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On October 7, 1950, Catholic nun Agnes Bojagiu, better known as Mother Teresa, received the Vatican's blessing to found the Missionaries of Charity as part of the Archdiocese of Calcutta. Pope Pius XII thus legitimized the school for the poor she had founded in 1948.
The new order numbers just 12 people and declares its mission to care for "the poor, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, and all who feel unwanted and unloved, have become a burden to society and are rejected by all."
The order's charitable work in India was so successful that in 1965, Pope Paul VI issued a Decree of Praise, allowing Mother Teresa and her followers to expand their work in any country they wished.
Mother Teresa was the leader of the order from its founding until six months before her death on September 5, 1997.
Today, the Missionaries of Charity has over 4,500 nuns who help hundreds of thousands of people every day across six continents. For example, in Calcutta, the order runs 19 different shelters for the socially disadvantaged.
The training for those wishing to join the Missionaries of Charity lasts up to nine years and is a combination of religious instruction, Catholic Church history, practical life skills training related to the work of the order, and missionary experience. Renunciation of material possessions is among the fundamental teachings of the order; nuns are allowed only a few personal belongings – three traditional blue-and-white saris, two cotton T-shirts, a belt, a pair of sandals, a cross and a turban. They also have their own plate, utensils, a towel, a cloth bag and a prayer book.
On September 4, 2016, Pope Francis canonized Mother Teresa as "Saint Teresa of Calcutta," immortalizing her incredible contributions to humanity.
“ Sometimes we think that poverty is just being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the worst poverty. To cure this poverty we must start in our own homes.”
- Mother Teresa
