EARLY LIFE
Mother Theresa now known as Saint Theresa I know many may think is Indian by Birth, as she did the major part of her Missionary work in India and is often associated with Indians even from her Saint title "St. Theresa of Calcutta", she was born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Modern Skopje, Republic of Macedonia on 26 August, 1910. Anjeze being a cognate of Agnes which means "Rosebud". She Lived in Macedonia for 18 years i.e up till 1928 when she made the decision to commit herself to religious life, precisely 15th of August, 1928 while she was praying at the Shrine of the black Madonna of Vitina-Letnice, where she often went on pilgrimage.
Same year, 1928, Agnes then left Macedonia to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland to learn English as she hoped to be a Missionary as the Sister of Loreto taught School children in India in English Language. In 1929, she moved to India to begin her Novitiate in Darjeeling.On 24th May, 1931 She took her First Religious vows during which She suggested to be named after St. Therese de Lisieux but had to go for the Spanish spelling of Teresa as another nun already had the name. She took her solemn vows on 14 May 1937, while serving as a teacher at the Loreto convent school in Entally, eastern Calcutta. She served here for almost 20 years.
MISSIONARY WORK
In September, 1946, She then moved from the school to her convent house for her annual retreat in Darjeeling during which she received what she called the call within a call in the train. She felt a call to leave the convent and leave amongst the poor share in their pains and help them. She then decided to answer the call, knowing full well that if she ignored the call, she would break her faith. She then replaced her Traditional Loreto habit with the Indian white Sari with blue borders. She got Indian Citizenship in 1948, began her missionary work amongst the poor in 1949. Her voluntary and charitable works attracted the then Prime Minister who commended her efforts. She was later joined by a couple young Indian women, and then laid foundation of a religious community of which she got permission from the Vatican City to start a Diocesan Congregation to become the Missionaries of Charity. She was then called Mother Theresa as an Author observed and wrote. She wrote in her Diary about how the First year of mission was and noted moments she was tempted to go back to her Convent comfort home in Darjeeling, Moments she had no income and yet hard to care for needy, lived in Hunger and starvation, experienced poverty and felt what the poor ones felt. It was a very challenging time for her.
The Missionaries of Charity congregation which started with about 17 Sisters kept on growing by the day and in 1997 had over 4000 sisters working in various parts of India and the World at large in same vane as Mother Theresa did; Caring for the poor ones in the society, building Orphanages, AIDS hospices, Caring for alcoholics, Prisoners, sick ones so many Charitable works.
Teresa suffered a heart attack in Rome in 1983 while visiting Pope John Paul II. After a second attack in 1989, she received an artificial pacemaker. She offered to resign from being the head of her congregation but the Sisters of the Congregation through a secret ballot system voted that she remained head of the society. She agreed to continue but then suffered continuously from one Health problem to the other. Her health was depreciating. Then On 13 March 1997, she finally had to step down as her health condition became worse by the day. She died on the 5th of September, 1997.At the time of her death, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had over 4,000 sisters, and an associated brotherhood of 300 members, operating 610 missions in 123 countries.
BEATIFICATION
After Mother Teresa's death in 1997, the Holy See began the process of beatification, the third step towards possible Canonization. This process requires the documentation of a miracle performed from the intercession of Mother Teresa.In 2002 the Vatican recognized as a miracle the healing of a tumour in the abdomen of an Indian woman, Monica Besra, after the application of a locket containing Mother Teresa's picture. With this Miracle even though had a lot of Criticisms, investigated by the Vatican that proved Non-Substancial. Mother Theresa was Beatified and called "Blessed".
CANONIZATION
On 17 December 2015 the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had recognised a second miracle attributed to her, involving the healing of a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumours. Pope Francis canonised her at a ceremony on 4 September 2016 in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Tens of thousands of people gathered for the ceremony, including 15 official government delegations and 1,500 homeless people from across Italy.
CONCLUSION
The 5th of Septermber was chosen to be her feast Day, on which I make this post in Dedication to a Saint who lived a life well Spent. Learn from her, let your life be an Example to those around you.
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