The Missionaries of Charity
| 's-Gravensdijkswal 13 3021 EA Rotterdam |
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| Tel | : | 010 - 477 36 11 |
| Web | : | Web Links to Mother Theresa |
The Missionaries of Charity is an international religious order. The sisters take public vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor, leading each sister to the perfect love of God and neighbour.
The order was founded by Mother M. Teresa, M.C. in Calcutta, India. It has now houses on every continent and in most of the countries of the world. Their particular mission is to labor for the salvation and the sanctification of the poorest of the poor all over the world. Each member of the Society goes where she is sent and does not choose the place or kind of work.
Mother Theresa is Albanian by birth and was a Catholic nun. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born at Skopje on August 26th 1910. She decided at the age of 18 that she was born to serve God and Jesus and joined the convent of Our Lady of Loreto in Dublin. Agnes adopted the name of Teresa from St. Therese of Lisieux and took her vows in 1931. In 1937 Mother Teresa finally reached the city of her dreams, Calcutta and joined St. Mary's High School.
But her destiny led her to the slums of Calcutta. She experienced a call to renounce everything and to follow Christ into the slums, to serve the poorest of the poor. She left the convent to help the poor living among them. She was on the street, with no shelter, no company, no helper, no money, no employment, no promise, no guarantee and no security. 12 of her ex students joined her and in 1948 Pope Pious XII granted her leave to establish a congregation of sisters to care for the slum dwellers. In 1950 the Missionaries of Charity was born. When she established her domain in Calcutta Mother Teresa could not have dreamt that her charitable work would grow to be so widespread and popular. The Missionaries of Charity have now 133 houses in all parts of the globe.
Missionaries of Charity was put under the control of the papacy by Pope Paul VI in 1965 and since then the order has expanded to include many branches. Volunteers have been a part of the organisation since 1950 and the lay missionaries joined them as late as 1989.
Once they become a part of the congregation the sisters undergo intensive training so that they can serve the people with truth and dedication. The training stretches over a period of six years.
Although Mother Teresa had compassion for all forms of suffering she made some of them her very own. The dying in the streets of Calcutta were the first to attract her attention and care. One of the earliest foundations she formed was Nirmal Hriday the home for the dying. Thus Mother Teresa got the name "Saint of the gutter".
Helplessness always held a special appeal for Mother especially unwanted children. She waged a constant battle against abortion and established Shishu Bhavan, a home for abandoned babies.
Mother Teresa will be always remembered for her work with the lepers who are treated as outcasts by society at large. At Shanti Nagar the lepers found a place where they could live and work in peace.
When AIDS first made its appearance in the 80's Mother was one of the foremost to recognise the need to have a place where the patients could be looked after and provided with some relief from their illness.
The order is composed of following branches:
- Active Sisters
- Contemplative Sisters
- Contemplative Brothers
- Missionary Fathers
- Lay Missionaries
- Volunteers
- Sick & Suffering Co-Workers
The address of The Missionaries of Charity in Kolkatta, India is:
Mother House
The Missionaries of Charity
54 A, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road
Kolkatta - 700 016
Tel: 033-245 2 277 / 249 14 00
