MISSION IN CALCUTTA

In Calcutta, Sister Teresa went in the slums and the streets, talked to the poor and assisted them. All she had was a piece of soap and five roepies. She helped to wash the babies and cleaned the wounds. Soon, she taught the poor children how to read, write, wash and had hygiene.

She slept with the Sisters of the Poor. God is her great refuge for strength and material support. He was what she found the right medicine, clothes, food and a place to receive the poor to be able to help them.

Sister Teresa prayed fervently for more vocations to the Lord and to Our Lady. There was a lot of work. The sisters raised early in the morning, prayed a long time, had adoration and attended mass to find in their spiritual life the strength to do the material work in the service of the poor. A certain Mister Gomes offered the top floor of his house to Sister Teresa for her first community. This was also the year when Sister Teresa took the Indian nationality. 

In 1952, Mother Teresa opened the Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for the dying Destitutes in Kolkata. While the society grew in work and number Mother kept praying for vocations and the work kept growing. The society was very much alive and moving. She eventually extended her work to many other parts of the world. Mother Teresa went all over the world to help people, rescued children, advised her sisters; to organize and held talks. More and more she was asked to address words to a group of sometimes 'ordinary' sometimes very exquisite crowds. In spite of the fact that her message is often the same, can be captured in few sentences and that she certainly has many times a quite "traditional" point of view, she is listened to carefully. In spite of her age she continues to search means to help the poor people all over the world and she helps with the means she has. In every continent, even in Russia her sisters are present in their service to the lost, for the love of Jesus.

In 1963, the Indian government awarded Mother Teresa the Padmashri ("Lord of Lotus") for her services to the people in India. In 1964, Pope Paul VI gave her his ceremonial limousine, which Mother Teresa immediately raffled to finance her leper colony. In 1968, she was summoned to Rome to found a home there, staffed primarily with Indian nuns. in recognition of her apostolate, she was honoured on January 6, 1971, by Pope Paul, who awarded her the first pope john XXIII Peace Prize.

For over 50 years, Mother Teresa worked selflessly helping the poor.

In the late 1970s, the Missionaries of Charity operated more than 200 worldwide centres, including foundations in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Jordan, Venezuela, Great Britain and Australia.