5 interesting facts about Saint Teresa of Calcutta – Catholic World Report

CNA Staff, August 26, 2024, 4:50 p.m. (CNA).

Born in North Macedonia on August 26, 1910, Saint Teresa of Calcutta left a lasting impression on the world. The beloved saint founded the Missionaries of Charity, who worked tirelessly for the poor and dying in the slums of India, and was also a vocal defender of the unborn.

Here are five things you may not know about Mother Teresa:

1. At the age of 12, she dedicated her life to her faith.

Mother Teresa was born into a strict Catholic home, the youngest of three children. Her parents were of Albanian descent. She was baptized the day after her birth in Skopje, North Macedonia, and throughout her life witnessed her mother’s care for the needy. She was also fascinated by the life of missionaries and devoted herself to religious life at the age of 12. At 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns who sent missionaries to India. She trained in Ireland for several months before leaving for India. She never saw her mother or siblings again.

2. She once had to beg for food.

When Mother Teresa first came to India for her missionary work, she had no income and little access to food. She suffered hunger and was forced to beg people on the streets for food. This experience gave her a better understanding of the suffering that many of the poor people on the streets of India endured.

3. She answered her “call within a call.”

On September 10, 1946, as Mother Teresa was travelling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, where she taught at St. Mary’s School for Girls, she received what she described as “a call within a call.” That day she felt a great desire to help India’s poorest people. After two years, she received permission to begin what was to become her life’s work. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in her white and blue-lined sari, left Loreto Convent and entered the slums of India.

4. She has received more than 120 honors and awards.

Mother Teresa received over 120 awards and honors during her lifetime and after her death. These include the Padma Shri in 1962, the Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962, the Jawaharlal Nehru Prize for International Understanding in 1969, the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1980.

5. An airport is named after her.

Many streets and buildings are named after Mother Teresa. However, one airport in particular deserves special mention. The international airport in Albania was renamed in honor of the saint in 2001. Today it is called Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (Mother Teresa).