The Life and Work of Mother Teresa Essay (Biography)
Vision of the society, contribution to the society, meaning of the historical figure, works cited.
The day when the world becomes free of all its issues will probably never come. However, it does not mean that one should give up all the aspirations to make it a better place. There are numerous examples of people doing small changes every day and changing the lives of others gradually. If every individual has made their responsibility and capability clear, then the task of making the world a better place for everyone would not seem to be impossible. The purpose of this essay is to consider the life and contribution of the most inspiring women of all times, Mother Teresa.
Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa, was born in today’s capital of North Macedonia, Skopje, in August 1910. However, the date of birth of Mother Teresa is still an issue of a robust discussion. Her parents were of Albanian descent, even though, back in 1910, an Albanian state did not exist yet. It was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912 when the Republic of Albania declared its independence. Although Mother Teresa was Albanian, she had not visited Albania until 1989 (Endresen 53). The reason for this was Albanian officials who refused to issue her a visa. Once the Communist regime fell, the problem solved itself. In her early years, Mother Teresa understood that her mission was to spread the love of Jesus Christ. When she was eighteen, she decided to join a Catholic congregation called “the Sisters of Loreto,” which sent missions to India. Having taken a mandatory training in Dublin, Mother Teresa went to India where she finally made her vows as a nun.
In Calcutta, Mother Teresa was teaching at the school from 1931 to 1948. During these years, she noticed that outside the walls of the convent, ordinary poor people were suffering a lot. This observation was an incentive that made Mother Teresa ask for permission from her congregation to devote herself to helping most marginalized people in Calcutta. First, she started an open-air school, but soon other people, who cared about vulnerable residents of Calcutta, joined her. In 1950, Mother Teresa founded her order called The Missionaries of Charity . Fifteen years after, the congregation received a decree of the Pope, which made the work of the order possible in other countries of the world. Overall, she was a well-respected person who committed herself to help less privileged people. She received such awards as the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian endeavors and contribution (Endresen 53).
Mother Teresa turned her entire life into a commitment to serve people and ease the sufferings of the most vulnerable ones. She saw the inequalities, but, compared to most people, she started to make her contribution to improving the lives of people living in misery all around the world. She is one of the few examples of human beings who sacrificed their lives for the common good. Mother Teresa was a person with a clear vision of how society should look like and what kind of experiences all people should be able to have. Her understanding of existing injustices was deep, profound, and non-hypocritical. From the early beginning of her independent activity, she made it clear for all the people working with her, that the conditions of living should be the same for both helpers and people in need of help.
Her vision was also clear in terms of differences between the societies in developed countries and developing ones. Mother Teresa was well aware of what problems were wide-spread in certain communities, so she kept her mind open to new issues and challenges. Her Charity was asked to come to help people in various corners of the world, so it can be argued with certainty that Mother Teresa was a citizen of the world, as she genuinely aspired to help people everywhere.
Due to her inspiring work, many women joined The Missionaries of Charity to serve the poorest of the poor. By the 1990s, there were established representations of the Charity in 123 countries of the world, including former Communist states such as Russia, Albania, etc. (Metaxas 112). She not only overcame the differences between wealthy societies of the Global North and South but also between two political blocks.
Mother Teresa also took up the initiatives on the issues neglected by others, even the government. For example, she opened a leaper asylum in Calcutta when there were more than 30 000 people afflicted with leprosy in Calcutta about whom nobody really cared. The government was not always on her side, so in the case of a leaper asylum, she was forced to evacuate all the patients. However, Mother Teresa wasn’t a person who would easily give up, she started a fundraising campaign, and when she accumulated enough resources, she founded a mobile leprosy clinic. Furthermore, Mother Teresa opened similar houses for people with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. She traveled to conflict-torn areas to rescue children and move them from demolished hospitals.
Mother Teresa was a good leader who skillfully conveyed her ideas to the general public all around the world. Even though she held strong beliefs in Catholicism, as she was a Catholic nun, her view overcame the borders of one religion and appealed to very different people from distant places of the Earth. Charisma was Mother Teresa’s gift from God as she couldn’t but attracted the attention of media from the very start of her career. In 1968, Malcolm Muggeridge decided to interview Mother Teresa for the BBC (Metaxas). Thanks to this interview on BBC, Mother Teresa obtained world fame.
Despite all the praising words about Mother Teresa, she received a lot of criticism during and after her lifetime. For example, even though the Catholic church recognized Mother Teresa as a saint, not every Catholic agreed with the decision. Some people believe that she had not done enough for the church as she didn’t try to convert people (Donohue). There is also an idea that such famous examples as Mother Teresa may discourage ordinary people from making their contribution in any form of charity (Morin et al.). However, considering Mother Teresa’s Charity from a humanitarian point of view, one can argue that human interests and life matter more than the benefits of any particular religion.
The work of mother Teresa has been inspiring for people all around the world. She is a classic example of a person who devoted her life to helping people in need. Mother Teresa contributed to the elevation of many people’s miseries daily. However, her way of life is not free of criticism, as there are many aspects in her work which could have been improved. What is clear in spite of all these ambiguities surrounding Mother Teresa’s figure is that her example will continue living on and encouraging people of the world to do better for themselves and people around them.
Donohue, Bill. Unmasking Mother Teresa’s Critics . Sophia Institute Press, 2016.
Endresen, Cecilie. “The Nation and the Nun: Mother Teresa, Albania’s Muslim Majority and the Secular State.” Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations , vol. 26, no. 1, 2015, pp. 53–74.
Metaxas, Eric. Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness . Thomas Nelson, 2015.
Morin, Amanda L., et al. “The Mother Teresa Effect: Counterproductive Effects of Touching an Altruist’s Possessions on Charitable Giving.” Current Psychology , vol. 34, no. 4, 2015, pp. 693-701.
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Short Essay on Mother Teresa [100, 200, 400 Words] With PDF
Mother Teresa was an eminent social worker and missionary from India. For her profound contribution to Indian society, she is still remembered even after so many years of her demise. In today’s session, you will learn to write an essay on Mother Teresa’s life.
Short Essay on Mother Teresa in 100 Words
Mother Teresa was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje, the Ottoman empire. She was religious since childhood and wanted to serve the poor and needy people. Mother Teresa left her home at the age of 18 and became a missionary. She arrived in Bengal, India in 1929 and began teaching at a convent school.
She loved teaching, but the poverty and the suffering of people around her pained her heart. She left the school in 1950 and went out to serve the people, the poorest of the poor, the hungry, naked and crippled. After decades of serving the people, she died on 5th September 1997, aged 87.
Short Essay on Mother Teresa in 200 Words
Mother Teresa was a great humanitarian worker. She was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje, the Ottoman empire, and was named Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was religious since childhood and was greatly inspired by the stories of missionaries who had served in Bengal, India. She arrived in Bengal, India in 1929 and started teaching in St. Teresa’s School near her convent. She took her first religious vows in 1931 and changed her name to Teresa.
Witnessing the poverty and suffering of the people around her, she was deeply affected. In 1950, she decided to leave her comfortable convent life and go out to serve the people in need. She gave up all the luxuries, took basic medical training, and started venturing into the slums of Calcutta. She began treating and caring for the poorest of the poor people, the hungry, naked and crippled, orphans, those suffering from diseases like HIV/AIDS and leprosy, and those unwanted and rejected by society.
After decades of serving people selflessly, Mother Teresa died on 5th September 1997, aged 87 in Calcutta, India. She was canonised in 2016 by Pope Francis in the Vatican City and is now known as St. Teresa of Calcutta. She will always be remembered as one of the kindest and most compassionate people who touched the lives of uncountable people.
Short Essay on Mother Teresa in 400 Words
Mother Teresa was one of the kindest and most compassionate human beings who touched the lives of uncountable people. She was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje, the Ottoman empire, and was named Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She was religious since childhood and was greatly inspired by the stories of missionaries who had served in Bengal, India.
At just 18 years of age, she left her home and travelled to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto and learn English with the intent of becoming a missionary. She arrived in Bengal, India in 1929 and began teaching at St. Teresa’s School near her convent. She took her first religious vows in 1931 and changed her name to Teresa.
Mother Teresa taught at the school for nearly two decades and was even appointed as the headmistress. However, witnessing the poverty and suffering of the people around her, she was deeply affected. In 1950, she finally decided to follow her inner calling and went out serving people in need, leaving her comfortable convent life.
She gave up all the luxuries, spent months getting basic medical training, and started venturing into the slums of Calcutta, treating and caring for the poorest of the poor people. She looked after the hungry, naked and crippled, the orphans and the old, people suffering from diseases like HIV/AIDS and leprosy.
She converted an old, abandoned temple into a home for the dying, where she cared for people on their deathbeds, providing for them and allowing them the opportunity to die with dignity. She later opened several orphanages, hospices, leper houses throughout India which provided help, medical care, shelter, and food to people in need.
Mother Teresa was recognised for her work both in India as well as in other countries. She received Padma Shri, Jawaharlal Nehru Award, and the highest civilian honour of all, the Bharat Ratna by the Indian government. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. Mother Teresa was granted several honorary citizenship and degrees as well as many civilian prizes for promoting peace and humanity.
After decades of serving people selflessly, Mother Teresa died on 5th September 1997, aged 87 in Calcutta, India. She received a state funeral from the Indian government and was laid to rest in The Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. She was canonised in 2016 by Pope Francis in the Vatican City and is now known as St. Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa will always be remembered as one of the greatest humanitarian workers.
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Mother Teresa Essay
500+ words essay on mother teresa.
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, famously known as Mother Teresa, was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje, which is in Macedonia now. Her father was Nikola Bojaxhiu, who was a simple businessman. When she was only eight years old, her father passed away. After that, all the responsibility of the family came onto her mother, Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Mother Teresa was the youngest child among her siblings. She was a beautiful, hardworking girl who was fond of singing. When she was 12, she realised that she would like to dedicate her life to serving people. When she was 18, she decided to join the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. Then she went to Ireland, where she learned English. She came to Calcutta from Ireland on 6th January 1929. This essay on Mother Teresa will help students to know about her life journey. They will get to know the contribution made by Mother Teresa to the welfare of society. Moreover, the Mother Teresa Essay helps students know the social work done by her and the different prizes with which her novel work was rewarded.
Mother Teresa was a disciplined teacher, and students used to love her a lot. She was deeply involved in teaching. But the suffering and poverty around her made her impatient. In 1943, many people died in Calcutta because of starvation. In 1947, due to Hindu-Muslim riots, the situation in the city of Calcutta worsened. In 1946, she decided to serve the helpless and the poorest people in Calcutta throughout the rest of her life. After this, she completed the requisite nursing training at the Holy Family Hospital in Pune. In 1948, she came back to Calcutta and from there, for the first time, she went to Taltala. At Taltala, she took care of patients and helpless people. Gradually, she attracted people through her selfless work. The Prime Minister of India also recognised her work.
Initially, Mother Teresa found her work very tough. She had already left Loreto, so she did not have money; she had to get help from others for her bread and butter. On 7th October 1950, she got permission from the Vatican to open Missionaries of Charity. The purpose of these institutes is to help people who do not have any place in society. Mother Teresa opened an ashram named Nirmal Hriday and Nirmala Shishu Bhavan. The purpose of Nirmal Hriday was to help patients and the poor who had been boycotted from society. The purpose of Nirmala Shishu Bhawan was to help orphans and homeless children. She was awarded “Padma Shri” in 1962 and the highest civilian award, “Bharat Ratna”, in 1980 by the Government of India.
Mother Teresa’s work has been recognised throughout the world. She has been recognised and awarded many prizes for her work internationally. The United States of America awarded her the Medal of Freedom in 1985. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for helping the poor and helpless. Mother Teresa decided to use the prize money of one lakh and ninety-two thousand US dollars to help the poor and helpless people in India. She was awarded the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971 and the Nehru Prize for promoting peace and understanding in 1972. She suffered from heart and kidney problems for many years. In 1997, when her condition worsened, she resigned from the post of Chief of Missionaries of Charity. She died on 5th September 1997 in Calcutta.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Mother Teresa Essay
How did mother teresa change the world.
Mother Teresa changed the world through her various humanitarian efforts and showed everyone the true meaning of charity.
How did Mother Teresa contribute to society?
Mother Teresa dedicated her life to the service of mankind, and she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation, to help the poor and sick people.
Why is it necessary for young children to know about charity?
Providing service to the underprivileged section of people and helping the needy and poverty-stricken community is one of the most important qualities which children should imbibe. These practices help our country to become a better place to live in.
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