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Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun with Indian citizenship who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata (Calcutta), India in 1950. For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries.
850 Questions
What did Mother Teresa do for the Church?
Mother Teresa was born on the 26th of August 1910, in Skopje which is in Macedonia (today Albania). She came from a wealthy family, and could easily have lived a comfortable life, but she gave it all up to become a Catholic nun and devote her life to the poor. During her lifetime, she had many achievements; here are just some of the awards which she won:
In 1976 she won the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award ,
In 1979 she was the Nobel Peace Prize Winner,
In 1985 she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
In 1992 she won the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education and
In 1997 she won the Congressional Gold Medal.
Mother Teresa devoted her life to helping the poor in Calcutta in India. She was the type of person that cared about other people more that herself. Mother Teresa also helped set up schools for children so they would get some sort of education. Along with schools she helped set up hospitals for the sick, convents, and also an order of nuns called 'The Missionaries of Charity.' Many people believed she lived a Christ-like life, shunning all comforts and working day and night even into her old age to help people with leprosy, AIDS, and other diseases.
she Died on September 5, 1997 in Kolkata
Did Mother Teresa have parents?
No, Mother Teresa was born to a comfortable middle class family. They were not wealthy.
Why did they call Saint Mother Teresa?
She made a huge difference in our world. She helped end poverty, opened orphanages. She was an amazing Saint that people all over can look up to.
What university did Mother Teresa attend?
Mother Teresa has been to several different countries and cities. One of the most notable places she's been to was India, she and her Missionary Sisters have been to more than twenty-two cities in India as well as Sri Lanka, Australia, Tanzania, Venezuela, America and Italy.
How did Mother Teresa change the lives of others?
Mother Teresa had a twisted view of the world in which she glorified suffering. Patients were often misdiagnosed, no modern medical equipment was available, needles weren’t properly sterilized, the strongest pain killer available was aspirin, and even when a patient clearly needed surgery, they were refused hospital treatment. Not to mention, she was adamantly and unsurprisingly against abortion. In her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech she declared that abortion was the greatest threat to peace in the world. She once told many US officials that, “By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems . . . Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.” How could she possibly believe that the “greatest destroyer of love and peace” is a woman utilizing her reproductive rights?
This woman’s hypocrisy is often overlooked due to her humanitarian efforts and the way that the media has crafted her image. The majority of people think of Mother Teresa as loving saint who helped millions of lives when in reality, millions suffered because of her beliefs.
What is a summary of the life of Mother Teresa?
1. She was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Albania, to a financially comfortable family - they lived in one of the two houses they owned. Her father died when she was 8 years old, which ended her family's financial security.
2. Agnes was fascinated with missionaries from an early age, and she knew by age 12 that she would commit herself to a religious vocation.
3. When she was 18 years old, Agnes left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto in Rathfarnham, Ireland.
4. Although she lived to be 87 years old, she never saw her mother or sister again after the day she left for Ireland.
5. After a year learning English in Ireland, Agnes transferred to the Sisters of Loreto convent in Darjeeling, India.
6. She took her vows as a nun in 1931, and that's when she chose the name Teresa - to honor Saints Therese of Lisieux and Teresa of Avila.
7. Therese of Lisieux is the patron saint of missionaries - which attracted Agnes to her - as well as the patron saint of florists, Australia, AIDS sufferers and others. Teresa of Avila is the patron saint of people in religious orders, lacemakers, Spain and more.
8. Teresa began teaching history and geography in Calcutta at St. Mary's, a high school for the daughters of the wealthy. She remained there for 15 years and enjoyed the work, but was distressed by the poverty she saw all around her.
9. In 1946, Teresa traveled to Darjeeling for a retreat. It was on that journey that she realized what her true calling was: "I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor."
10. It took two years of preparation before she was able to begin doing the work she felt compelled to do. She needed to receive permission from the Sisters of Loreto to leave the order - while retaining her vows - as well as permission from the Archbishop of Calcutta to live and work among the poor. She also prepared by taking a nursing course.
Are Mother Teresa's brother and sister still alive?
Mother Teresa, the Albanian-born Catholic nun who worked in Calcutta, India, died on September 5, 1997, in Calcutta, West Bengal, India at the age of 87.
How did Mother Teresa's work go beyond India and continue even after she died?
After Mother Teresa died, her fellow Sister Nirmala was to become her successor and she actually carries on mother Teresa's incredible work today all over the world.
Roman Catholic AnswerThe *only* thing that Mother Teresa did her entire life was God's Will. In doing God's Will she established a new religious Order, The Missionaries of Charity, which is now a fairly large Order with Priests and Sisters to carry on the work of Our Blessed Lord.When did Mother Teresa see her family again?
Mother Teresa left home at the age of 18 to join the convent. That was the last time she saw her mother and sister.
Why did Mother Teresa get an award for peace?
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Catholic AnswerFrom the website "Nobelprize.org" we have this question and answer:Question: Why did Mother Teresa get the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize?
Answer: The Norwegian Nobel Committee writes in their motivation: "In making the award the Norwegian Nobel Committee has expressed its recognition of Mother Teresa's work in bringing help to suffering humanity. This year the world has turned its attention to the plight of children and refugees, and these are precisely the categories for whom Mother Teresa has for many years worked so selflessly."
Mother Theresa's Favourite food would be Indian because she lived in India for most of her life
Who influenced Mother Teresa to become a Sister?
Mother Theresa was influenced by God and the revolving world around her. She felt that things needed to change, so she took it upon herself to make a difference to the lives of those in need.
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Catholic AnswerIn the final analysis, it was God who influenced Mother to become a sister (she was not a nun, nun are usually enclosed contemplatives under solemn vows, Mother was a Sister out in the world under perpetual promises.) Although God used different people throughout her life, like her parents to exert His influence on her, it was all His doing with her cooperation.The answer is not obvious to modern people as they did not understand Mother Theresa, because they do not understand real Christianity. Mother Theresa, a Catholic sister who entered the Sisters of Loretto in Ireland to become a teaching sister, was sent to India to teach. Later, moved with compassion, and the love of God, she received a "call" from God to help the poorest of the poor. The rest of her life was spent in "darkness" which I discuss below.
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Modern people, and most people who call themselves Christians, think that going to Church on Sunday, saying some things, and being nice to people is what it is all about. They are completely missing the mark. Those kind of things are just the tip of the iceberg. Mother Teresa helped others by loving God above all things, putting Him first in her life, and doing His Will no matter how painful it was for her, and it was very painful.
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Mother spent most of her life in a dark night with no real feeling or personal knowledge of God. This is very common with the founders of religious orders, they are strong enough in their faith to make their way through life totally depend on Faith, Hope, and Charity: the three cardinal virtues bestowed on us in Baptism. She sacrificed herself completely for God, and was called a saint and a prophet for it.
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Mother Theresa helped others the way we are all called to help others, by getting up in the morning, and taking some time to give to God first. She spend an hour in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, went to Holy Mass, received Our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist, and went to confession frequently, and regularly. And, then, when she had done these things, she went out and lived her faith by seeing her God in every individual in front of her, especially the poor, the sick, the aged, and the abandoned. She served God by serving Him in them - which is nothing more nor less than she lived the Gospel with every breath in her body.
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Mother Teresa showed compassion for those who were less fortunate than she was. She gave them food, lifted their spirits, and helped them survive. She is and was considered a hero to many people. After her death, she was put on the short list for canonization, and in 2012 I believe she has already had one miracle attributed to her, and has been beatified. Of course, she loved children.
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The Church often says that the only real way to help people, the way to become a good spouse, parent, teacher, or whatever, is to become a saint. Mother Teresa believed and lived this. She helped the poor by becoming a saint.
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The various ways that she accomplished that was that she always did the Will of God even when she didn't feel as if God was there or approving of her. She cared for the poorest of the poor.
She established hospices and hospitals for the sick and dying, she started in Calcutta as she started a new religious order, the Missionaries of Charity, which spread throughout the world. Today the Order still cares for the poorest of the poor, the sick and dying. Mother Theresa and her sisters went out into the streets and picked up the dying homeless to bring them to her hospice. They clean them, feed them, pray with them, and serve them so that they spend their last days or hours in dignity. She and her Order treat those dying of AIDS, the lepers, the untouchables, those whom nobody else will love and care for. She saw Our Blessed Lord in everyone of them, in disguise, pleading for our help and love. She treated them as she would treat Our Blessed Lord, Himself.
At what age did Mother Teresa make her final vows?
Mother Teresa was at the age 27 when she took her final vows.
What missionary group did Mother Teresa found?
Yes, she joined the Sisters of Loreto before she founded the Missionaries of Charity.
What did Mother Teresa accomplish in her life?
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Modern people, and most people who call themselves Christians, think that going to Church on Sunday, saying some things, and being nice to people is what it is all about. They are completely missing the mark. Those kind of things are just the tip of the iceberg. Mother Teresa helped others by loving God above all things, putting Him first in her life, and doing His Will no matter how painful it was for her, and it was very painful.
.
Mother spent most of her life in a dark night with no real feeling or personal knowledge of God. This is very common with the founders of religious orders, they are strong enough in their faith to make their way through life totally depend on Faith, Hope, and Charity: the three cardinal virtues bestowed on us in Baptism. She sacrificed herself completely for God, and was called a saint and a prophet for it.
.
Mother Theresa helped others the way we are all called to help others, by getting up in the morning, and taking some time to give to God first. She spend an hour in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, went to Holy Mass, received Our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist, and went to confession frequently, and regularly. And, then, when she had done these things, she went out and lived her faith by seeing her God in every individual in front of her, especially the poor, the sick, the aged, and the abandoned. She served God by serving Him in them - which is nothing more nor less than she lived the Gospel with every breath in her body.
.
Mother Teresa showed compassion for those who were less fortunate than she was. She gave them food, lifted their spirits, and helped them survive. She is and was considered a hero to many people. After her death, she was put on the short list for canonization, and in 2012 I believe she has already had one miracle attributed to her, and has been beatified. Of course, she loved children.
.
The Church often says that the only real way to help people, the way to become a good spouse, parent, teacher, or whatever, is to become a saint. Mother Teresa believed and lived this. She helped the poor by becoming a saint.
.
The various ways that she accomplished that was that she always did the Will of God even when she didn't feel as if God was there or approving of her. She cared for the poorest of the poor.
She established hospices and hospitals for the sick and dying, she started in Calcutta as she started a new religious order, the Missionaries of Charity, which spread throughout the world. Today the Order still cares for the poorest of the poor, the sick and dying. Mother Theresa and her nuns went out into the streets and picked up the dying homeless to bring them to her hospice. They clean them, feed them, pray with them, and serve them so that they spend their last days or hours in dignity. She and her Order treat those dying of AIDS, the lepers, the untouchables, those whom nobody else will love and care for. She saw Our Blessed Lord in everyone of them, in disguise, pleading for our help and love. She treated them as she would treat Our Blessed Lord, Himself.
What year did Mother Teresa visit Charleston South Carolina?
Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 - 05 September 1997) visited Charleston in 1982. She was given The Mother of God Award by the bishop.
How did people react to Mother Teresa?
Most people have nothing but love and respect for Mother Teresa. As with any person of celebrity status, she has her detractors, most of them quite anti-Catholic who dig up half truths and, in many cases, pure fabrications to denigrate her and her work.
Many say she did little to help the suffering in the way of providing medications to alleviate their pain. Mother Teresa was not in the business of providing medical care, she made that clear. Her work was to give the dying some comfort and a death with dignity and surrounded by people who loved them. She was not a doctor and could not provide drugs, even if they had been available. India strictly controls all pain medications so that even registered hospitals find them difficult to obtain.
Others claim she went to bat for a priest friend who was abusing boys. Mother Teresa did nothing more that write a letter of support for the man based on information she had received from the person who investigated the case. It was not until long after Mother Teresa's death that the sordid details of the case were discovered.
Some accuse her of being more interested in making Catholic converts that in helping the poor. Mother Teresa had no intentions of evangelizing as she wanted to concentrate her efforts on helping the poorest of the poor. However, Pope John Paul II ordered that she also must evangelize. Having taken a vow of obedience, Mother had no choice but to comply.
There are allegations that she was friends with gangsters and dictators but these charges are not backed up with a single shred of evidence. Of course, if it is on the Internet it has to be true, right? It is just another part of the disinformation campaign to discredit a great saint.
Others claim that, while she ignored the suffering of the poor, she sought the best of medical treatment for herself in foreign countries. It just happens that when Mother Teresa suffered a medical emergency, she was traveling abroad. One heart attack occurred while she was visiting the Holy Father in Rome. Another occurred when she was seriously injured in a fall while visiting Mexico. What was she to tell her hosts? "Don't treat me here, put me back on a plane to India so I can receive treatment there."
There are many more lies out there. All a person need do is a small bit of research to get at the truth.
Even when Mother Teresa was accused of many of these things while she was alive, she would simply shrug and ignore them. She live the beatitudes and one of them states:
"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
A:
No, Mother Teresa was not the one who was arrested. Sister Mary Eliza, from a hostel for young unwed mothers run by the Sisters of Mother Teresa, was arrested for selling children allegedly taken from the mothers, and subsequently discharged by the court after the Sri Lankan Attorney General withdrew the charges.
How many followers did Mother Teresa have?
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. These included hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counseling programs, personal helpers, orphanages, and schools. The Missionaries of Charity were also aided by Co-Workers, who numbered over 1 million by the 1990s.
What order of nun was Mother Teresa?
Yes, Mother Teresa was a nun. She started the Missionaries of Charity.
Yes Mother Teresa was a nun. She decided to become a nun at age 18 even though her family didn't want her to be a nun.
Clarification:
Although the words sister and nun are frequently used interchangeably, they are, technically, different. A nun spends nearly her entire life in a convent while a sister works outside in the world. Mother Teresa should correctly be labeled as a sister.
