The Missionaries of Charity, a congregation in Kolkata, offered prayers in memory of its founder, Mother Teresa, on her 112th birth anniversary on Friday. Sisters belonging to the Mother’s House sang hymns and offered prayers in remembrance of the saint near her tomb.
Serving Archbishop Thomas D’Souza said, “This is the celebration of a great person and her every birthday is a celebration for the life of all. It is for the gift of life, and this life is given to us so that we can make a gift to others. “
“Pope Francis said that rivers do not drink their own water, trees do not eat their own fruit, the sun does not shine on itself, and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature, and Mother lived this life. She lived to protect and promote the life of the poor, so this is the celebration to live the life for God and for others,” he added.
A visitor from Spain, James, said, “We are really happy to be here as we are celebrating our mother’s birthday. I have been following her since my childhood. We have missionaries all over the world, but being here is a feeling of joy.”
Born into a family of ethnic Albanians in Skopje in 1910, Teresa left her home at the age of 18 and later joined the ‘Sisters of Loreto’ located in Ireland’s Rathfarnham.
Mother Teresa, whose actual name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, moved to India in the late 1920s and taught history and geography for 15 long years at Calcutta’s St Mary’s High School.
In 1948, Teresa decided to leave the church and adopted a lifestyle in the slums to aid the poor and the needy in Kolkata. In 1950, she laid the foundation stone of the Roman Catholic religious congregation, which is now popularly known as the Missionaries of Charity.
Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She urged the jury to contribute the prize money of USD 192,000 to help the poor people of India.