Greetings!
Saint of the Week:
A Saint is often an ordinary person who has lived an extraordinary life of virtue and faith. As Catholics we should use these exemplars to inspire us in our daily lives.
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta - September 5
Although we can only refer to her as "Blessed", the December, 1973 cover of Time Magazine carried the title, "Messengers of Love and Hope, Living Saints" and a picture of Mother Teresa. She was born Agnes Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, a city in the Republic of Macedonia. Her father died when she was 10. She decided to be a religious person at 12, left home at 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto to become a missionary in India. Upon taking vows, she selected the name Teresa in honor of Teresa of Lisieux, the Patron Saint of Missionaries. After serving in the Loreto Order she had a mystical experience that would change her life. She said it was a calling from Jesus Christ to go into the streets of Calcutta and work with the poorest of the poor. She ministered to the poor and destitute for over 45 years. She became known as a humanitarian and received many awards for her work. She was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and donated the $192,000.00 award to the poor in India. She started the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and her organization has grown to 610 missions in 123 countries. When asked how we can bring peace to the world, she said, "Go home and love your family." After her death, she was beatified by Pope Paul II and given the title "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta".
This week pray a Rosary for the poor in her honor. Her feast day is September 5th.
I love Mother Teresa. She was always someone I could look to to follow as an example. Of course, I'll never be as truly Holy as she was, but I can try. Thank you for the very interesting and informative article.
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