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ST. MOTHER TERESA WARD

About the patron

Saint Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia, to Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu of Albanian descent and was baptized as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. At the age of 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland, and then travelled to India and started teaching. She took her formal religious vows in 1931 and chose to be named after St Therese of Lisieux – the patron saint of missionaries.

While Mother Teresa was working as a teacher, the widespread poverty of Calcutta made a deep impression on her and this led to her starting a new order called “The Missionaries of Charity”, with the objective to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to look after. Mother Teresa felt that serving others was a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus Christ. She was called “the saint of the gutters” during her lifetime because of her charitable work with the poor. In 1979 she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work, and the following year the Indian government conferred on her the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour.

Summing up her life Mother Teresa has said, "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. She was beatified as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta" on October 19, 2003 by Pope John Paul II. Mother Teresa was canonized on September 4, 2016 by Pope Francis. The feast of Mother Teresa is celebrated on 5th September

Prayer

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, you allowed the thirsting love of Jesus on the Cross to become a living flame within you, and so became the light of His love to all. Obtain from the Heart of Jesus our request. Teach me to allow Jesus to penetrate and possess my whole being so completely that my life, too, may radiate His light and love to others. Amen.

Ward LEADERS

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