Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Author of Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta
About the Author
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxiu (mother Teresa) was born on August 26, 1910 in Albania. As a child she was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries, so by age 12 she was convinced that she would commit herself to a religious life. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a show more missionary. She went to the Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland to learn English, the language the Sisters of Loreto used to teach school in India. She took her first religious vows as a nun on May 24, 1931. It was at that time she chose the name Teresa after Therese de Listeux - the patron saint of missionaries. It was in 1946 when Mother Teresa received what she describes as "the call within the call" while traveling to Loreto convent in Darjeling from Calcutta for a retreat. She felt she was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. She started her missionary work in 1948 and replaced her traditionary Loreto habit with a white sari with blue border. She was a Catholic nun of India. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India in 1950. She ministered to the poor, sick and orphaned for over 45 years while expanding the Missionaries of Charity. By the 1970's she was well known as a humanitarian for the poor due partly to a book and documentary Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India's highest civilian honor the Bharat Ratna in 1980. Throughout her years as a missioonary Mother Teresa felt the need to create a home for orphaned children so she opened the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the Children's Home of the Immaculate Heart, as a haven for orphans and homeless youth. She also opened the first Home for the Dying in Calcutta. With the help of Indian officials she converted an abandoned Hindu temple into the Kalighat Home for the Dying. Her Missionaries of Charity expanded to 610 missions with over 4000 sisters in 123 countries by 1997. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 form complications from two previous heart attacks and a bout with malaria. She was granted a state funeral by the Indian government in gratitude for her service to the poor of all religions in India. show less
Image credit: Túrelio
Works by Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta (2007) 1,298 copies, 22 reviews
The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living with Mother Teresa (1996) — Author — 303 copies, 2 reviews
Do Something Beautiful for God: The Essential Teachings of Mother Teresa 365 Daily Reflections (2019) 174 copies, 1 review
Where There Is Love, There Is God: A Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for Others (2010) 153 copies, 2 reviews
Everything Starts from Prayer: Mother Teresa's Meditations on Spiritual Life for People of All Faiths (1998) 131 copies, 7 reviews
Jesus the Words to Be Spoken Prayers and Meditations for Every Day of the Year (1986) 112 copies, 2 reviews
The Face of God 12 copies
Mary: Handmaid of the Lord 10 copies
Mother Teresa 3 copies
Life in the Spirit 3 copies
Haz algo hermoso para Dios: Las enseñanzas esenciales de Madre Teresa, 365 Reflexiones Diarias (Do Something Beautiful… (2020) 3 copies
Joy in Loving, The 2 copies
Quand l'amour est là, Dieu est là: Pour cheminer vers une union plus intime avec Dieu et un plus grand amour des… (2011) 2 copies
Words to Live By 2 copies
Mother Teresa, Her Essential Wisdom 2 copies
Donde hay amor, está Dios : el camino a una íntima unión con Dios y un mayor amor por los… 1 copy, 1 review
Mary: Handmaid of the Lord 1 copy
Gedanken für jeden Tag 1 copy
Sadovi ljubezni 1 copy
Joy of Loving 1 copy
L'uomo è irragionevole... 1 copy
Vivi la vita 1 copy
Preghiere a misura di cuore 1 copy
Beati voi (1-2-3) 1 copy
La gioia di amare (1-2-2) 1 copy
Jesus, I Thirst For You 1 copy
The Gospel of Five Fingers / 2 Language / Chinese English Version / Christianity / History / China / Jesus (2009) 1 copy
Face of God, The 1 copy
Parole sante / madre Teresa ; pensieri raccolti e ordinati da José Luis González-Balado (1998) 1 copy
La vita è 1 copy
Il cuore della preghiera 1 copy
Madre Teresa 1 copy
Kreuzweg 1 copy
Happiness 1 copy
Associated Works
Wise Women: Over Two Thousand Years of Spiritual Writing by Women (1996) — Contributor — 205 copies, 1 review
Following the Call: Living the Sermon on the Mount Together (2021) — Contributor — 72 copies, 6 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Mother Teresa
- Legal name
- Bojaxhiu, Agnes Gonxha
- Other names
- Teresa, Mother, Saint
德蕾莎
德蘭修女 - Birthdate
- 1910-08-26
- Date of death
- 1997-09-05
- Burial location
- Motherhouse Convent, Kolkata, India
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Ottoman Empire
India - Country (for map)
- North Macedonia
- Birthplace
- Skopje, Ottoman Empire
- Place of death
- Kolkata, India
- Cause of death
- malaria and heart failure
- Places of residence
- Kolkata, India
Rathfarnham, Ireland
Darjeeling, India - Occupations
- nun
administrator - Organizations
- Roman Catholic Church
Missionaries of Charity
Sisters of Lareto (1931) - Awards and honors
- Nobel Peace Prize (1979)
Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding (1969)
Pacem in Terris Award (1976)
Ramon Magsaysay Award (1962)
Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971)
Order of Australia (1982) (show all 12)
Order of Merit (1983)
Albania Golden Honour of the Nation (1994)
Balzan Prize (1978)
Albert Schweitzer International Prize (1975)
Gallup's List of Most Widely Admired People of the 20th Century (#1)
Templeton Prize (1973)
Members
Discussions
Mother Teresa to become saint in Catholic Tradition (March 2016)
Reviews
Everything Starts from Prayer: Mother Teresa's… by Mother Teresa
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.I loved Where there is Love, which was a collection of Mother Teresa's thoughts, so this was more of the same and just as wonderful. Even if not everything aligns with you or resonates with you, you will find something beautiful here.
There were some sections that touched me deeply and inspired me, and then other sections that I just felt like I was trudging through. Overall it was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to pause from the normalcy of self absorption and imagine a place where the needs of others are paramount.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.A beautiful and inspiring collection of Mother Teresa's words. Her thoughts will keep touching people of all walks of life and all cultures. Every entry is a blessing to the reader.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This book is a gem for anyone of any faith who is looking to deepen their relationship with God, no matter what name you use for Him. I was raised Catholic and now am a practicing Gaudiya Vaishnava, or what is colloquially known as a Hare Krishna. Here's one of my favorite of the prayers or quotes so far, "Some call him Ishwar, some call him Allah, some simply God, but we all have to acknowledge that it is He who made us for greater things: to love and be loved. What matters is that we love. We cannot love without prayer, and so whatever religion we are we must pray together." (p8)
I found this book deepening my faith in the Lord in so many ways. The prayers and thoughts of Saint Teresa are separated into themes that are very accessible:
*the need to pray *starting with silence *like a little child *opening your heart *ending in silence *the fruit of prayer. As I read, I kept pausing to take pictures of excerpts to share with friends or turning down the corners of the page for later reference. I can see myself using some of these quotes or prayers in paintings or writing them in cards when giving gifts to friends.
This is a book I will be keeping to reread many times especially when I need inspiration when it comes to deepening my prayer. I'm also looking forward to finding out which friends don't have this book so I can gift it to them.
Heartily recommend this book again for people of all faiths who are open to deepening their prayer and faith using the words of a saintly person.… (more)
I found this book deepening my faith in the Lord in so many ways. The prayers and thoughts of Saint Teresa are separated into themes that are very accessible:
*the need to pray *starting with silence *like a little child *opening your heart *ending in silence *the fruit of prayer. As I read, I kept pausing to take pictures of excerpts to share with friends or turning down the corners of the page for later reference. I can see myself using some of these quotes or prayers in paintings or writing them in cards when giving gifts to friends.
This is a book I will be keeping to reread many times especially when I need inspiration when it comes to deepening my prayer. I'm also looking forward to finding out which friends don't have this book so I can gift it to them.
Heartily recommend this book again for people of all faiths who are open to deepening their prayer and faith using the words of a saintly person.… (more)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 153
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 7,777
- Popularity
- #3,135
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 85
- ISBNs
- 325
- Languages
- 19
- Favorited
- 5
