Saint Teresa of Calcutta
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| Saint Teresa of Calcutta | |
| Feast Day | September 05 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | World Youth Day; Missionaries of Charity; Archdiocese of Calcutta (co-patron) |
| Birthplace | Skopje, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now North Macedonia) |
| Death Place | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Cause of Death | Heart failure |
| Primary Shrine | Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity, Kolkata, India |
Saint Teresa of Calcutta (baptismal name Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), commonly known as Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India, in 1950. For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the rapid expansion of her congregation, first in India and later in over 130 countries. According to verified Church records, she experienced a "call within a call" on 10 September 1946 while travelling by train to Darjeeling, prompting her to leave the Sisters of Loreto and live among the poorest of the poor.
Beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19 October 2003 after the authenticated healing of Monica Besra, she was canonised by Pope Francis on 4 September 2016 following the verified cure of Marcilio Andrino. Her feast day, 5 September, marks the anniversary of her death and is observed universally in the Roman Rite. Saint Teresa is venerated as the patron of World Youth Day and co-patron (with Saint Francis Xavier) of the Archdiocese of Calcutta.
Biography
Birth
Saint Teresa of Calcutta was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, then part of the Kosovo Vilayet in the Ottoman Empire (present-day North Macedonia). She was baptised the following day in the parish church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, receiving the name Agnes after a local saint. Her parents, Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were ethnic Albanians; her father was a merchant who died when she was eight, leaving the family in modest circumstances.
From childhood she attended parish activities and was drawn to missionary stories, particularly those from Bengal. Hagiographic tradition holds that at age twelve she felt a clear call to religious life, though this cannot be confirmed beyond her later testimony. Evidence from parish records shows she was active in the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary and sang in the choir.
Early Life
At eighteen, Anjezë left home on 26 September 1928 to join the Sisters of Loreto at Rathfarnham, Ireland, never seeing her mother or sister again. She learned English and received the religious name Sister Mary Teresa after Thérèse of Lisieux. Six weeks later she sailed for India, arriving in Kolkata on 6 January 1929.
She completed her novitiate in Darjeeling and made first vows on 24 May 1931. Assigned to the Loreto community in Entally, Kolkata, she taught history and geography at St. Mary's High School for Bengali girls. According to school archives, she was noted for her kindness and organisational skill, becoming principal in 1944.
Occupation
For nearly twenty years Sister Teresa taught at Loreto Entally, living a structured convent life while witnessing the 1943 Bengal famine and 1946 communal riots from the cloister walls. She trained local teachers and directed the Bengali sodality, but primary sources confirm her growing restlessness to serve beyond the school.
On 10 September 1946, during a train journey to Darjeeling for annual retreat, she experienced what she described as Christ's voice urging her to "carry me into the holes of the poor." This private revelation, documented in her letters to Archbishop Ferdinand Périer, formed the basis of her new vocation.
Vocation
After two years of discernment, Archbishop Périer permitted Sister Teresa to live as an independent sister on 16 August 1948. Adopting a white cotton sari with blue border, she studied basic medicine with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna before returning to Kolkata's slums in December.
She opened her first school in Motijhil slum on 21 December 1948. Former pupils joined her; on 7 October 1950 the Missionaries of Charity received diocesan recognition, with a fourth vow of "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor." By 1965 the congregation became pontifical, expanding globally.
Death
Saint Teresa suffered a heart attack in Rome in 1983, another in 1989, and received a pacemaker. She resigned as superior general on 13 March 1997, succeeded by Sister Nirmala Joshi. After months of declining health, she died of cardiac arrest on 5 September 1997 at 9:30 p.m. in the Mother House, Kolkata, aged 87.
Saint Teresa met her end peacefully after receiving the Anointing of the Sick. The Government of India accorded a state funeral on 13 September; her body lay in state at St. Thomas Church, entombed in the Mother House where pilgrims immediately gathered.
Significant events
- Received "call within a call" on the Darjeeling train (10 September 1946).
- Opened first school in Motijhil slum (21 December 1948).
- Founded Missionaries of Charity (7 October 1950).
- Established Nirmal Hriday hospice at Kalighat (22 August 1952).
- Received Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo (10 December 1979).
- Beatified by Pope John Paul II (19 October 2003).
- Canonised by Pope Francis (4 September 2016).
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Skopje, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now North Macedonia)
Death location: Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Notable location: Mother House and tomb (54A Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700016, India)
Notable location: Loreto teaching assignment (Loreto Entally, 1 Convent Lane, Entally, Kolkata, West Bengal 700014, India)
Notable location: First home for the dying (Nirmal Hriday, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal 700026, India)
Notable location: Home for abandoned children (Shishu Bhavan, 78 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal 700014, India)
Notable location: Early international mission (Gift of Love, 1st Lane, Singapore 428248)
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Shrines
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List of shrines
Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity
- The Mother House serves as the global headquarters and tomb of Saint Teresa, designated by the Archdiocese of Calcutta as a diocesan shrine for pilgrimage under Canon 1230. Pilgrims gather daily for Mass at her tomb, receive the sacraments, and participate in devotions focused on her charism of serving the poorest.
- Pilgrimage details: 54A AJC Bose Road, Kolkata 700016, India; founded 1950; features tomb with epitaph "Love one another as I have loved you," annual 5 September feast with plenary indulgence; Archdiocese of Calcutta.
- Facts: "Her tomb became an immediate pilgrimage site; over 500,000 visitors annually pray for the grace to see Christ in the distressing disguise of the poor."
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption (Baltimore)
- Designated a minor basilica and pilgrimage site, it hosted first-class relics of Saint Teresa in 2012 and continues periodic expositions tied to her intercession for the sick.
- Pilgrimage details: 409 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; relics venerated 2 July 2012; annual devotions on 5 September; Archdiocese of Baltimore.
- Facts: "Over 150 pilgrims venerated her sandals and crucifix in one day, seeking her prayers for healing."
Saint John Paul II National Shrine (Washington, D.C.)
- The shrine hosts the permanent exhibit "Mother Teresa: Life, Spirituality, and Message" with first-class relics for veneration, designated for Year of Mercy pilgrimages.
- Pilgrimage details: 3900 Harewood Rd NE, Washington, DC 20017, USA; exhibit opened 19 August 2024; daily veneration; Archdiocese of Washington.
- Facts: "Relics displayed beside Saint John Paul II's blood relic, emphasising their friendship and shared mission of mercy."
Divine Retreat Centre Sommersby
- Official diocesan shrine with first-class relics exposed annually on her feast, drawing thousands for healing Masses.
- Pilgrimage details: 160 Hensons Road, Somersby NSW 2250, Australia; founded 1999; 5 September exposition; Diocese of Broken Bay.
- Facts: "Pilgrims report graces of conversion, mirroring Saint Teresa's call to love until it hurts."
Knock Shrine
- Ireland's national Marian shrine hosted her relics during a 2018 national tour, designated for pilgrimage under Canon 1230.
- Pilgrimage details: Knock, Co. Mayo F12 Y226, Ireland; relics 2018; annual 5 September novena; Archdiocese of Tuam.
- Facts: "Tens of thousands processed with her relics, invoking her intercession for the homeless."
Schoenstatt Shrine (Stuttgart)
- German shrine preserves the original Unity Cross she found in the street, centre for Missionaries of Charity retreats.
- Pilgrimage details: Schoenstattplatz 1, 70329 Stuttgart, Germany; cross venerated since 1990s; Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
- Facts: "Saint Teresa carried replicas worldwide, teaching unity through suffering."
Gift of Love Home (Singapore)
- First Asian foundation outside India, designated diocesan shrine for HIV/AIDS ministry.
- Pilgrimage details: 1st Lane, Singapore 428248; founded 1987; weekly devotions; Archdiocese of Singapore.
- Facts: "Residents cared for by MC sisters pray daily at her statue for final perseverance."
Canonization
Servant of God
The process to recognize Saint Teresa as a Servant of God began in June 1999, with the diocesan investigation conducted in the Archdiocese of Calcutta where she died. Pope John Paul II waived the usual five-year waiting period.
Venerable
Declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II on 20 December 2002 for her life of heroic virtue.
Beatification
Beatified on 19 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II after confirmation of a miracle involving the healing of Monica Besra from an abdominal tumor through application of a medal touched to Saint Teresa's body.
Canonization
Canonized on 4 September 2016 by Pope Francis following a second miracle, the healing of Marcilio Andrino from multiple brain abscesses after his wife prayed a novena to her intercession.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
Monica Besra, a 30-year-old tribal woman from West Bengal, suffered a massive ovarian tumor causing extreme abdominal distension and pain. Medical records from Balurghat Hospital (1998) document failure of tuberculosis treatment and planned surgery. On 5 September 1998, Missionaries of Charity sisters placed a medal bearing Saint Teresa's image on the tumor and prayed. Monica reported a beam of light and instant relief; ultrasound the next day showed complete disappearance of the mass. The Vatican medical board, after examining records and witnesses, found no scientific explanation.
Miracle for canonization
Marcilio Haddad Andrino, a 35-year-old Brazilian engineer, suffered viral encephalitis leading to eight brain abscesses and hydrocephalus. Hospitalised in Santos, Brazil, from December 2008, he entered coma with seizures despite surgery and antibiotics. His wife Fernanda prayed a novena to Blessed Teresa, placing a relic on his head. On 9 December 2008 he awoke fully conscious; CT scans showed abscesses vanished. The Vatican commission ruled the cure instantaneous, complete, and inexplicable.
Other notable miracles
- Numerous documented healings at Nirmal Hriday hospice attributed to her intercession.
- Protection of Missionaries of Charity orphanages during 1971 Bangladesh War.
- Post-canonization cures reported worldwide, under ongoing investigation.
Patronage
Saint Teresa of Calcutta is the patron saint of World Youth Day, the Missionaries of Charity, and co-patron of the Archdiocese of Calcutta.
Feast day
September 05
Veneration
Saint Teresa is venerated through the Missionaries of Charity's daily apostolate, annual 5 September pilgrimages to her tomb, and novenas for the poor. Relics are enshrined in the Mother House (first-class: blood, hair) and distributed globally. She has been depicted in artworks including statues at the Vatican and Kolkata airport. Literature includes her authorised biography by Navin Chawla and films like The Letters (2014). Relics and shrines influence events such as Kolkata's 5 September state holiday and worldwide homes bearing her name.
Books
Written about the saint
- Mother Teresa: The Authorized Biography by Navin Chawla
- Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta by Brian Kolodiejchuk, MC
Written by the saint
No formal books; letters compiled posthumously.
External links
- [https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5611 Catholic Online: St. Teresa of
Calcutta]
References
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