MOTHER TERESA

A True Symbol of Compassion, Selflessness, and Kindness

Mother Teresa was and will be an inspiration to millions of people for her selfless and lifelong devotion to the most vulnerable of the world. Born on August 26, 1910, in Macedonia to parents of Albanian-descent, she lived her life with selflessness and sacrificed her life for the neediest and down-trodden. She became an international symbol of charitable work, and her love and compassion towards the poor and destitute won her widespread affection and admiration. At the early age of twelve, she felt the call of God and decided to become a missionary to spread the love of Christ. At the tender age of eighteen, she left her parent’s home to join the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. Later she came to India and on May 24, 1931, she took vows as a nun. 

Inspired by Catholic teachings, she won widespread admiration in her adopted home of Calcutta. She respected local customs and beliefs and placed humanity above religious divisions. She taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta from 1931 to 1948, but seeing the sufferings of the poor, she left the convent school and devoted herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta in 1948. She founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India in 1950 to serve the disabled and the poor. By the year 2013, her charitable organization spread to 700 missions in 130 countries and offered centers for family assistance, schools, hospitals, orphanages, and homes for people suffering from AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis.

Mother Teresa's social and charitable work has garnered worldwide acclaim and rewarded her with several awards and distinctions. In the year 1962, Mother Teresa was awarded the Padma Shri for her service to the Indian people, and in 1979 she was conferred with the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work. She was also conferred with the Bharat Ratna, which is the country's highest civilian honor. She has also received the John XXIII Peace Prize and the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding along with the Balzan Prize and the Templeton and Magsaysay awards.

She is undoubtedly a world-renowned humanitarian and charity worker who has inspired many to devote their lives to serve people in need and actively help people to live a better life. Besides her selfless service, she also helped millions to lead a selfless life full of love, compassion, and kindness. She has penned several deeply inspiring quotes about being a service to others. Her inspirational and motivational quotes reflect her powerful ideas behind her words and the way her deeds mirrored her sayings. There are several inspirational quotes from Mother Teresa that will inspire people to become a better person. On September 05, 1997, she left for the heavenly abode, and she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa in 2016.