St. Teresa of Calcutta

Feast Day: September 5
Patron Saint of: The Poor, Missionaries of Charity, and World Youth Day

Who Was St. Teresa of Calcutta?

St. Teresa of Calcutta, affectionately known around the world as Mother Teresa, was a Catholic religious sister and missionary who dedicated her life to serving “the poorest of the poor.” Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje (modern-day North Macedonia), she joined the Sisters of Loreto at age 18 and was sent to India, where she taught in a girls’ school.

In 1946, during a train ride to Darjeeling, she received what she described as a “call within a call” — a divine inspiration to leave the convent and live among the poor in the slums of Calcutta (now Kolkata). With the permission of the Church, she founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, a congregation devoted to the destitute, sick, orphaned, and dying.

A Life of Service and Humility

Mother Teresa and her sisters cared for lepers, AIDS patients, the hungry, and the dying, offering each one dignity and compassion. She never sought fame, but her tireless love drew global admiration. She famously said:

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

In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which she humbly accepted in the name of the poor.

Canonization

After her death on September 5, 1997, devotion to her grew quickly. Pope St. John Paul II beatified her in 2003. She was canonized as a saint by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016, during the Year of Mercy, in recognition of her heroic virtue and two confirmed miracles attributed to her intercession.

St. Teresa of Calcutta, you allowed the thirst of Jesus on the Cross to become a living flame within you, and so became the light of His love to all. Teach us to allow Jesus to penetrate and possess our whole being so completely that our lives too may radiate His light and love to others. Amen.