Top 20 Facts about Mother Teresa

Top 20 Facts about Mother Teresa

By Kingkongphoto-wikimedia

Originally published by Lilian in March 2020 and Updated by Ruth in August 2022 and Updated by Vanessa R on April 2023

Mother Teresa is known for her missionary work in helping the poor. She was an empathetic devout catholic nun whose mission was to lessen the mystery that sick and poor went through.

She is considered to be the greatest humanitarian to have ever lived in the 20th century. Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in present-day Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.

Her parents, Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, named her, Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. Her family were staunch Catholics who were actively involved in their local church.

The parents were also vocal politically and supported the Independence of Albania. Nikolle Bojaxhiu was an entrepreneur that dealt with construction wares and medicine.

Here are 20 facts about Mother Teresa

1. Mother Teresa performed miracles as a Saint

Photo by Ravi Roshan on Unsplash

In 1998, a woman known as Monica Besra went to missionaries of charity in Bengal India for prayers. She had a cancerous tumour in her stomach.

On September 5 of the same year, while praying at the Charity’s chapel, she saw a light coming from a photo of Mother Teresa.

There were also nuns who prayed with her. They placed a medallion that once touched Mother Teresa’s body on her stomach asking her to intervene.

Besra woke up the following morning with the tumor gone. Medical experts could not explain this miraculous cure.

She was declared cancer free. This was the second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa.

On December 18, 2015, Pope Francis acknowledged this miracle and it paved the way to her canonization.

On September 4, 2016,  Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint a day before the 19th anniversary of her death.

The canonization mass was led by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

2. Mother Teresa’s philanthropy was nurtured by her mother 

Photo by guille pozzi on Unsplash

Growing up in Skopje, Mother Teresa became interested in community work.

She admired her mother’s kindness towards the poor in the community. She would always open her doors to the poor and share a meal with them.

Mrs Bojaxhui is said to have told Mother Teresa never to eat alone, to always share the little she had with other people.

After her father’s demise, Mother Teresa grew closer to her mother, a staunch believer in charity work.

This act of service bonded the two women nurturing selflessness in Mother Teresa.

3. Mother Teresa sang in the Choir

Photo by Joshua Hanson – Unsplash

In her early life, Mother Teresa attended a primary school run by nuns. She later went to a government run high school.

As a devoted Catholic, she attended the local church where she joined the sacred heart choir.

She was so good that she would often be asked to sing solo verses.

It was also during this time that she had an epiphany on her journey as a missionary while on an annual pilgrimage to the Church of the Black Madonna in Letnice, she was 12 years old.

4. From Agnes to Mary Teresa 

In 1928, at 18 years old, then known as Agnes, Mother Teresa embarked on a journey to become a nun.

She joined the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, Ireland. It was here that she took up the name Teresa in honor of  Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

5. Mother Teresa, the train and the Vision

Lisbon trains – by Threeohsix – Wikimedia Commons

In 1946, Mother Teresa, then based in Calcutta, went for a retreat in the Himalayas.

While on the train, she said she heard Christ asking her to take on a new role; go to the slums of Calcutta and help the poor and the sick. She was then a teacher.

It was not an easy decision. She was bound by the oath of obedience and could not leave the convent without official permission.

After two years of lobbying, her request was granted, and she stepped out of the convent adorning the famous blue and white sari.

She took a six-month medical training to equip herself with basic skills. After a successful training,  she headed to Calcutta’s slums with a single mission to show love to the poor and the sick.

6. Mother Teresa founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity

Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

The year 1950 saw the birth of the Missionaries of Charity. This group was formed by Mother Teresa under the Catholic Church in a quest to spread the call for help and care for the less fortunate in the community.

15 years later, her good work reached Pope Paul VI. He granted her group the Decree of Praise. This enabled the expansion of the mission globally.

She started off with 13 members. Today, the mission has grown to over 4000 members, 610 foundation and thousands of volunteers worldwide.

7. Mother Teresa had brutal critics

Not everyone believed in Mother Teresa’s cause. There were those that believed she was hiding behind helping the poor and the sick.

One such critic was Christopher Hitchens an English-America journalist and writer.

He questioned Mother Teresa’s efforts in advocating for the sick and poor as a means of enriching the mighty and powerful in society.

He claimed that Mother Teresa was wrong in accepting alms and other forms of support from wealthy people who had questionable characters.

Hitchens referred to Mother Teresa as a religious propagandist who found comfort in the pain of others.

This was in reference to Mother Teresa’s Homes for the Dying, he said that the home did not seek to provide medical relief instead it was a cult of death and suffering.

By the time he Died, Hitchens had published over 30 books, among them The missionary Position: Mother Teresa in theory and Practice.

8. Mother Teresa’s Take on Abortion and Contraceptives was Harsh

Mother Teresa, a staunch catholic and humanitarian, was also a big supporter of some controversial  doctrines by the church.

She opposed the use of contraceptives. Endorsed a “no” vote for the Irish referendum on divorce and remarrying.

She considered abortion to be the cause of a lack of peace in the world.

9. Mother Teresa was awarded with  the Nobel Peace Prize 

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee acknowledged her work as being one that respected human beings and valuing the innate values of such individuals.

They commended her for lending a hand to the loneliest, the sick and the poor by showing compassion.

10. Mother Teresa suffered a crisis of faith

Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Mother Teresa, just like many people, had moments when she doubted.

In September 1979 she wrote a letter to her spiritual confidant, Reverend Michael van der Peet stating that she felt empty and could not see or hear (from God).

The letter read in part “As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear”.

She asked the Reverend to remember her in prayer.

In some of her letter addressed to him, she explained her struggles in trying to keep up with God’s teachings and work, that she felt empty, filled with darkness and that heaven meant nothing.

At one point she doubted the existence of God and his son Jesus.

11. Mother Teresa was fluent in five languages

Mother Teresa was fluent in five different languages. These were Hindi, Bengali, Albanian, English, and even Serbian. 

While learning one language is hard enough, a great benefit of her speaking multiple languages was being able to communicate with people from all across the globe.

12. The traditional Sari was first worn by Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa by Laurel – Wikimedia Commons

Mother Teresa wore the traditional sari for the first time when she left the sisters of Loreto. While it wasn’t intentional, Mother Teresa’s trademark white sari with blue stripes became a staple uniform for members of the Missionaries of Charity. 

When she departed from the Sisters of Loreto, Mother Teresa found her sari in Harrison Road on her way to Calcutta. Biswajit Sarkar, the pro bono lawyer of the Missionaries of Charity, ensured Intellectual Property rights regarding the sari.

13. Mother Teresa’s net worth during the time of her life is unknown

The New York Times published that Mother Teresa’s organization was, in fact, one of the richest in the world, and most of the money she had was actually stored in safety.

Whether the Vatican received the money she left behind or not, however, is a different matter.

14. Mother Teresa did not force conversion of religion on anyone

Mother Teresa by Laurel – Wikimedia Commons

Mother Teresa did not force anyone to convert to the Roman Catholic religion, despite being a devout follower. However, there are reports that resurfaced years after her death claiming malpractice and forced conversion. As it stands, in Mother Teresa’s words, she had done none of that.

Navin Chawayu, her biographer, once asked if she had ever converted anyone. She replied “Yes, I do convert. I convert you to be a better Hindu, a better Christian, a better Catholic, a better Sikh, a better Muslim. When you have found God, it’s up to you to do with him what you want.”

15. Mother Teresa’s successor was Sister Maria Nirmala

Sister Nirmala became the head of the Missionaries of Charity after Mother Teresa’s death, succeeding her as Superior General. It was also acknowledged that Sister Nirmala had malaria and subsequent fevers. 

She became head of the Missionaries of Charity months after Mother Teresa left this earth. She once explained that she had no intentions of filling the role of Mother Teresa.

The successor believed that being herself wasn’t too hard, but if she tried to become similar to Mother Teresa, she would have collapsed.

16. She was fluent in 5 languages

One interesting fact about Mother Teresa is that she spoke English, Hindi, Bengali, Albanian, and even Serbian proficiently.  She was able to communicate with people from all over the world, which was a huge advantage since mastering just one language is challenging enough.

17. India gave her a state funeral

Mother Teresa was an important figure for the Indian government who helped many of their residents save their lives and further their education. As a result, they saw to it that she received a state funeral when she passed away. Politicians and presidents of state are typically the only people who receive the honour of a state funeral. One of the finest tributes the Indian government could pay to Mother Teresa was to hold a state funeral for her.

18. She built a small town for leppers

John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mother Teresa founded Nirmal Hriday alongside the Missionaries of Charity. Nirmal Hriday was also known as The Place for the Pure of Heart. It served as a sanctuary for people who wanted a peaceful and dignified death.

In addition to Nirmal Hriday, she also created a small leper community. The settlement was given the name Shanti Nagar, commonly known as the Town of Peace. India’s Asansol is close to Shanti Nagar. Lepers were allowed to live and work freely in Shanti Nagar. Even the land was given by the Indian government to Mother Teresa.

19. Some critics say that she wasn’t all that good

If you’ve witnessed what Mother Teresa has accomplished for the needy, the terms “Mother Teresa,” “bad,” and “critics” are difficult to stomach. However, some critics assert that she was a vile person in reality. Christopher Hitchens was one of her major critics. He argued that it was wrong for Mother Teresa to take funding from questionable sources. Mother Teresa was a “religious propagandist,” in Hitchens’ opinion, as well as a sadist who took pleasure in other people’s pain.

20. She had a friendship with Princess Diana

Post of Albania, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Princess Diana was another philanthropist with whom St. Teresa of Calcutta had a good relationship. Given that they had a lot of interests, their relationship wasn’t initially that strange. The humanitarian work they both did helped many people and they were both prominent people.

The two would meet, talk in secret, and spend 30 to 40 minutes praying together. Princess Diana was praised by Mother Teresa for being a good mother and a wife.  As Princess Diana passed away, the rosary was even placed in her hands.

Mother Teresa lived to be 87, and she never saw her mother or sister again after the day she left for Ireland.

In April 1996 she fell and broke her collarbone. She also had a series of other ailments that took a toll on her health.

Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997, due to heart failure. She was buried on 13 September 1997 at The Mother House Of the Missionaries Of Charity, Kolkata, India.