavering dedication to the service of humanity. Her life and work have inspired millions around the globe to acts of charity and kindness. In recognition of her contributions, she was beatified as “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” by Pope John Paul II in 2003 and canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016.

Impact on Society

Mother Teresa’s impact on society extends far beyond the establishment of the Missionaries of Charity. She brought global attention to the plight of the poor and destitute, changing the way the world views charity and compassion. Her belief that “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love” has motivated countless individuals to contribute positively to society, proving that the actions of a single person can indeed make a world of difference.

Mother Teresa, an iconic figure in the world of humanitarianism and a symbol of selfless compassion, had a profound impact on society. Her unwavering dedication to serving the poorest of the poor and her commitment to the principles of love, kindness, and empathy left an indelible mark on both individuals and the broader global community. Here are some of the key ways in which Mother Teresa’s impact on society can be recognized:

• Mother Teresa’s most significant contribution was through her establishment of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950. This organization provided shelter, medical care, and love to the homeless, destitute, and dying, especially those affected by leprosy and tuberculosis.
• Mother Teresa’s life and work served as an inspiration to countless individuals around the world. Her unwavering dedication to the poorest of the poor inspired many to take up similar acts of kindness and service.
• Mother Teresa tirelessly advocated for the marginalized and downtrodden, using her global platform to draw attention to issues of poverty, hunger, and lack of healthcare. She spoke out against injustice and inequality.
• Mother Teresa’s work transcended religious boundaries. She believed in the importance of interfaith dialogue and worked alongside individuals from various religions to promote peace and understanding.
• Through her hospices and care centers, Mother Teresa provided a dignified and compassionate environment for those who were terminally ill, allowing them to pass away with love and care.
• Mother Teresa’s contributions to society were globally recognized. She received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, for her outstanding dedication to humanitarian work.
• Mother Teresa’s life exemplified the value of selflessness and giving. Her actions encouraged people to be more charitable and compassionate, fostering a culture of generosity and kindness.
• The Missionaries of Charity expanded its reach to many countries, operating homes, orphanages, and centers for those in need worldwide. This global presence ensured that her impact extended far beyond India.
• In addition to providing direct care, Mother Teresa also initiated educational programs for the underprivileged, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and empowerment.
• Mother Teresa’s legacy continues through her canonization as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the Catholic Church in 2016. Her life story and teachings continue to inspire people of faith and goodwill.
• By living in the slums of Calcutta and witnessing firsthand the suffering of the poor, Mother Teresa challenged society’s conscience to confront issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice.
• Perhaps her greatest impact was as a living testament to the transformative power of love. Mother Teresa demonstrated that even in the face of immense suffering, a single individual armed with love and compassion could make a profound difference in the world.

Philosophy and Teachings

At the core of Mother Teresa’s philosophy was a profound respect for all human life and a relentless drive to serve others. She taught that the greatest disease was not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. Her teachings emphasized love, peace, and the joy found in serving others, principles that continue to inspire humanitarian efforts worldwide.

Challenges and Perseverance

Throughout her life, Mother Teresa faced numerous challenges, from the logistical difficulties of establishing and running the Missionaries of Charity to the emotional toll of working with the severely ill and dying. Yet, her faith and determination never wavered. She persevered through these challenges, driven by her unwavering belief in her mission and the support of those who shared her vision.

In conclusion, Mother Teresa’s life was a remarkable journey of devotion, compassion, and tireless service to the most marginalized and forgotten individuals of society. Her legacy is a testament to the power of unconditional love and the impact it can have on the world. As we reflect on her contributions, we are reminded of the capacity each of us has to make a difference in the lives of others. Mother Teresa’s story encourages us to look beyond our differences and work together towards a world where everyone is valued and cared for. In an era of unprecedented challenges, her life and teachings remain a beacon of hope and a call to action for all humanity to embrace kindness, compassion, and service in our daily lives.

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Biography Of Mother Teresa

• Category History
• Subcategory Contemporary History
• Topic Mother Teresa

Good morning/ afternoon I will be talking about Mother Teresa, whether she was more priestly, prophetic or kingly and what her work. Mother Teresa real name is Anjeze Gonthe Bojaxhau. The main thing that Mother Teresa was known for was that she was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor.

Mother Teresa vocation, blessed Teresa of Calcutta was a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary of Albanian origin why lived most her life in India. Mother Teresa founder the missionaries of charity, a Roman Catholic religious catholic congregation, which currently consists of over 4500 sister and is active in over 133 countries. It was at the age of 12 that mother Teresa first felt called to religious life. 6 years later, in 1982 at 18 she decided to become a nun and set off for Ireland to join the Loreto sisters of Dublin mother Teresa quickly translated this somewhat vague calling into concrete actions to help the city’s poor. Since mother Teresa had taken a vow of obedience she could not leave her convent without official permission. That August, donning the blue- and white sari that she would wear in public for the rest of her life she left the torreto convent and wondered out into the city.

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“If I cannot speak, he will speak. If I cannot pray.” One of Mother Teresa’s most recognized progress come to know us her “business card” the fruit of silence is prayer, is faith the, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace.

She changed her name to Teresa when she was appointed to be a nun. The poor and needy started to call her mother due to her works. Numerous amounts of people look up to mother Teresa as someone that could change the world and she did she changed the way people look life and god.

The true lesson of Mother Teresa is to live your life on your values anyway. Conditions should never deter one from his or her personal goals and mission. When we live our life based on positive, time-honoured and life giving values like integrity, charity and compassion, we will be blessed with energy and fulfilment. Thrown into the impoverished, unsanitary god dangerous conditions of the streets of Calcutta, mother Teresa never allowed the conditions of the squalor on the streets affect her value of charity, whether or not she felt like doing so. Nun and missionary Mother Teresa, known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. Born in Macedonia to parents of Albanian-descent and having taught in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced her ‘call within a call’ in 1946.

You could try your best to support homeless people and treat everyone as equal as everyone else because we all live here and we want to live so help each other’s out. This would reflect on her values because when she is in Calcutta she wanted to help more people on the streets so she started to by place to let people die under a roof so that they dint have to die on the streets 

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500+ Words Essay on Mother Teresa in English For Students

Mother Teresa was a kind human being who spent her whole life helping the poorest people in the world. She was born in 1910 in Macedonia and grew up wanting to become a nun. At 18 years old, she joined a group of nuns in Ireland who did missionary work. In 1946, Mother Teresa felt God was calling her to help the very poorest people living in the slums of Calcutta, India. She was brave and left the safety of the convent to live among the sick, hungry and homeless on the streets.

Mother Teresa saw that these poor people were suffering terribly with no one to take care of them. So in 1950, she started her group called the Missionaries of Charity. She and a few other nuns went out into the slums every day to find people in need. They built shelters and homes to house the poor, sick, hungry and dying. Mother Teresa’s loving kindness and compassion touched the lives of countless people across the globe. She treated every person, no matter how poor, with respect and love. Her simple acts of charity like offering food, shelter and comfort made a huge difference. The inspiring life of Mother Teresa shows us all the importance of serving others, especially those most in need. Her selfless work to care for “the poorest of the poor” changed the world. In this article, we will explore the life of Mother Teresa.

10 Lines on Mother Teresa

Here are 10 lines that can help you write an Essay on Mother Teresa:

• Mother Teresa, born in 1910 in Skopje, North Macedonia, devoted her life to serving the poor.
• She joined the Sisters of Loreto at the age of 18 and moved to India, where she taught at a school in Calcutta.
• Witnessing the poverty and suffering around her, Mother Teresa felt compelled to leave the convent and work directly with the poor.
• In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor.
• Mother Teresa’s work included establishing hospices, orphanages, and centers for those with leprosy and HIV/AIDS.
• She received numerous awards for her humanitarian work, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
• Despite facing criticism and challenges, Mother Teresa remained steadfast in her commitment to helping those in need.
• Her simple lifestyle and unwavering dedication to serving others inspired people of all backgrounds around the world.
• Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997, but her legacy of love and compassion continues to inspire millions.
• Today, Mother Teresa is remembered as a symbol of selflessness and kindness, and her impact on humanity remains profound.

500+ Word Essay on Mother Teresa

Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia, she devoted her life to caring for the poorest of the poor, and her unwavering commitment to alleviating suffering has left an indelible mark on the world. At the tender age of 18, Agnes felt a profound calling to serve God and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns dedicated to missionary work. Little did she know that this decision would pave the way for a life of extraordinary sacrifice and unwavering devotion to the destitute and marginalized.

In 1946, while travelling by train to Darjeeling, Mother Teresa received what she described as a “call within a call.” It was a pivotal moment that would change the course of her life and the lives of countless others. She felt compelled to leave the safety and comfort of the convent and venture into the slums of Calcutta to serve the poorest of the poor. Armed with nothing but faith and an unwavering determination to serve, Mother Teresa embarked on a mission that would challenge the very foundations of human compassion. She witnessed firsthand the abject poverty, disease, and despair that plagued the streets of Calcutta, but instead of turning away, she embraced those in need with open arms.

In 1950, Mother Teresa established the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation dedicated to serving the “poorest of the poor.” With a handful of Sisters and a few rupees in their pockets, they set out to provide shelter, food, and medical care to those living in the direst of circumstances. Their work quickly gained attention, and their ranks swelled as more people were drawn to Mother Teresa’s unwavering commitment to service.

Mother Teresa’s approach to serving the poor was rooted in a profound respect for human dignity. She recognized the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their circumstances, and treated each person with the utmost compassion and reverence. Her gentle touch, warm smile, and loving words offered solace and comfort to those who had long been forgotten by society.

Throughout her life, Mother Teresa’s mission extended far beyond the slums of Calcutta. She established homes, orphanages, and hospices around the world, providing care and solace to those in need. Her unwavering commitment to serving the poorest of the poor inspired countless individuals to follow in her footsteps, and her legacy continues to inspire generations of humanitarian workers and volunteers.

Mother Teresa’s impact on the world extended beyond her physical acts of service. Her life and teachings served as a powerful reminder of the transformative power of love, compassion, and selflessness. She challenged the world to look beyond the superficial trappings of wealth and status and to embrace the inherent value of every human being. In her own words, Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” This sentiment encapsulated her approach to service, which was rooted in the belief that even the smallest acts of kindness could have a profound impact on the lives of others.

Mother Teresa’s unwavering faith and devotion to her calling were a source of inspiration to people of all faiths and backgrounds. She embodied the universal principles of love, compassion, and service, transcending religious and cultural boundaries to touch the hearts and souls of people around the world. In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to humanity, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In her acceptance speech, she said, “The poor are great people, people of faith, dignity, and love. They have something to offer, the richness of their poverty.” These words underscored her profound respect for the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their circumstances.

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Essay on Mother Teresa- FAQs

Who was mother teresa.

Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was a nun and missionary known for her charitable work among the poor and sick in Calcutta, India.

What inspired Mother Teresa to dedicate her life to helping others?

Mother Teresa was deeply inspired by her faith and felt a calling from God to serve the poorest of the poor and those suffering from illness and poverty.

What did Mother Teresa do to help the less fortunate?

Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, an organization that provided food, shelter, medical care, and love to the homeless, sick, and dying in Calcutta and other parts of the world.

What are some of Mother Teresa’s notable achievements?

Mother Teresa received numerous awards for her humanitarian work, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She also established hospices, orphanages, and centers for the blind and disabled.

How did Mother Teresa’s work impact the world?

Mother Teresa’s selfless devotion to helping others inspired people worldwide to embrace compassion and serve those in need, regardless of their religious beliefs or backgrounds.

What challenges did Mother Teresa face during her lifetime?

Mother Teresa faced criticism and skepticism from some quarters, but she remained steadfast in her commitment to serving the poor and marginalized.

How can we honor Mother Teresa’s legacy today?

We can honor Mother Teresa’s legacy by continuing her work of compassion and service, reaching out to those in need in our communities and beyond, and striving to make the world a better place for all.

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Mother Teresa: A Life of Service and Sacrifice Essay for School Student

Mother Teresa : Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was the real name of Mother Teresa. She was born in Yugoslavia on 27th August 1910. At the age of 18, she came to India to teach in Loreto convents in Kolkata.

Mother Teresa started missionaries of charity in 1950. She believed that lack of love and charity was the biggest problem which has led to the poor conditions of people. She started her mission of caring and serving poorly. She became a great social worker.

Essay Mother Teresa: Her Legacy Lives On

She started serving the poor people by giving clothes and food to them. Soon, many homes for the poor like ‘Nirmal Shishu Bhawan, Nirmal Hriday’ and many other schools and hospitals were opened all over the country and abroad. These number of these homes have now reached to 755 which runs in 125 countries. These missionary homes provide selfless help to the poor, teaching the slums, tending to the terminally sick and for the mentally sick. She opened schools, dispensaries, and a special clinic for the TB patients.

Mother Teresa persuaded the citizens of Kolkata that leprosy was not contagious. In fact, she helped the leprosy patients to build a colony of their own in Kolkata. She also rescued many children who were dumped by their parents due to poverty. She was a mother to them. She was a real saint. The holy work she did can never be forgotten. She worked selflessly for others till she died

Mother Teresa: An Inspiration to School Children

In 1997, at the age of 87 years, due to poor health, she stepped down from the head of the order. The next head of the organization is sister Nirmala. For her selfless services, she was awarded many prizes in India and many other countries. Padmashri, Nehru Award, and Nobel Prize are few them. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize in the year 1979.

She passed away in 1997. Though she is no more, she has left a message behind: ‘faith and compassion can heal the world’. Her funeral took place with full state honors.

She was an angel to many. Though her loss cannot be fulfilled her followers all over the world are carrying out the work with all love, care, and affection.

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Essay on Mother Teresa | Bio, Life & Achievements For Students

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Mother Teresa is a hero, a great social worker and an inspirational personality. Her selfless service to mankind are unforgettable.

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We have tried to write an essay on Mother Tersa, biography of mother teresa, 10 points and short & long essay on Mother Terea in 100,150,200,250 & 500 words essay on Mother Teresa in English, Hindi, Marathi & Punjabi. This essay is quite helpful for class 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.8,9 & 10th level students.

Essay on Mother Teresa | Bio, life & Achievements of Mother Teresa Essay For Children & Students

Mother Teresa’s real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was born on August 26th, 1910 in Skopje located within Macedonia. Her father’s name was Kole who was a businessman and her mother, Drana, was a housewife.

When Agnes was nine years old, she had to suffer the loss of her father’s death. She started earning by doing embroidery and sewing to support her family. She was a very religious person who always wanted to serve humanity.

>>>>>  Read Also:    Essay on My Ideal Person For Children & Students

Today the world remembers her as “Saint of twentieth century” because she was a beacon of hope for millions of people all around the world.

Life & Journey of Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was very fond of her mother, Drana, who was a very religious person. Drana was such a strong inspiration for her that she decided to dedicate her life to religious cause.

When she turned 18, she decided to leave home and join Sisters of Loreto in Ireland. After six weeks, she visited Calcutta in India and decided to begin a new life there by taking care of sick and needy.

She always wanted to do religious work and serve humanity so when she got the chance of coming to India, she decided to make a difference in the lives of people suffering from poverty. At first, she started teaching in convent schools but after some time she decided to serve the poor and helpless. For many years, she worked alone without any funds but even this did not demotivate her to discontinue her welfare work.

>>>>>> Read Also:    Essay on My Favorite Personality For Students She became an Indian citizen in 1948. In 1950, she established “Missionaries of Charity” which is a catholic religious assembly In Calcutta.

The main aim of this Missionary is to care for those people who are refugees, mentally ill, sick, abandoned children, aged and poor. They provide these services free of cost and to everyone regardless of their religion or social status. She also got training of a nurse in Patna.

There she learned to fix broken bones, treatment of various diseases and medications. She did not have any money but she did have motivation and energy with which she worked for the poor people gladly.

Later, her courage was recognized and appreciated all around the world and many people joined hands with her to support her mission.

It is because of her hard work and dedication that Missionaries of Charity has 160 centers in India and 105 branches in over 105 countries.

Awards of Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was honored with many titles and awards throughout her life. She was awarded Padma shri (The highest civilian award) in 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1969, Patronal medal in 1979, Bharat Ratna in 1980 and many more.

In 1979, she was also given Nobel Peace prize for doing the best work of solidarity between nations and promotion of peace congresses.

Death of Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa suffered several years of deteriorating health including heart, kidney and lung problems. She died on 5th September,1997 due to cardiac arrest at the age of 87. Her death was a huge loss to the entire humanity and created a huge void that cannot be filled.

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Mother Teresa is no more with us physically but her spirit of charity, enthusiasm, compassion and love is always there to guide us all. It is a proud moment for Indians that she chose to continue her mission in India.

It is because of her hard work that her work is appreciated all over the world. She showed the world that how much difference just one person can make in this world. Indeed, she is a role model for all of us.

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Mother Teresa — Mother Teresa – An Example Of A Great Leader

Mother Teresa – an Example of a Great Leader

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Published: May 14, 2021

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Home / Essay Samples / History / Mother Teresa / A Biography of Mother Teresa

A Biography of Mother Teresa

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