short speech of mother teresa

• Publisher: Catholic World Report
• Alternate: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/social_justice/sj0004.html

This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.

Please show your appreciation by making a $3 donation . CERC is entirely reader supported.

Meaghen Gonzalez Editor

Acknowledgement

See the latest CERC E-Letter

Interested in keeping Up to date?

Sign up for our weekly e-letter, find this article helpful.

Our apostolate relies on your donations. Your gifts are tax deductible in the United States and Canada.

Donate $5.00  (USD)

Donate Monthly $5.00  (USD)

Donate Monthly $13.00  (USD)

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Mother Teresa was ardently prolife.

Text of Mother M. Teresa’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech given in Oslo, Norway on 11th December, 1979.

Nobel peace prize, 11 december, 1979.

As we have gathered here together to thank God for the Nobel Peace Prize I think it will be beautiful that we pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi which always surprises me very much. We pray this prayer every day after Holy Communion, because it is very fitting for each one of us, and I always wonder that 400-500 years ago when St. Francis of Assisi composed this prayer, they had the same difficulties that we have today, as we compose this prayer that fits very nicely for us also. I think some of you already have got it – so we will pray together.

Let us thank God for the opportunity that we all have together today, for this gift of peace that reminds us that we have been created to live that peace, and that Jesus became man to bring that good news to the poor. He, being God, became man in all things like us except sin, and he proclaimed very clearly that he had come to give the good news.

The news was peace to all of good will and this is something that we all want – the peace of heart. And God loved the world so much that he gave his son – it was a giving; it is as much as if to say it hurt God to give, because he loved the world so much that he gave his son, and he gave him to the Virgin Mary, and what did she do with him?

As soon as he came in her life – immediately she went in haste to give that good news, and as she came into the house of her cousin, the child – the unborn child – the child in the womb of Elizabeth, leapt with joy. He was that little unborn child, was the first messenger of peace. He recognized the Prince of Peace, he recognized that Christ has come to bring the good news for you and for me. And as if that was not enough – it was not enough to become a man – he died on the cross to show that greater love, and he died for you and for me and for that leper and for that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street not only of Calcutta, but of Africa, and New York, and London, and Oslo – and insisted that we love one another as he loves each one of us. And we read that in the Gospel very clearly: “love as I have loved you; as I love you; as the Father has loved me I love you.” And the harder the Father loved him, he gave him to us, and how much we love one another, we too must give each other until it hurts.

It is not enough for us to say: “I love God, but I do not love my neighbor.” St John says you are liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live. And so this is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt.

It hurt Jesus to love us. It hurt him. And to make sure we remember his great love he made himself bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love - our hunger for God - because we have been created for that love. We have been created in his image.  We have been created to love and be loved, and he has become man to make it possible for us to love as he loved us. He makes himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, the sick one, the one in prison, the lonely one, the unwanted one, and he says: “You did it to me.” He is hungry for our love, and this is the hunger of our poor people. This is the hunger that you and I must find, it may be in our own home.

I never forget an opportunity I had in visiting a home where they had all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them in an institution and forgotten, maybe. And I went there, and I saw in that home they had everything, beautiful things, but everybody was looking towards the door. And I did not see a single one with their smile on their face. And I turned to the sister and I asked: How is that? How is it that these people who have everything here, why are they all looking towards the door, why are they not smiling?

I am so used to see the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And she said: “This is nearly every day. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten.” And see – this is where love comes. That poverty comes right there in our own home, even neglect to love. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried, and these are difficult days for everybody. Are we there? Are we there to receive them?  Is the mother there to receive the child?

I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given into drugs, and I tried to find out why. Why is it like that?  And the answer was: “Because there is no one in the family to receive them.” Father and mother are so busy they have no time. Young parents are in some institution and the child goes back to the street and gets involved in something. We are talking of peace. These are things that break peace.

But I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today in abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing, direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: “Even if a mother could forget her child, I will not forget you. I have carved you in the palm of my hand.” We are carved in the palm of his hand, so close to him, that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget, something impossible – but even if she could forget – I will not forget you.

And today the greatest means the greater destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here – our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us.

Our children, we want them, we love them. But what of the other millions. Many people are very, very concerned with children in India, with the children of Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.

And this I appeal in India, I appeal everywhere – “Let us bring the child back” - and this year being the child’s year: What have we done for the child? At the beginning of the year I told, I spoke everywhere and I said: Let us ensure this year that we make every single child born, and unborn, wanted. And today is the end of the year. Have we really made the children wanted?

I will tell you something terrifying. We are fighting abortion by adoption. We have saved thousands of lives. We have sent works to all the clinics, to the hospitals, police stations: “Please don’t destroy the child; we will take the child.” So every hour of the day and night there is always somebody - we have quite a number of unwedded mother – tell them: “Come, we will take care of you, we will take the child from you, and we will get a home for the child.” And we have a tremendous demand from families who have no children, that is the blessing of God for us. And also, we are doing another thing which is very beautiful – we are teaching our beggars, our leprosy patients, our slum dwellers, our people of the street, natural family planning.

And in Calcutta alone in six years – it is all in Calcutta – we have had 61,273 babies less from the families who would have had them because they practice this natural way of abstaining, of self-control, out of love for each other. We teach them the temperature method which is very beautiful, very simple. And our poor people understand. And you know what they have told me? “Our family is healthy, our families united, and we can have a baby whenever we want”. So clear – those people in the street, those beggars – and I think that if our people can do like that how much more you and all the others who can know the ways and means without destroying the life that God has created in us.

The poor people are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. The other day one of them came to thank us and said: “You people who have vowed chastity your are the best people to teach us family planning. Because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other.” And I think they said a beautiful sentence. And these are people who maybe have nothing to eat, maybe they have not a home where to live, but they are great people.

The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. And I told the sisters: “You take care of the other three, I will take care of this one that looks worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: “thank you” – and she died.

I could not help but examine my conscience before her. And I asked: “What would I say if I was in her place?” And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said: “I am hungry, I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain”, or something. But she gave me much more – she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face - like that man whom we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home: “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.” And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything.  Like an angel – this is the greatness of our people.

And that is why we believe what Jesus has said: “I was hungry, I was naked, I was homeless, I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for - and you did it to me.”

I believe that we are not really social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people. But we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ 24 hours. We have 24 hours in this presence, and so you and I. You too try to bring that presence of God into your family, for the family that prays together stays together. And I think that we in our family, we don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace – just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world. There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty – how much we do does not matter, because he is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving.

Some time ago in Calcutta we had great difficulty in getting sugar. And I don’t know how the word got around to the children, and a little boy of four years old, a Hindu boy, went home and told his parents: “I will not eat sugar for three days, I will give my sugar to Mother Teresa for her children.” After three days his father and mother brought him to our house. I had never met them before, and this little one could scarcely pronounce my name. But he knew exactly what he had come to do. He knew that he wanted to share his love.

And this is why I have received such a lot of love from you all. From the time that I have come here I have simply been surrounded with love, and with real, real understanding love. I could feel as if everyone in India. Everyone in Africa is somebody very special to you. And I felt quite at home I was telling Sister today. I feel in the convent with the sisters as if I am in Calcutta with my own sisters. So completely at home her, right here.

And so here I am talking with you – I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people. And find out about your next-door neighbor. Do you know who they are?

I had the most extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who had eight children. A gentleman came to our house and said: “Mother Teresa, there is a family with eight children, they had not eaten for so long, do something.” So I took some rice and I went there immediately. And I saw the children – their eyes shining with hunger – I don’t know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And she took the rice, she divided the rice, and she went out. When she came back I asked her: “Where did you go, what did you do?” And she gave me a very simple answer: “They are hungry also.” What struck me most was that she knew – and who are they? a Muslim family – and she knew. I didn’t bring more rice that evening because I wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing.

But there was those children, radiating joy, sharing the joy with their mother because she had the love to give. And you see this is where love begins – at home. And I want you – and I am very grateful for what I have received. It has been a tremendous experience and I go back to India – I will be back by next week, the 15th I hope – and I will be able to bring your love.

And I know well that you have not given from your abundance, but you have given until it has hurt you. Today the little children, they have – I was so surprised – there is so much joy for the children that are hungry. That the children like themselves will need love and care and tenderness, like they get so much from their parents.

So let us thank God that we have had this opportunity to come to know each other, and this knowledge of each other has brought us very close. And we will be able to help the children of the whole world, because as you know our sisters are all over the world. And with this Prize that I have received as a Prize of Peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people that have no home, because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor – I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace, be the good news to the poor. The poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world.

To be able to do this, our sisters, our lives have to be woven with prayer: They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because today there is so much suffering – and I feel that the passion of Christ is being relived all over again. Are we there to share that passion, to share that suffering of people - around the world, not only in the poor countries. But I found the poverty of the West so much more difficult to remove.

When I pick up a person from the street, hungry I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied.  I have removed that hunger. But a person that is shut out, that feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person that has been thrown out from society – that poverty is so hurtful and so much, and I find that very difficult. Our sisters are working amongst that kind of people in the West.

So you must pray for us that we may be able to be that good news, but we cannot do that without you. You have to do that here in your country. You must come to know the poor. Maybe our people here have material things, everything, but I think that if we all look into our own homes, how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each other, and that smile is the beginning of love.

And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other, naturally we want to do something. So you pray for our sisters and for me and for our Brothers, and for our co-workers that are around the world. That we may remain faithful to the gift of God, to love Him and serve Him in the poor together with you. What we have done we should not have been able to do if you did not share with your prayers, with your gifts, this continual giving. But I don’t want you to give me from your abundance. I want that you give me until it hurts.

The other day I received 15 dollars from, a man who has been on his back for twenty years, and the only part that he can move is his right hand. And the only companion that he enjoys is smoking. And he said to me: “I do not smoke for one week, and I send you this money.” It must have been a terrible sacrifice for him, but see how beautiful, how he shared. And with that money I bought bread and I gave to those who are hungry with a joy on both sides. He was giving and the poor were receiving.

This is something that you and I - it is a gift of God to us to be able to share our love with others. And let it be able to share our love with others. And let it be as it was for Jesus. Let us love one another as he loved us. Let us love Him with undivided love. And the joy of loving Him and each other – let us give now – that Christmas is coming so close.

Let us keep that joy of loving Jesus in our hearts. And share that joy with all that we come in contact with. That radiating joy is real, for we have no reason not to be happy because we have Christ with us. Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor we meet, Christ in the smile that we give and the smile that we receive. Let us make that one point: That no child will be unwanted, and also that we meet each other always with a smile, especially when it is difficult to smile.

I never forget some time ago about 14 professors came from the United States from different universities. And they came to Calcutta to our house. Then we were talking about that they had been to the home for the dying. (We have a home for the dying in Calcutta, where we have picked up more than 36,000 people only from the streets of Calcutta, and out of that big number more than 18,000 have died a beautiful death.  They have just gone home to God) And they came to our house and we talked of love, of compassion. And then one of them asked me: “Say, Mother, please tell us something that we will remember.” And I said to them: “Smile at each other, make time for each other in our family.  Smile at each other.”

And then another one asked me: “Are you married?” And I said: “Yes, and I find it sometimes very difficult to smile at Jesus because be can be very demanding sometimes.” This is really something true, and there is where love comes - when it is demanding, and yet we can give it to Him with joy.

Just as I have said today, I have said that if I don’t go to Heaven for anything else I will be going to Heaven for all the publicity because it has purified me and sacrificed me and made me really ready to go to Heaven.

I think that this is something, that we must live life beautifully, we have Jesus with us and He loves us. If we could only remember that God loves us, and we have an opportunity to love others as he loves us, not in big things, but in small things with great love, then Norway becomes a nest of love. And how beautiful it will be that from here a center for peace from war has been given. That from here the joy of life of the unborn child comes out. If you become a burning light in the world, then really the Nobel Prize is a gift of the Norwegian people. God bless you!

Mother Teresa Center

3835 National Avenue

San Diego, CA 92113, USA

[email protected]

www.motherteresainstitute.org

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

Mother Teresa

By: History.com Editors

Published: February 26, 2024

Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun and founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, an organization that serves the poorest of the world’s population. An ethnic Albanian, born in what is now Macedonia, she lived and worked in India for nearly seven decades and became a citizen of that country. Her dedication to helping the poorest and sickest communities in Kolkata (then Calcutta) earned Mother Teresa widespread fame and numerous honors, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.

Childhood and Move to India

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in what is now Skopje, North Macedonia; at the time it was part of the Ottoman Empire. Her family was of Albanian descent; her father, a reasonably successful merchant, died when she was just eight years old. After his death, the family struggled financially, but her mother instilled in young Agnes the importance of leading a Christian life and serving the less fortunate.

At the age of 12, Agnes first felt a calling to become a nun and devote her life to God. She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish Catholic order with missions in India. She received training near Dublin, where she began learning English, before traveling to Kolkata (then known as Calcutta), India in late 1928. She took her first vows as a nun in May 1931, and received a new name: Teresa, after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. In 1937, when she took her final vows, she became known as Mother Teresa.

'Call Within a Call'

From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography, history and catechism at St. Mary’s High School in Kolkata. She learned Bengali and Hindi, and eventually became the school’s principal. She also regularly visited the city’s slums and saw how suffering increased there during the devastating famine in 1943, which killed hundreds of thousands of people in India’s Bengal province.

In September 1946, Mother Teresa experienced what she described as a “call within a call” while riding on a train within India. In response, she sought and received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and live and work in the slums among the city’s sickest and poorest residents. With this move, Mother Teresa began wearing what would become her trademark garb: a white sari with a blue border, later adopted as the habit for the other nuns who worked alongside her.

The Order of the Missionaries of Charity 

In 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See to found her own order, the Missionaries of Charity. The order’s purpose was to help the poor while living among them, sharing their experience and treating them with kindness, compassion and empathy, but never pity. Mother Teresa and those who joined her order built various facilities as an open-air school, housing for orphan children, nursing homes for lepers and hospices for terminally ill patients.

Mother Teresa’s order expanded over the years to serve communities outside Kolkata, and in 1965, received permission from Pope Paul VI to expand internationally. It opened its first center in the United States in 1971 in New York City, and would eventually reach around 90 countries.

As her work earned her international renown, Mother Teresa was awarded honors including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize (1971) and the Nehru Prize for her promotion of international peace and understanding (1972). In 1975, she was featured on the cover of TIME magazine and called one of the world’s “living saints.”

Nobel Peace Prize and Criticism

In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what the prize committee cited as her “work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress in the world, which also constitute a threat to peace.” By that time, the Missionaries of Charity included more than 1,800 nuns and 120,000 lay workers, working in more than 80 centers in India and more than 100 other centers internationally. The following year, the Indian government awarded Mother Teresa the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honor.

Despite her numerous honors and widespread fame and admiration, Mother Teresa became a target of criticism as well. She held hard-line conservative views against divorce, contraception and abortion , as well as highly traditional views about the role of women in society. Some critics cast doubt on the level of hygiene and care at some of her order’s facilities; others accused her of trying to convert the people she served to Christianity.

Declining Health, Death and Sainthood 

After suffering a heart attack in 1989, Mother Teresa attempted to resign as head of the Missionaries of Charity but was returned to that office by a nearly unanimous vote; hers was the only dissent. In 1997, her worsening health forced her permanent retirement, and the order chose an Indian-born nun, Sister Nirmala, to replace her. Mother Teresa suffered cardiac arrest and died on September 5, 1997, in Kolkata, just days after her 87th birthday.

As the world mourned Mother Teresa’s death, Pope John Paul II issued a special dispensation to speed the process of her canonization, or becoming a saint. In 2003, he beatified Mother Teresa after an Indian woman attributed her recovery from stomach cancer to Mother Teresa’s intercession, which the Vatican recognized as a miracle.

Twelve years later, the Holy See recognized a second miracle, after a Brazilian man recovered from a life-threatening brain infection after his family prayed to Mother Teresa. In September 2016, Pope Francis I officially declared Mother Teresa a saint 19 years after her death—a markedly fast pace for modern times.

“She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created,” the Pope said in the canonization ceremony, held in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City .

Mother Teresa - Biographical. The Nobel Prize .

Eric Pace, “Mother Teresa, Hope of the Despairing, Dies at 87.” The New York Times , September 6, 1997.

Kathryn Spink. Mother Teresa: A Complete Authorized Biography , (Harper Collins, 1997).

Elisabetta Povoledo, “Mother Teresa Is Made a Saint by Pope Francis.” The New York Times , September 3, 2016.

Mallika Kapur and Sugam Pokharel, “‘Troubled individual:’ Mother Teresa no saint to her critics.” CNN , September 4, 2016.

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Introduction

• Chapter 1: Humanistic Thinking
• Deep Comprehension
• Literature Toolkit
• Poetry Toolkit
• Visual Art Toolkit
• Music Toolkit
• Critical Analysis
• Elements of Critical Analysis
• Analyzing Arguments
• Identifying Fallacies
• Meaningful Contribution
• Chapter 2: Growth, Obstacles, and Grit
• The Garden of Eden
• "Paradise Lost" by John Milton
• "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley
• Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare
• "Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee," Rembrandt van Rijn
• Chapter 3: Individual, Collective, and Identity
• Republic, Plato
• Apology, Plato
• The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle
• "Misery" by Anton Chekhov
• "I am!" by John Clare
• "Good Friday" by Christina Rossetti
• "On a Columnar Self" by Emily Dickinson
• "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" by Édouard Manet
• "Melancholy" by Edvard Munch
• Chapter 4: Time, Memory, and Impermanence
• "Now I Become Myself" by May Sarton
• "The World is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth
• "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth
• "Loveliest of Trees" by A. E. Houseman
• "Impression, Sunrise" by Claude Monet
• "The Unanswered Question" by Charles Ives
• Byzantine Iconoclasm
• Christ as the Good Shepherd from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
• The Lamentation from the Church of Saint Panteleimon
• The Christ Pantocrator from St. Catherine's Monastery
• Apse Semi-Dome of the Basilica of Sant'Appolinare
• The Crucifixion of St. Catherine's Monastery
• The Holy Doors Diptych: Annunciation from St. Catherine's Monastery
• Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George from St. Catherine's Monastery
• Emperor Justinian Mosaic from San Vitale
• Ontological Exploration on Virtue 1
• Chapter 5: Life, Death, and Loss
• "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
• "To Autumn" by John Keats
• "When I am dead, my dearest" by Christina Rossetti
• "To Be or Not to Be," Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred Lord Tennyson
• "Death, be not proud" by John Donne
• Kindertotenlieder, Gustav Mahler
• Chapter 6: Faith, Knowledge, and Inquiry
• An Overview of the Trial of Galileo
• Scriptural References
• Selected Letters
• Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei
• The Conservative Judge
• The Liberal Judge
• The Conflicted Leader
• The Diplomat
• The Scientist
• "Disciple-Scholars" by Neal A Maxwell
• Chapter 7: Freedom, Law, and Responsibility
• Declaration of Independence
• Declaration of the Rights of Man
• Of the State of Nature by John Locke
• The American Crisis by Thomas Paine
• The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key
• The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus
• "Nuns Fret Not at their Convent's Narrow Room" by William Wordsworth
• High Waving Heather by Emily Jane Brontë
• Four Freedoms by Norman Rockwell
• Napoleon on His Imperial Throne by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
• Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 by Ludwig von Beethoven "Eroica"
• Ontological Exploration on Virtue 2
• Chapter 8: Truth, Error, and Perception
• Republic by Plato
• Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzche
• Truth—Is as Old as God— by Emily Dickinson
• XXVIII "Truth," Said a Traveler by Stephen Crane
• All is Truth by Walt Whitman
• A Legend of Truth by Rudyard Kipling
• Sonnet 138 by William Shakespeare
• Madonna and Child by Carlo Crivelli
• Vexierbilder by Erhard Schön
• The Madison Avenue Beat by Lester Lanin
• Chapter 9: Strength, Humility, and Meekness

Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech by Mother Teresa

• "I have a dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• We Shall Fight on the Beaches, Winston Churchill
• "Quit India" by Mahatma Gandhi
• The Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vasari
• Heiligenstadt Testament, Ludwig van Beethoven
• "Night Cafe in Arles" by Vincent Van Gogh
• Your Elusive Creative Genius by Elizabeth Gilbert
• "Pietà" by Michelangelo Buonarroti
• Translations

Choose a Sign-in Option

Tools and Settings

Questions and Tasks

Citation and Embed Code

Mother Teresa, the humble nun from Calcutta, India, known worldwide for her selfless service to the poor and destitute, stood before an international audience to accept the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1979. In her acceptance speech, Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, echoed the prayer of St.   Francis of Assisi, calling for peace, love, forgiveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy.   She emphasized the importance of seeing God in each other and serving the hungry, the naked, and the homeless - not just those physically so, but also those hungry for love, those naked of human dignity, and those homeless for being forgotten. Ultimately, it is a call to action, a plea for compassion, and a manifesto of love. It is a testament to Mother Teresa’s unwavering faith and her commitment to the service of humanity. As we read her words, let us be inspired to spread love and peace in our own ways, just as she did.

Let us all together thank God for this beautiful occasion where we can all together proclaim the joy of spreading peace, the joy of loving one another and the joy acknowledging that the poorest of the poor are our brothers and sisters.

As we have gathered here to thank God for this gift of peace, I have given you all the prayer for peace that St Francis of Assisi prayed many years ago, and I wonder he must have felt the need what we feel today to pray for. I think you have all got that paper? We’ll say it together.

Lord, make me a channel of your peace, that where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that where there is error, I may bring truth; that where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that where there is despair, I may bring hope; that where there are shadows, I may bring light; that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; to understand, than to be understood; to love, than to be loved. For it is by forgetting self, that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying, that one awakens to eternal life. Amen.

God loved the world so much that he gave his son and he gave him to a virgin, the blessed virgin Mary, and she, the moment he came in her life, went in haste to give him to others. And what did she do then? She did the work of the handmaid, just so. Just spread that joy of loving to service. And Jesus Christ loved you and loved me and he gave his life for us, and as if that was not enough for him, he kept on saying: Love as I have loved you, as I love you now, and how do we have to love, to love in the giving. For he gave his life for us. And he keeps on giving, and he keeps on giving right here everywhere in our own lives and in the lives of others.

It was not enough for him to die for us, he wanted that we loved one another, that we see him in each other, that’s why he said: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

And to make sure that we understand what he means, he said that at the hour of death we are going to be judged on what we have been to the poor, to the hungry, naked, the homeless, and he makes himself that hungry one, that naked one, that homeless one, not only hungry for bread, but hungry for love, not only naked for a piece of cloth, but naked of that human dignity, not only homeless for a room to live, but homeless for that being forgotten, been unloved, uncared, being nobody to nobody, having forgotten what is human love, what is human touch, what is to be loved by somebody, and he says: Whatever you did to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.

It is so beautiful for us  to become holy to this love, for holiness is not a luxury of the few, it is a simple duty for each one of us, and through this love we can become holy. To this love for one another and today when I have received this reward, I personally am most unworthy, and I having avowed poverty to be able to understand the poor, I choose the poverty of our people. But I am grateful and I am very happy to receive it in the name of the hungry, of the naked, of the homeless, of the crippled, of the blind, of the leprous, of all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared, thrown away of the society, people who have become a burden to the society, and are ashamed by everybody.

In their name I accept the award. And I am sure this award is going to bring an understanding love between the rich and the poor. And this is what Jesus has insisted so much, that is why Jesus came to earth, to proclaim the good news to the poor.  And through this award and through all of us gathered here together, we are wanting to proclaim the good news to the poor that God loves them, that we love them, that they are somebody to us, that they too have been created by the same loving hand of God, to love and to be loved. Our poor people are great people, are very lovable people, they don’t need our pity and sympathy, they need our understanding love. They need our respect; they need that we treat them with dignity. And I think this is the greatest poverty that we experience, that we have in front of them who may be dying for a piece of bread, but they die to such dignity. I never forget when I brought a man from the street. He was covered with maggots; his face was the only place that was clean. And yet that man, when we brought him to our home for the dying, he said just one sentence: I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, love and care, and he died beautifully. He went home to God, for dead is nothing but going home to God. And he having enjoyed that love, that being wanted, that being loved, that being somebody to somebody at the last moment, brought that joy in his life.

And I feel one thing I want to share with you all, the greatest destroyer of peace today is the cry of the innocent unborn child. For if a mother can murder her own child in her own womb, what is left for you and for me to kill each other? Even in the scripture it is written: Even if mother could forget her child – I will not forget you – I have carved you in the palm of my hand. Even if mother could forget, but today millions of unborn children are being killed. And we say nothing. In the newspapers you read numbers of this one and that one being killed, this being destroyed, but nobody speaks of the millions of little ones who have been conceived to the same life as you and I, to the life of God, and we say nothing, we allow it. To me the nations who have legalized abortion, they are the poorest nations. They are afraid of the little one, they are afraid of the unborn child, and the child must die because they don’t want to feed one more child, to educate one more child, the child must die.

And here I ask you, in the name of these little ones, for it was that unborn child that recognized the presence of Jesus when Mary came to visit Elizabeth, her cousin. As we read in the gospel, the moment Mary came into the house, the little one in the womb of his mother, leapt with joy, recognized the Prince of Peace. And so today, let us here make a strong resolution, we are going to save every little child, every unborn child, give them a chance to be born. And what we  are doing, we are fighting abortion by adoption, and the good God has blessed the work so beautifully that we have saved thousands of children, and thousands of children have found a home where they are loved, they are wanted, they are cared. We have brought so much joy in the homes that there was not a child, and so today, I ask His Majesties here before you all who come from different countries, let us all pray that we have the courage to stand by the unborn child, and give the child an opportunity to love and to be loved, and I think with God’s grace we will be able to bring peace in the world. We have an opportunity here in Norway, you are with God’s blessing, you are well to do. But I am sure in the families and many of our homes, maybe we are not hungry for a piece of bread, but maybe there is somebody there in the family who is unwanted, unloved, uncared, forgotten, there isn’t love. Love begins at home. And love to be true has to hurt. I never forget a little child who taught me a very beautiful lesson. They heard in Calcutta, the children, that Mother Teresa had no sugar for her children, and this little one, Hindu boy four years old, he went home and he told his parents: I will not eat sugar for three days, I will give my sugar to Mother Teresa. How much a little child can give. After three days they brought into our house, and there was this little one who could scarcely pronounce my name, he loved with great love, he loved until it hurt. And this is what I bring before you, to love one another until it hurts, but don’t forget that there are many children, many children, many men and women who haven’t got what you have. And remember to love them until it hurts. Sometime ago, this to you will sound very strange, but I brought a girl child from the street, and I could see in the face of the child that the child was hungry. God knows how many days that she had not eaten. So I give her a piece of bread. And then the little one started eating the bread crumb by crumb. And I said to the child, eat the bread, eat the bread. And she looked at me and said: I am afraid to eat the bread because I’m afraid when it is finished I will be hungry again. This is a reality, and yet there is a greatness of the poor. One evening a gentleman came to our house and said, there is a Hindu family and the eight children have not eaten for a long time. Do something for them. And I took rice and I went immediately, and there was this mother, those little ones’ faces, shining eyes from sheer hunger. She took the rice from my hand, she divided into two and she went out. When she came back, I asked her, where did you go? What did you do? And one answer she gave me: They are hungry also. She knew that the next door neighbor, a Muslim family, was hungry.

What surprised me most, not that she gave the rice, but what surprised me most, that in her suffering, in her hunger, she knew that somebody else was hungry, and she had the courage to share, share the love. And this is what I mean, I want you to love the poor, and never turn your back to the poor, for in turning your back to the poor, you are turning it to Christ. For he had made himself the hungry one, the naked one, the homeless one, so that you and I have an opportunity to love him, because where is God? How can we love God? It is not enough to say to my God I love you, but my God, I love you here. I can enjoy this, but I give up. I could eat that sugar, but I give that sugar. If I stay here the whole day and the whole night, you would be surprised of the beautiful things that people do, to share the joy of giving. And so, my prayer for you is that truth will bring prayer in our homes, and the fruit of prayer will be that we believe that in the poor, it is Christ. And if we really believe, we will begin to love. And if we love, naturally, we will try to do something. First in our own home, our next door neighbor, in the country we live, in the whole world. And let us all join in that one prayer, God give us courage to protect the unborn child, for the child is the greatest gift of God to a family, to a nation and to the whole world. God bless you!

Reflection Questions

• How does Mother Teresa’s emphasis on seeing God in each other influence your understanding of service to others?
• In what ways does Mother Teresa’s speech challenge our understanding of poverty and need?
• How does Mother Teresa’s reference to the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi resonate with her message of peace and love?
• What does Mother Teresa’s speech reveal about her personal beliefs and values?

This content is provided to you freely by BYU Open Learning Network.

Access it online or download it at https://open.byu.edu/new/nobel_prize_acceptance_speech_by_mother_teresa .

Have You Watched Mother Teresa’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech?

by Garrett Johnson Faith & Life , Prayer , Saints , St. Mother Teresa , Testimonies , World's View

In 1985 at the UN headquarters in New York, Mother Teresa was introduced by the UN secretary of the time, Javier Perez of Cuellar, as “the most powerful woman in the world” . How can this be said of a woman who dedicated her life to the least powerful (at least in the eyes of the world)?

Let’s be clear: saints change the world. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say:  only saints  really  change the world.

A life that allows itself to be completely touched by the transforming love of Christ is one that challenges people, questions them, inspires them and is perhaps the only kind that can unite a room full of Christians, Muslims, agnostics, Buddhists, atheists, etc, in a prayer for peace. Christ has given all of us this power. The world is depending on us to use it.

Mother Teresa’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

Transcript of Mother Teresa’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

Let us all together thank God for this beautiful occasion where we can all together proclaim the joy of spreading peace, the joy of loving one another and the joy acknowledging that the poorest of the poor are our brothers and sisters.

As we have gathered here to thank God for this gift of peace, I have given you all the prayer for peace that St Francis of Assisi prayed many years ago, and I wonder he must have felt the need what we feel today to pray for. I think you have all got that paper? We’ll say it together.

Lord, make me a channel of your peace, that where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that where there is error, I may bring truth; that where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that where there is despair, I may bring hope; that where there are shadows, I may bring light; that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted; to understand, than to be understood; to love, than to be loved. For it is by forgetting self, that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying, that one awakens to eternal life. Amen.

God loved the world so much that he gave his son and he gave him to a virgin, the blessed virgin Mary, and she, the moment he came in her life, went in haste to give him to others. And what did she do then? She did the work of the handmaid, just so. Just spread that joy of loving to service. And Jesus Christ loved you and loved me and he gave his life for us, and as if that was not enough for him, he kept on saying: Love as I have loved you, as I love you now, and how do we have to love, to love in the giving. For he gave his life for us. And he keeps on giving, and he keeps on giving right here everywhere in our own lives and in the lives of others.

It was not enough for him to die for us, he wanted that we loved one another, that we see him in each other, that’s why he said: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

And to make sure that we understand what he means, he said that at the hour of death we are going to be judged on what we have been to the poor, to the hungry, naked, the homeless, and he makes himself that hungry one, that naked one, that homeless one, not only hungry for bread, but hungry for love, not only naked for a piece of cloth, but naked of that human dignity, not only homeless for a room to live, but homeless for that being forgotten, been unloved, uncared, being nobody to nobody, having forgotten what is human love, what is human touch, what is to be loved by somebody, and he says: Whatever you did to the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.

It is so beautiful for us  to become holy to this love, for holiness is not a luxury of the few, it is a simple duty for each one of us, and through this love we can become holy. To this love for one another and today when I have received this reward, I personally am most unworthy, and I having avowed poverty to be able to understand the poor, I choose the poverty of our people. But I am grateful and I am very happy to receive it in the name of the hungry, of the naked, of the homeless, of the crippled, of the blind, of the leprous, of all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared, thrown away of the society, people who have become a burden to the society, and are ashamed by everybody.

In their name I accept the award. And I am sure this award is going to bring an understanding love between the rich and the poor. And this is what Jesus has insisted so much, that is why Jesus came to earth, to proclaim the good news to the poor.  And through this award and through all of us gathered here together, we are wanting to proclaim the good news to the poor that God loves them, that we love them, that they are somebody to us, that they too have been created by the same loving hand of God, to love and to be loved. Our poor people are great people, are very lovable people, they don’t need our pity and sympathy, they need our understanding love. They need our respect; they need that we treat them with dignity. And I think this is the greatest poverty that we experience, that we have in front of them who may be dying for a piece of bread, but they die to such dignity. I never forget when I brought a man from the street. He was covered with maggots; his face was the only place that was clean. And yet that man, when we brought him to our home for the dying, he said just one sentence: I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, love and care, and he died beautifully. He went home to God, for dead is nothing but going home to God. And he having enjoyed that love, that being wanted, that being loved, that being somebody to somebody at the last moment, brought that joy in his life.

And I feel one thing I want to share with you all, the greatest destroyer of peace today is the cry of the innocent unborn child. For if a mother can murder her own child in her own womb, what is left for you and for me to kill each other? Even in the scripture it is written: Even if mother could forget her child – I will not forget you – I have carved you in the palm of my hand. Even if mother could forget, but today millions of unborn children are being killed. And we say nothing. In the newspapers you read numbers of this one and that one being killed, this being destroyed, but nobody speaks of the millions of little ones who have been conceived to the same life as you and I, to the life of God, and we say nothing, we allow it. To me the nations who have legalized abortion, they are the poorest nations. They are afraid of the little one, they are afraid of the unborn child, and the child must die because they don’t want to feed one more child, to educate one more child, the child must die.

Mother Tere sa – Acceptance Speech. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 

Related content:

Keep Searching, Keep Learning

Our newest articles:.

5 Things To Do Before Your Anger Becomes A Sin

by Debbie Lao | Apr 8, 2024 | Sin

We all have experienced anger.  Everyone has been on the receiving end of somebody else’s anger.  Anger is a response, a reaction when our ego is being attacked, a reaction when what we want to happen happened otherwise, or a demand for justice because we...

5 Quotes From St. Vincent Ferrer & 5 Facts About His Life That Will Help You Grow Closer To Jesus

by Melissa Flen | Apr 5, 2024 | April , Saints

Saint Vincent Ferrer was a priest from Spain who lived in the 14th century.  His missionary work is attributed to leading thousands of people in Europe to the Catholic faith.  His feast day is celebrated on April 5th and the life of this saint continues to lead people...

5 Things A Convert Always Brings To Catholic Mass

by Christie McGee | Apr 4, 2024 | February , Mass

I tease that I grew up as a “Metho-byterian-ist of God” - I was baptized United Methodist, sang in a Presbyterian traveling youth choir, went to Wednesday night Bible study with my Baptist friends, and often visited an Assemblies of God church with a guy I dated. As...

Come Holy Spirit: Teaching Catholic Kids About The Pope

by Katherine Bogner | Apr 3, 2024 | History of the Church , Holy Father , Holy Spirit , May

During this Season of the Resurrection, we are mindful that the ministry of Jesus did not come to an end with His earthly life. Just before His Ascension, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and guide His Church. The Holy Spirit...

Two New TV Series That Make Prayer A Priority

by Fr. Edward Looney | Apr 1, 2024 | Movie Reviews and Recommendations , Prayer

The writers’ strike is over and many of us have been catching our favorite shows as they have returned to television on their respective networks.  There are also new shows that have premiered.  I caught the premiere of Tracker on CBS after the Superbowl and catch...

How Much Of The Easter Story Should I Share With My Children?

by Jennifer Stavinoha | Mar 29, 2024 | Easter

I remember the first time I introduced my oldest child to Easter. It was Good Friday, and my wise-for-her-years two year old was asking about what was special about the day. So I took a crucifix down from the wall, and let her hold it. I touched Jesus’ hands and feet,...

What Is The Altar Of Repose?

by Jennifer Barton | Mar 28, 2024 | History of the Church , Lent

One day each year – and one day only – there is no Catholic Mass celebrated throughout the world. One day.  The Easter Triduum begins with Holy Thursday Mass. What many Catholics don’t realize is that Good Friday service not a Mass, but a liturgy, as no hosts are...

Do Catholics Still Have Plenary Indulgences?

by Will Wright | Mar 25, 2024 | History of the Church , Lent

What is an Indulgence? Do Catholics still practice indulgences? That stopped after Martin Luther pointed out that they are wrong, right? To be sure, the 16th Century was a confusing time. There was a Dominican preacher named Johann Tetzel who Luther claimed was...

Following Jesus’s Development In The Womb: Conception

by Melissa Flen | Mar 22, 2024 | Jesus Christ

Congratulations!   Your Lord and Savior has been conceived!   Due Date: December 25th  Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the fiat of Mary, the Savior has been conceived.  Not only is he fully God, He is now fully man as well. ...

Cultivating Community: 6 Elements Of Peak Communication

by Dr. Christopher Reed | Mar 19, 2024 | Family , Love and Relationships

The longing for genuine connection and community has never been more pronounced. Building and nurturing community is an essential endeavor in response to Christ’s call to discipleship.    The quality of a community is reflected in the quality of...

Born in Texas, I spent 12 years living and working in Peru and Italy. A philosopher and a theologian, I have a passion for the power of stories in our lives.

Search Catholic-Link

You have Successfully Subscribed!

• [ April 10, 2024 ] Pope Francis: ‘A Christian without courage’ is ‘a useless Christian’ News Briefs
• [ April 10, 2024 ] PHOTOS: Foundation releases never-before-seen images of Padre Pio News Briefs
• [ April 9, 2024 ] Catholic bishops say abortion can ‘never be a fundamental right’ ahead of EU charter vote News Briefs
• [ April 9, 2024 ] College sports association bans biological men from women’s sports News Briefs
• [ April 9, 2024 ] Filipino Catholic Church presents official portrait of 13-year-old girl considered for sainthood News Briefs

Watch: Mother Teresa’s most famous speech

You’ve probably come across some quotes from the soon-to-be-saint’s speech, but have you ever watched it through?

September 1, 2016 Catherine Harmon General 0 Print

It’s become an iconic moment—the diminutive sister with a foreign accent, her head just visible above the microphones, delivering an impassioned defense of the lives of unborn children while standing a few feet from some of the most powerful people in the world, who also happen to be vocal proponents of the right to kill those children.

Earlier this week I realized, while reading in preparation for Mother Teresa’s canonization this Sunday, that while I had of course read excerpts and quotes from her famous 1994 address to the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, I had never watched the speech itself.

The US Embassy to the Holy See has put together a website commemorating the soon-to-be-saint’s many trips to the United States. As Amy Welborn points out , the National Prayer Breakfast address—certainly among Mother Teresa’s most memorable moments in the US, if not the most memorable—is pointedly down-played on the site; it is mentioned on the timeline of Mother’s visits to the US, but is one of only a handful of items on the list to not include any photos, video, or links to relevant news coverage.

You can watch the video below; here’s the more-or-less complete text of the speech (while delivering it Mother added some anecdotes and asides).

Jim Towey, who was Mother Teresa’s American legal counsel and good friend, describes the scene at the National Prayer Breakfast in a recent CWR interview:

Towey:  Only Mother Teresa could have stood there in the grand ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, with the president and first lady at her right, and all the leaders of Washington assembled, and decry the evil of abortion. But, she did it in a loving way, without any politics involved.

She met with the Clintons afterward and Mrs. Clinton wanted to open an adoption home with her. It did open in 1995, but eventually closed [in 2002] due to “adoption politics.”

It was the beauty of Mother. She saw herself as a pencil in the hand of God. God used her to write love letters to the world, including to Mrs. Clinton.

CWR:  Were you at the 1994 speech? What happened?

Towey:  I was there. The ballroom erupted in a standing ovation. Some no doubt wanted to humiliate the Clintons, but Mother was not interested in politics. She was delivering a message she knew needed to be heard.

CWR:  How did the Clintons react?

Towey:  I watched the president keep bringing an empty coffee cup to his lips as if to drink. It was an awkward moment. But only Mother Teresa could have done it without there being bedlam.

I think the Clintons respected her. Mrs. Clinton and I were representatives of the United States at Mother’s funeral.

If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

© Catholic World Report

You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/

Sign up to receive a weekly email with news, analysis, and commentary from a voice you can trust!

Email Frequency

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Considered one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians, she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.

(1910-1997)

Who Was Mother Teresa?

Nun and missionary Mother Teresa, known in the Catholic church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, devoted her life to caring for the sick and poor. Born in Macedonia to parents of Albanian-descent and having taught in India for 17 years, Mother Teresa experienced her "call within a call" in 1946. Her order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged and disabled; and a leper colony.

Mother Teresa’s Family and Young Life

Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, the current capital of the Republic of Macedonia. The following day, she was baptized as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu.

Mother Teresa’s parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were of Albanian descent; her father was an entrepreneur who worked as a construction contractor and a trader of medicines and other goods. The Bojaxhius were a devoutly Catholic family, and Nikola was deeply involved in the local church as well as in city politics as a vocal proponent of Albanian independence.

In 1919, when Mother Teresa — then Agnes — was only eight years old, her father suddenly fell ill and died. While the cause of his death remains unknown, many have speculated that political enemies poisoned him.

In the aftermath of her father's death, Agnes became extraordinarily close to her mother, a pious and compassionate woman who instilled in her daughter a deep commitment to charity. Although by no means wealthy, Drana Bojaxhiu extended an open invitation to the city's destitute to dine with her family. "My child, never eat a single mouthful unless you are sharing it with others," she counseled her daughter. When Agnes asked who the people eating with them were, her mother uniformly responded, "Some of them are our relations, but all of them are our people."

Education and Nunhood

Agnes attended a convent-run primary school and then a state-run secondary school. As a girl, she sang in the local Sacred Heart choir and was often asked to sing solos. The congregation made an annual pilgrimage to the Church of the Black Madonna in Letnice, and it was on one such trip at the age of 12 that she first felt a calling to religious life. Six years later, in 1928, an 18-year-old Agnes Bojaxhiu decided to become a nun and set off for Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin. It was there that she took the name Sister Mary Teresa after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.

A year later, Sister Mary Teresa traveled on to Darjeeling, India, for the novitiate period; in May 1931, she made her First Profession of Vows. Afterward, she was sent to Calcutta, where she was assigned to teach at Saint Mary's High School for Girls, a school run by the Loreto Sisters and dedicated to teaching girls from the city's poorest Bengali families. Sister Teresa learned to speak both Bengali and Hindi fluently as she taught geography and history and dedicated herself to alleviating the girls' poverty through education.

On May 24, 1937, she took her Final Profession of Vows to a life of poverty, chastity and obedience. As was the custom for Loreto nuns, she took on the title of "Mother" upon making her final vows and thus became known as Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa continued to teach at Saint Mary's, and in 1944 she became the school's principal. Through her kindness, generosity and unfailing commitment to her students' education, she sought to lead them to a life of devotion to Christ. "Give me the strength to be ever the light of their lives, so that I may lead them at last to you," she wrote in prayer.

'Call Within a Call'

On September 10, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced a second calling, the "call within a call" that would forever transform her life. She was riding in a train from Calcutta to the Himalayan foothills for a retreat when she said Christ spoke to her and told her to abandon teaching to work in the slums of Calcutta aiding the city's poorest and sickest people.

Since Mother Teresa had taken a vow of obedience, she could not leave her convent without official permission. After nearly a year and a half of lobbying, in January 1948 she finally received approval to pursue this new calling. That August, donning the blue-and-white sari that she would wear in public for the rest of her life, she left the Loreto convent and wandered out into the city. After six months of basic medical training, she voyaged for the first time into Calcutta's slums with no more specific a goal than to aid "the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for."

Missionaries of Charity

Mother Teresa quickly translated her calling into concrete actions to help the city's poor. She began an open-air school and established a home for the dying destitute in a dilapidated building she convinced the city government to donate to her cause. In October 1950, she won canonical recognition for a new congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, which she founded with only a handful of members—most of them former teachers or pupils from St. Mary's School.

As the ranks of her congregation swelled and donations poured in from around India and across the globe, the scope of Mother Teresa's charitable activities expanded exponentially. Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, she established a leper colony, an orphanage, a nursing home, a family clinic and a string of mobile health clinics.

In 1971, Mother Teresa traveled to New York City to open her first American-based house of charity, and in the summer of 1982, she secretly went to Beirut, Lebanon, where she crossed between Christian East Beirut and Muslim West Beirut to aid children of both faiths. In 1985, Mother Teresa returned to New York and spoke at the 40th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly. While there, she also opened Gift of Love, a home to care for those infected with HIV/AIDS.

Mother Teresa’s Awards and Recognition

In February 1965, Pope Paul VI bestowed the Decree of Praise upon the Missionaries of Charity, which prompted Mother Teresa to begin expanding internationally. By the time of her death in 1997, the Missionaries of Charity numbered more than 4,000 — in addition to thousands more lay volunteers — with 610 foundations in 123 countries around the world.

The Decree of Praise was just the beginning, as Mother Teresa received various honors for her tireless and effective charity. She was awarded the Jewel of India, the highest honor bestowed on Indian civilians, as well as the now-defunct Soviet Union's Gold Medal of the Soviet Peace Committee. In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work "in bringing help to suffering humanity."

Criticism of Mother Teresa

Despite this widespread praise, Mother Teresa's life and work have not gone without its controversies. In particular, she has drawn criticism for her vocal endorsement of some of the Catholic Church's more controversial doctrines, such as opposition to contraception and abortion. "I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion," Mother Teresa said in her 1979 Nobel lecture.

In 1995, she publicly advocated a "no" vote in the Irish referendum to end the country's constitutional ban on divorce and remarriage. The most scathing criticism of Mother Teresa can be found in Christopher Hitchens' book The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice , in which Hitchens argued that Mother Teresa glorified poverty for her own ends and provided a justification for the preservation of institutions and beliefs that sustained widespread poverty.

DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S MOTHER TERESA FACT CARD

When and How Mother Teresa Died

After several years of deteriorating health, including heart, lung and kidney problems, Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87.

Mother Teresa’s Letters

In 2003, the publication of Mother Teresa’s private correspondence caused a wholesale re-evaluation of her life by revealing the crisis of faith she suffered for most of the last 50 years of her life.

In one despairing letter to a confidant, she wrote, "Where is my Faith—even deep down right in there is nothing, but emptiness & darkness—My God—how painful is this unknown pain—I have no Faith—I dare not utter the words & thoughts that crowd in my heart—& make me suffer untold agony." While such revelations are shocking considering her public image, they have also made Mother Teresa a more relatable and human figure to all those who experience doubt in their beliefs.

Mother Teresa’s Miracles and Canonization

In 2002, the Vatican recognized a miracle involving an Indian woman named Monica Besra, who said she was cured of an abdominal tumor through Mother Teresa's intercession on the one-year anniversary of her death in 1998. She was beatified (declared in heaven) as "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta" on October 19, 2003, by Pope John Paul II .

On December 17, 2015, Pope Francis issued a decree that recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, clearing the way for her to be canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. The second miracle involved the healing of Marcilio Andrino, a Brazilian man who was diagnosed with a viral brain infection and lapsed into a coma. His wife, family and friends prayed to Mother Teresa, and when the man was brought to the operating room for emergency surgery, he woke up without pain and was cured of his symptoms, according to a statement from the Missionaries of Charity Father.

Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint on September 4, 2016, a day before the 19th anniversary of her death. Pope Francis led the canonization mass, which was held in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. Tens of thousands of Catholics and pilgrims from around the world attended the canonization to celebrate the woman who had been called “the saint of the gutters” during her lifetime because of her charitable work with the poor.

“After due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother bishops, we declare and define Blessed Teresa of Calcutta to be a saint, and we enroll her among the saints, decreeing that she is to be venerated as such by the whole church,” Pope Francis said in Latin.

The Pope spoke about Mother Teresa’s life of service in the homily. ”Mother Teresa, in all aspects of her life, was a generous dispenser of divine mercy, making herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and those abandoned and discarded," he said. "She bowed down before those who were spent, left to die on the side of the road, seeing in them their God-given dignity. She made her voice heard before the powers of this world, so that they might recognize their guilt for the crime of poverty they created."

He also told the faithful to follow her example and practice compassion. “Mercy was the salt which gave flavor to her work, it was the light which shone in the darkness of the many who no longer had tears to shed for their poverty and suffering,” he said, adding. "May she be your model of holiness."

Since her death, Mother Teresa has remained in the public spotlight. For her unwavering commitment to aiding those most in need, Mother Teresa stands out as one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century. She combined profound empathy and a fervent commitment to her cause with incredible organizational and managerial skills that allowed her to develop a vast and effective international organization of missionaries to help impoverished citizens all across the globe.

Despite the enormous scale of her charitable activities and the millions of lives she touched, to her dying day, she held only the most humble conception of her own achievements. Summing up her life in characteristically self-effacing fashion, Mother Teresa said, "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus."

John Paul II

"],["

Pope Francis

"]]" tml-render-layout="inline">

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Teresa
• Birth Year: 1910
• Birth date: August 26, 1910
• Birth City: Skopje
• Birth Country: Macedonia
• Gender: Female
• Best Known For: Mother Teresa was the founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Considered one of the 20th Century's greatest humanitarians, she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.
• Christianity
• Astrological Sign: Virgo
• Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Nacionalities
• Macedonian (Macedonia)
• Albanian (Albania)
• Interesting Facts
• On religious pilgrimage at the age of 12, Mother Teresa experienced her calling to devote her life to Christ.
• Through her own letters, Mother Teresa expressed doubt and wrestled with her faith.
• Mother Teresa was canonized after the Vatican verified two people's claims of having experienced miracles through her.
• Death Year: 1997
• Death date: September 5, 1997
• Death City: Calcutta
• Death Country: India

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Mother Teresa Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/religious-figures/mother-teresa
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: February 24, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.
• God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try.
• Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet, especially your family.
• Before you speak, it is necessary for you to listen, for God speaks in the silence of the heart.
• Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.
• If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive.
• Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.
• Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.
• Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other and in the home begins the disruption of peace in the world.
• There is a terrible hunger for love. We all experience that in our lives-the pain the loneliness. We must have the courage to recognize it. The poor you may have right in your own family. Find them. Love them.
• Like Jesus, we belong to the world not living for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Nobel Prize Winners

14 Hispanic Women Who Have Made History

Marie Curie

Martin Luther King Jr.

Henry Kissinger

Malala Yousafzai

Jimmy Carter

10 Famous Poets Whose Enduring Works We Still Read

22 Famous Scientists You Should Know

Wole Soyinka

Jean-Paul Sartre

Albert Camus

• CBSE Class 10th
• CBSE Class 12th
• UP Board 10th
• UP Board 12th
• Bihar Board 10th
• Bihar Board 12th
• Top Schools in India
• Top Schools in Delhi
• Top Schools in Mumbai
• Top Schools in Chennai
• Top Schools in Hyderabad
• Top Schools in Kolkata
• Top Schools in Pune
• Top Schools in Bangalore

Products & Resources

• JEE Main Knockout April
• Free Sample Papers
• Free Ebooks
• NCERT Notes
• NCERT Syllabus
• NCERT Books
• RD Sharma Solutions
• Navodaya Vidyalaya Admission 2024-25
• NCERT Solutions
• NCERT Solutions for Class 12
• NCERT Solutions for Class 11
• NCERT solutions for Class 10
• NCERT solutions for Class 9
• NCERT solutions for Class 8
• NCERT Solutions for Class 7
• JEE Main 2024
• JEE Advanced 2024
• BITSAT 2024
• View All Engineering Exams
• Colleges Accepting B.Tech Applications
• Top Engineering Colleges in India
• Engineering Colleges in India
• Engineering Colleges in Tamil Nadu
• Engineering Colleges Accepting JEE Main
• Top IITs in India
• Top NITs in India
• Top IIITs in India
• JEE Main College Predictor
• JEE Main Rank Predictor
• MHT CET College Predictor
• AP EAMCET College Predictor
• GATE College Predictor
• KCET College Predictor
• JEE Advanced College Predictor
• View All College Predictors
• JEE Main Question Paper
• JEE Main Mock Test
• JEE Main Registration
• JEE Main Syllabus
• Download E-Books and Sample Papers
• Compare Colleges
• B.Tech College Applications
• GATE 2024 Result
• MAH MBA CET Exam
• View All Management Exams

Colleges & Courses

• MBA College Admissions
• MBA Colleges in India
• Top IIMs Colleges in India
• Top Online MBA Colleges in India
• MBA Colleges Accepting XAT Score
• BBA Colleges in India
• XAT College Predictor 2024
• SNAP College Predictor
• NMAT College Predictor
• MAT College Predictor 2024
• CMAT College Predictor 2024
• CAT Percentile Predictor 2023
• CAT 2023 College Predictor
• CMAT 2024 Registration
• TS ICET 2024 Registration
• CMAT Exam Date 2024
• MAH MBA CET Cutoff 2024
• Download Helpful Ebooks
• List of Popular Branches
• QnA - Get answers to your doubts
• IIM Fees Structure
• AIIMS Nursing
• Top Medical Colleges in India
• Top Medical Colleges in India accepting NEET Score
• Medical Colleges accepting NEET
• List of Medical Colleges in India
• List of AIIMS Colleges In India
• Medical Colleges in Maharashtra
• Medical Colleges in India Accepting NEET PG
• NEET College Predictor
• NEET PG College Predictor
• NEET MDS College Predictor
• DNB CET College Predictor
• DNB PDCET College Predictor
• NEET Application Form 2024
• NEET PG Application Form 2024
• NEET Cut off
• NEET Online Preparation
• Download Helpful E-books
• LSAT India 2024
• Colleges Accepting Admissions
• Top Law Colleges in India
• Law College Accepting CLAT Score
• List of Law Colleges in India
• Top Law Colleges in Delhi
• Top Law Collages in Indore
• Top Law Colleges in Chandigarh
• Top Law Collages in Lucknow

Predictors & E-Books

• CLAT College Predictor
• MHCET Law ( 5 Year L.L.B) College Predictor
• AILET College Predictor
• Sample Papers
• Compare Law Collages
• Careers360 Youtube Channel
• CLAT Syllabus 2025
• CLAT Previous Year Question Paper
• AIBE 18 Result 2023
• NID DAT Exam
• Pearl Academy Exam

Animation Courses

• Animation Courses in India
• Animation Courses in Bangalore
• Animation Courses in Mumbai
• Animation Courses in Pune
• Animation Courses in Chennai
• Animation Courses in Hyderabad
• Design Colleges in India
• Fashion Design Colleges in Bangalore
• Fashion Design Colleges in Mumbai
• Fashion Design Colleges in Pune
• Fashion Design Colleges in Delhi
• Fashion Design Colleges in Hyderabad
• Fashion Design Colleges in India
• Top Design Colleges in India
• Free Design E-books
• List of Branches
• Careers360 Youtube channel
• NIFT College Predictor
• UCEED College Predictor
• NID DAT College Predictor
• IPU CET BJMC
• JMI Mass Communication Entrance Exam
• IIMC Entrance Exam
• Media & Journalism colleges in Delhi
• Media & Journalism colleges in Bangalore
• Media & Journalism colleges in Mumbai
• List of Media & Journalism Colleges in India
• CA Intermediate
• CA Foundation
• CS Executive
• CS Professional
• Difference between CA and CS
• Difference between CA and CMA
• CA Full form
• CMA Full form
• CS Full form
• CA Salary In India

Top Courses & Careers

• Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com)
• Master of Commerce (M.Com)
• Company Secretary
• Cost Accountant
• Charted Accountant
• Credit Manager
• Financial Advisor
• Top Commerce Colleges in India
• Top Government Commerce Colleges in India
• Top Private Commerce Colleges in India
• Top M.Com Colleges in Mumbai
• Top B.Com Colleges in India
• IT Colleges in Tamil Nadu
• IT Colleges in Uttar Pradesh
• MCA Colleges in India
• BCA Colleges in India

Quick Links

• Information Technology Courses
• Programming Courses
• Web Development Courses
• Data Analytics Courses
• Big Data Analytics Courses
• RUHS Pharmacy Admission Test
• Top Pharmacy Colleges in India
• Pharmacy Colleges in Pune
• Pharmacy Colleges in Mumbai
• Colleges Accepting GPAT Score
• Pharmacy Colleges in Lucknow
• List of Pharmacy Colleges in Nagpur
• GPAT Result
• GPAT 2024 Admit Card
• GPAT Question Papers
• NCHMCT JEE 2024
• Mah BHMCT CET
• Top Hotel Management Colleges in Delhi
• Top Hotel Management Colleges in Hyderabad
• Top Hotel Management Colleges in Mumbai
• Top Hotel Management Colleges in Tamil Nadu
• Top Hotel Management Colleges in Maharashtra
• B.Sc Hotel Management
• Hotel Management
• Diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology

Diploma Colleges

• Top Diploma Colleges in Maharashtra
• UPSC IAS 2024
• SSC CGL 2024
• IBPS RRB 2024
• Previous Year Sample Papers
• Free Competition E-books
• Sarkari Result
• QnA- Get your doubts answered
• UPSC Previous Year Sample Papers
• CTET Previous Year Sample Papers
• SBI Clerk Previous Year Sample Papers
• NDA Previous Year Sample Papers

Upcoming Events

• NDA Application Form 2024
• UPSC IAS Application Form 2024
• CDS Application Form 2024
• CTET Admit card 2024
• HP TET Result 2023
• SSC GD Constable Admit Card 2024
• UPTET Notification 2024
• SBI Clerk Result 2024

Other Exams

• SSC CHSL 2024
• UP PCS 2024
• UGC NET 2024
• RRB NTPC 2024
• IBPS PO 2024
• IBPS Clerk 2024
• IBPS SO 2024
• Top University in USA
• Top University in Canada
• Top University in Ireland
• Top Universities in UK
• Top Universities in Australia
• Best MBA Colleges in Abroad
• Business Management Studies Colleges

Top Countries

• Study in USA
• Study in UK
• Study in Canada
• Study in Australia
• Study in Ireland
• Study in Germany
• Study in China
• Study in Europe

Student Visas

• Student Visa Canada
• Student Visa UK
• Student Visa USA
• Student Visa Australia
• Student Visa Germany
• Student Visa New Zealand
• Student Visa Ireland
• CUET PG 2024
• IGNOU B.Ed Admission 2024
• DU Admission
• UP B.Ed JEE 2024
• DDU Entrance Exam
• IIT JAM 2024
• IGNOU Online Admission 2024
• Universities in India
• Top Universities in India 2024
• Top Colleges in India
• Top Universities in Uttar Pradesh 2024
• Top Universities in Bihar
• Top Universities in Madhya Pradesh 2024
• Top Universities in Tamil Nadu 2024
• Central Universities in India
• CUET PG Admit Card 2024
• IGNOU Date Sheet
• CUET Mock Test 2024
• CUET Application Form 2024
• CUET PG Syllabus 2024
• CUET Participating Universities 2024
• CUET Previous Year Question Paper
• CUET Syllabus 2024 for Science Students
• E-Books and Sample Papers
• CUET Exam Pattern 2024
• CUET Exam Date 2024
• CUET Syllabus 2024
• IGNOU Exam Form 2024
• IGNOU Result
• CUET PG Courses 2024

Engineering Preparation

• Knockout JEE Main 2024
• Test Series JEE Main 2024
• JEE Main 2024 Rank Booster

Medical Preparation

• Knockout NEET 2024
• Test Series NEET 2024
• Rank Booster NEET 2024

Online Courses

• JEE Main One Month Course
• NEET One Month Course
• IBSAT Free Mock Tests
• IIT JEE Foundation Course
• Knockout BITSAT 2024
• Career Guidance Tool

Top Streams

• IT & Software Certification Courses
• Engineering and Architecture Certification Courses
• Programming And Development Certification Courses
• Business and Management Certification Courses
• Marketing Certification Courses
• Health and Fitness Certification Courses
• Design Certification Courses

Specializations

• Digital Marketing Certification Courses
• Cyber Security Certification Courses
• Artificial Intelligence Certification Courses
• Business Analytics Certification Courses
• Data Science Certification Courses
• Cloud Computing Certification Courses
• Machine Learning Certification Courses
• View All Certification Courses
• UG Degree Courses
• PG Degree Courses
• Short Term Courses
• Free Courses
• Online Degrees and Diplomas
• Compare Courses

Top Providers

• Coursera Courses
• Udemy Courses
• Edx Courses
• Swayam Courses
• upGrad Courses
• Simplilearn Courses
• Great Learning Courses

Access premium articles, webinars, resources to make the best decisions for career, course, exams, scholarships, study abroad and much more with

Plan, Prepare & Make the Best Career Choices

Mother Teresa Speech - 10 Lines, Short and Long Speech

Speech on mother teresa.

The one who devoted her entire life to serving the poor and the needy people, Mother Teresa was one of the greatest philanthropists the world could ever ask for. Mother Teresa is an inspiration for many but for generations to come.

10 lines on Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born in 1910, in Skopje, the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia.

Her real name was Agnes Gonxe Bojaxhiu.

Since she was born into a Catholic Christian family, she was a great believer in God and humanity.

Mother Teresa started her social service at the young age of 18.

Without any help from anyone, she started an open-air school where she gave education to poor children.

She came to Kolkata, India and due to her motherly instincts, she gained the beloved name 'Mother Teresa'.

Mother Teresa built up missionaries of Charity where the poor and homeless could spend their entire lives with the aid of the church and people.

With the help of the government and the people, she established numerous dispensaries and schools both in India as well as outside of India.

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian services.

Mother Teresa breathed her last breath on 5 September 1997 and was given a state funeral in India, which is given to a few important people by the government out of respect.

Short speech on Mother Teresa

Early life | Mother Teresa was born on 26 August 1910, into an Albanian family in Skopje, North Macedonia. After 18 years, she moved to Ireland and later to India, where she lived most of her life.

Contributions Towards Society

Mother Teresa began missionary work with the poor in 1948 and founded a school in Motijhil, Calcutta. In 1950, she started 'Missionaries of Charity’ which would take care of homeless, crippled and unwanted people in society. She started her first hospice with the help of Calcutta officials and also converted an abandoned Hindu temple into a home for the dying people, Nirmal Hriday, where they could get medical attention and an opportunity to die with dignity.

Apart from contributions in India, she also helped outside of India. Mother Teresa travelled to assist the hungry in Ethiopia. In 1991, she returned to Albania for the first time, opening a Missionaries of Charity Brothers home in Tirana. By 1996, the Missionaries of Charity operated 517 missions in over 100 countries.

Declining Health and Death | Mother Teresa suffered a heart attack in Rome in 1983 and suffered from pneumonia in Mexico and also had additional heart problems. Soon after, Mother Teresa resigned as the head of the Missionaries of Charity. She died on 5th September 1997.

Long Speech On Mother Teresa

Birth and adulthood | Mother Teresa's actual name was Agnes Gonxe Bojaxhiu. She was born on 26th August 1910, into an Albanian family in Skopje, North Macedonia. She was the youngest child of Nikolle and Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Her father died when she was eight years old.

In the early years of her life, she was fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their services. By twelve years old, she was convinced to commit herself to religious life. By the age of eighteen, Mother Teresa left home to join the 'Sisters of Loreto with the intent of becoming a missionary.

In 1929, Mother Teresa arrived in India and began her novitiate in Darjeeling. Later she became a teacher at Loreto Convent School in Calcutta. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity.

Missionaries Of Charity

In 1948, she began her missionary work with the poor. Mother Teresa adopted Indian citizenship to receive basic medical training at Holy Family Hospital and ventured into slums. In 1950, Mother Teresa received Vatican permission for the diocesan congregation, which would become the Missionaries of Charity. The Missionaries of Charity took care of the hungry, homeless and crippled who feel shunned by society.

In 1952, Mother Teresa opened her first hospice. She converted an abandoned Hindu temple into a home for the dying people, Nirmal Hriday, where they received medical attention and an opportunity to die with dignity.

International Charity

During the Siege of Beirut in 1982, Mother Teresa rescued 37 children trapped in a cease-fire. Mother Teresa travelled to assist the hungry in Ethiopia, radiation victims at Chernobyl and earthquake victims in Armenia. In 1991, she opened a Missionaries of Charity Brothers home in Tirana. By 1996, the Missionaries of Charity operated 517 missions in over 100 countries. The first Missionaries of Charity home was established in New York City in the United States.

Death | Mother Teresa suffered multiple heart attacks. Although she underwent heart surgery, her health was declining. She breathed her last breath on 5th September 1997. Mother Teresa lay in response in an open casket in St. Thomas, Calcutta, for a week before her funeral. She received a state funeral from the Indian government in gratitude for her service.

Explore Career Options (By Industry)

• Construction
• Entertainment
• Manufacturing
• Information Technology

Data Administrator

Database professionals use software to store and organise data such as financial information, and customer shipping records. Individuals who opt for a career as data administrators ensure that data is available for users and secured from unauthorised sales. DB administrators may work in various types of industries. It may involve computer systems design, service firms, insurance companies, banks and hospitals.

Bio Medical Engineer

The field of biomedical engineering opens up a universe of expert chances. An Individual in the biomedical engineering career path work in the field of engineering as well as medicine, in order to find out solutions to common problems of the two fields. The biomedical engineering job opportunities are to collaborate with doctors and researchers to develop medical systems, equipment, or devices that can solve clinical problems. Here we will be discussing jobs after biomedical engineering, how to get a job in biomedical engineering, biomedical engineering scope, and salary. 

Ethical Hacker

A career as ethical hacker involves various challenges and provides lucrative opportunities in the digital era where every giant business and startup owns its cyberspace on the world wide web. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path try to find the vulnerabilities in the cyber system to get its authority. If he or she succeeds in it then he or she gets its illegal authority. Individuals in the ethical hacker career path then steal information or delete the file that could affect the business, functioning, or services of the organization.

GIS officer work on various GIS software to conduct a study and gather spatial and non-spatial information. GIS experts update the GIS data and maintain it. The databases include aerial or satellite imagery, latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, and manually digitized images of maps. In a career as GIS expert, one is responsible for creating online and mobile maps.

Data Analyst

The invention of the database has given fresh breath to the people involved in the data analytics career path. Analysis refers to splitting up a whole into its individual components for individual analysis. Data analysis is a method through which raw data are processed and transformed into information that would be beneficial for user strategic thinking.

Data are collected and examined to respond to questions, evaluate hypotheses or contradict theories. It is a tool for analyzing, transforming, modeling, and arranging data with useful knowledge, to assist in decision-making and methods, encompassing various strategies, and is used in different fields of business, research, and social science.

Geothermal Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as geothermal engineers are the professionals involved in the processing of geothermal energy. The responsibilities of geothermal engineers may vary depending on the workplace location. Those who work in fields design facilities to process and distribute geothermal energy. They oversee the functioning of machinery used in the field.

Database Architect

If you are intrigued by the programming world and are interested in developing communications networks then a career as database architect may be a good option for you. Data architect roles and responsibilities include building design models for data communication networks. Wide Area Networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), and intranets are included in the database networks. It is expected that database architects will have in-depth knowledge of a company's business to develop a network to fulfil the requirements of the organisation. Stay tuned as we look at the larger picture and give you more information on what is db architecture, why you should pursue database architecture, what to expect from such a degree and what your job opportunities will be after graduation. Here, we will be discussing how to become a data architect. Students can visit NIT Trichy , IIT Kharagpur , JMI New Delhi . 

Remote Sensing Technician

Individuals who opt for a career as a remote sensing technician possess unique personalities. Remote sensing analysts seem to be rational human beings, they are strong, independent, persistent, sincere, realistic and resourceful. Some of them are analytical as well, which means they are intelligent, introspective and inquisitive. 

Remote sensing scientists use remote sensing technology to support scientists in fields such as community planning, flight planning or the management of natural resources. Analysing data collected from aircraft, satellites or ground-based platforms using statistical analysis software, image analysis software or Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a significant part of their work. Do you want to learn how to become remote sensing technician? There's no need to be concerned; we've devised a simple remote sensing technician career path for you. Scroll through the pages and read.

Budget Analyst

Budget analysis, in a nutshell, entails thoroughly analyzing the details of a financial budget. The budget analysis aims to better understand and manage revenue. Budget analysts assist in the achievement of financial targets, the preservation of profitability, and the pursuit of long-term growth for a business. Budget analysts generally have a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, or a closely related field. Knowledge of Financial Management is of prime importance in this career.

Underwriter

An underwriter is a person who assesses and evaluates the risk of insurance in his or her field like mortgage, loan, health policy, investment, and so on and so forth. The underwriter career path does involve risks as analysing the risks means finding out if there is a way for the insurance underwriter jobs to recover the money from its clients. If the risk turns out to be too much for the company then in the future it is an underwriter who will be held accountable for it. Therefore, one must carry out his or her job with a lot of attention and diligence.

Finance Executive

Product manager.

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for product planning and marketing. He or she manages the product throughout the Product Life Cycle, gathering and prioritising the product. A product manager job description includes defining the product vision and working closely with team members of other departments to deliver winning products.  

Operations Manager

Individuals in the operations manager jobs are responsible for ensuring the efficiency of each department to acquire its optimal goal. They plan the use of resources and distribution of materials. The operations manager's job description includes managing budgets, negotiating contracts, and performing administrative tasks.

Stock Analyst

Individuals who opt for a career as a stock analyst examine the company's investments makes decisions and keep track of financial securities. The nature of such investments will differ from one business to the next. Individuals in the stock analyst career use data mining to forecast a company's profits and revenues, advise clients on whether to buy or sell, participate in seminars, and discussing financial matters with executives and evaluate annual reports.

A Researcher is a professional who is responsible for collecting data and information by reviewing the literature and conducting experiments and surveys. He or she uses various methodological processes to provide accurate data and information that is utilised by academicians and other industry professionals. Here, we will discuss what is a researcher, the researcher's salary, types of researchers.

Welding Engineer

Welding Engineer Job Description: A Welding Engineer work involves managing welding projects and supervising welding teams. He or she is responsible for reviewing welding procedures, processes and documentation. A career as Welding Engineer involves conducting failure analyses and causes on welding issues. 

Transportation Planner

A career as Transportation Planner requires technical application of science and technology in engineering, particularly the concepts, equipment and technologies involved in the production of products and services. In fields like land use, infrastructure review, ecological standards and street design, he or she considers issues of health, environment and performance. A Transportation Planner assigns resources for implementing and designing programmes. He or she is responsible for assessing needs, preparing plans and forecasts and compliance with regulations.

Environmental Engineer

Individuals who opt for a career as an environmental engineer are construction professionals who utilise the skills and knowledge of biology, soil science, chemistry and the concept of engineering to design and develop projects that serve as solutions to various environmental problems. 

Safety Manager

A Safety Manager is a professional responsible for employee’s safety at work. He or she plans, implements and oversees the company’s employee safety. A Safety Manager ensures compliance and adherence to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines.

Conservation Architect

A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

Individuals in the editor career path is an unsung hero of the news industry who polishes the language of the news stories provided by stringers, reporters, copywriters and content writers and also news agencies. Individuals who opt for a career as an editor make it more persuasive, concise and clear for readers. In this article, we will discuss the details of the editor's career path such as how to become an editor in India, editor salary in India and editor skills and qualities.

Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

Corporate Executive

Are you searching for a Corporate Executive job description? A Corporate Executive role comes with administrative duties. He or she provides support to the leadership of the organisation. A Corporate Executive fulfils the business purpose and ensures its financial stability. In this article, we are going to discuss how to become corporate executive.

Multimedia Specialist

A multimedia specialist is a media professional who creates, audio, videos, graphic image files, computer animations for multimedia applications. He or she is responsible for planning, producing, and maintaining websites and applications. 

Quality Controller

A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product. 

A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.

Production Manager

A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans. 

Process Development Engineer

The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.

AWS Solution Architect

An AWS Solution Architect is someone who specializes in developing and implementing cloud computing systems. He or she has a good understanding of the various aspects of cloud computing and can confidently deploy and manage their systems. He or she troubleshoots the issues and evaluates the risk from the third party. 

Azure Administrator

An Azure Administrator is a professional responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Azure Solutions. He or she manages cloud infrastructure service instances and various cloud servers as well as sets up public and private cloud systems. 

Computer Programmer

Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

Information Security Manager

Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

ITSM Manager

Automation test engineer.

An Automation Test Engineer job involves executing automated test scripts. He or she identifies the project’s problems and troubleshoots them. The role involves documenting the defect using management tools. He or she works with the application team in order to resolve any issues arising during the testing process. 

Applications for Admissions are open.

Aakash iACST Scholarship Test 2024

Get up to 90% scholarship on NEET, JEE & Foundation courses

SAT® | CollegeBoard

Registeration closing on 19th Apr for SAT® | One Test-Many Universities | 90% discount on registrations fee | Free Practice | Multiple Attempts | no penalty for guessing

JEE Main Important Chemistry formulas

As per latest 2024 syllabus. Chemistry formulas, equations, & laws of class 11 & 12th chapters

TOEFL ® Registrations 2024

Thinking of Studying Abroad? Think the TOEFL® test. Register now & Save 10% on English Proficiency Tests with Gift Cards

Resonance Coaching

Enroll in Resonance Coaching for success in JEE/NEET exams

ALLEN JEE Exam Prep

Start your JEE preparation with ALLEN

Everything about Education

Latest updates, Exclusive Content, Webinars and more.

Download Careers360 App's

Regular exam updates, QnA, Predictors, College Applications & E-books now on your Mobile

Cetifications

We Appeared in

The Better Blog

Mother teresa’s nobel lecture: a speech about loving one another, by jen k. on 06/16/2023.

TLDR : In 1979, Mother Teresa delivered an inspiring speech to the world after receiving the Nobel Prize. She eloquently discussed her journey to find peace through service to the world’s poor and downtrodden. The speech served as a masterclass in authenticity and humility, brilliantly reflecting her life-long beliefs and values.

So What? The speech reflected what she believed and was consistent with how she lived her life, due to its heartfelt tone and authenticity. Here’s what great communicators can learn from this great spirit.

Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Prize in 1979, used the platform not for self-glory, but to articulate her lifelong commitment to advocating for peace, promoting mutual care, and nurturing spirituality. 

Unconventionally, she declined the monetary reward associated with the prize, instead directing it towards impoverished Indians’ welfare. She also convinced the Nobel committee to allocate funds meant for a celebratory banquet to feed the needy.

Mother Teresa’s mission wasn’t confined by geography or age. Even in her 80s, she actively supported the destitute in Calcutta, India, and raised funds globally. Her public life wound down only a few months before her passing at age 87, due to declining health.

Her moving Nobel Prize speech advocated for prayer, helping others, valuing life, and, notably, promoting peace. Let’s examine some key themes and techniques that great communicators can learn from this great spirit.

Embrace Humility

Mother Teresa’s humility resonated throughout her speech, reflected in phrases such as “I think it will be beautiful” and “Let us thank God.” Despite asserting her strong beliefs, she avoided aggressive or confrontational language, always delivering her messages with calmness and respect.

Maintain Focus

Her speech was guided by specific objectives. She wanted her listeners to grasp her mission’s essence, inspiring them to embrace God’s love and extend it to their fellow humans. She also candidly addressed the contentious issue of abortion and urged everyone to respect all human lives. She emphasized the pursuit of peace and encouraged her audience to prioritize it unconditionally.

Challenge the Audience

Mother Teresa’s speech included powerful calls to action, urging listeners to transcend their comfort zones and strive to help others. The following paragraph is a perfect example:

It is not enough for us to say, “I love God, but I do not love my neighbor.” St. John says you are a liar if you say you love God and you don’t love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live? And this is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt.

With this passage, she challenged the audience’s understanding of love, stating that loving God and disregarding one’s neighbor were incompatible. 

Be Descriptive

Mother Teresa used descriptive language to create images of what peace looked like. Here are some of the ways she used the word “peace”:

“Peace to all of goodwill”

“Peace of heart”

“Gift of peace”

“Created to live that peace”

“Things that break peace”

“Destroyer of peace”

“A burning light in the world of peace”

This repetition helped her audience grasp her perception of peace and how she found it amid the extreme poverty she immersed herself in.

Use Storytelling

There were several moving stories contained in the speech that illustrated her points in a powerful way. When she talked about the greatness of the poor she served, she talked about a woman who “died a beautiful death” in peace and gratitude for the care she received.

She also told a story about a paralyzed man who gave up his only joy in life (smoking) for a month, so he could give the money from the cigarettes to her ministry. These stories gave her audience a window into her ministry, what it was like to serve the poor every day, and what other people could do to give sacrificially to the poor.

Practice What You Preach

A significant aspect of her speech’s influence was her credibility. Mother Teresa’s years of selfless service to the overlooked and undervalued lent authenticity to her words. She shared not mere theories or ideas, but tangible experiences from her life and her devoted service. Despite differences in religious beliefs, her authenticity resonated with many, making her speech an influential moment in history.

Does your business need help creating powerful messages that will resonate with your target audience? Click here to take our award-winning content marketing platform for a test drive.

Communicate better.

Our better newsletter gives you tips for better communication that you can immediately put to use..

We pray this prayer every day after Holy Communion, because it is very fitting for each one of us, and I always wonder that 4-500 years ago as St. Francis of Assisi composed this prayer that they had the same difficulties that we have today, as we compose this prayer that fits very nicely for us also. I think some of you already have got it, so we will pray together.

Lord, make a channel of Thy peace that, where there is hatred, I may bring love; that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness; that, where there is discord, I may bring harmony; that, where there is error, I may bring truth; that, where there is doubt, I may bring faith; that, where there is despair, I may bring hope; that, where there are shadows, I may bring light; that, where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted, to understand than to be understood; to love than to be loved; for it is by forgetting self that one finds; it is forgiving that one is forgiven; it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life. St. Francis of Assisi  

Let us thank God for the opportunity that we all have together today, for this gift of peace that reminds us that we have been created to live that peace, and Jesus became man to bring that good news to the poor. He being God became man in all things like us except sin, and he proclaimed very clearly that he had come to give the good news. The news was peace to all of good will and this is something that we all want, the peace of heart, and God loved the world so much that he gave his son, it was a giving, it is as much as if to say it hurt God to give, because he loved the world so much that he gave his son, and he gave him to Virgin Mary, and what did she do with him? As soon as he came in her life, immediately she went in haste to give that good news, and as she came into the house of her cousin, the child — the unborn child — the child in the womb of Elizabeth, leapt with joy. He was that little unborn child, was the first messenger of peace. He recognized the Prince of Peace, he recognized that Christ has come to bring the good news for you and for me. And as if that was not enough — it was not enough to become a man — he died on the cross to show that greater love, and he died for you and for me and for that leper and for that man dying of hunger and that naked person lying in the street not only of Calcutta, but of Africa, and New York, and London, and Oslo — and insisted that we love one another as he loves each one of us. And we read that in the Gospel very clearly — love as I have loved you — as I love you — as the Father has loved me, I love you — and the harder the Father loved him, he gave him to us, and how much we love one another, we, too, must give each other until it hurts. It is not enough for us to say: I love God, but I do not love my neighbor. St. John says you are a liar if you say you love God and you don't love your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor whom you see, whom you touch, with whom you live. And so this is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. It hurt Jesus to love us, it hurt him. And to make sure we remember his great love he made himself the bread of life to satisfy our hunger for his love. Our hunger for God, because we have been created for that love. We have been created in his image. We have been created to love and be loved, and then he has become man to make it possible for us to love as he loved us. He makes himself the hungry one — the naked one — the homeless one — the sick one — the one in prison — the lonely one — the unwanted one — and he says: You did it to me. Hungry for our love, and this is the hunger of our poor people. This is the hunger that you and I must find, it may be in our own home. I never forget an opportunity I had in visiting a home where they had all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them in an institution and forgotten maybe. And I went there, and I saw in that home they had everything, beautiful things, but everybody was looking towards the door. And I did not see a single one with their smile on their face. And I turned to the Sister and I asked: How is that? How is it that the people they have everything here, why are they all looking towards the door, why are they not smiling? I am so used to see the smile on our people, even the dying one smile, and she said: This is nearly every day, they are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten, and see — this is where love comes. That poverty comes right there in our own home, even neglect to love. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried, and these are difficult days for everybody. Are we there, are we there to receive them, is the mother there to receive the child? I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given into drugs, and I tried to find out why — why is it like that, and the answer was: Because there is no one in the family to receive them. Father and mother are so busy they have no time. Young parents are in some institution and the child takes back to the street and gets involved in something. We are talking of peace. These are things that break peace, but I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing — direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: Even if a mother could forget her child — I will not forget you — I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the palm of His hand, so close to Him that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget something impossible — but even if she could forget — I will not forget you. And today the greatest means — the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here — our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us. Our children, we want them, we love them, but what of the millions. Many people are very, very concerned with the children in India, with the children in Africa where quite a number die, maybe of malnutrition, of hunger and so on, but millions are dying deliberately by the will of the mother. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today. Because if a mother can kill her own child — what is left for me to kill you and you kill me — there is nothing between. And this I appeal in India, I appeal everywhere: Let us bring the child back, and this year being the child's year: What have we done for the child? At the beginning of the year I told, I spoke everywhere and I said: Let us make this year that we make every single child born, and unborn, wanted. And today is the end of the year, have we really made the children wanted? I will give you something terrifying. We are fighting abortion by adoption, we have saved thousands of lives, we have sent words to all the clinics, to the hospitals, police stations — please don't destroy the child, we will take the child. So every hour of the day and night it is always somebody, we have quite a number of unwedded mothers — tell them come, we will take care of you, we will take the child from you, and we will get a home for the child. And we have a tremendous demand from families who have no children, that is the blessing of God for us. And also, we are doing another thing which is very beautiful — we are teaching our beggars, our leprosy patients, our slum dwellers, our people of the street, natural family planning. And in Calcutta alone in six years — it is all in Calcutta — we have had 61,273 babies less from the families who would have had, but because they practise this natural way of abstaining, of self-control, out of love for each other. We teach them the temperature meter which is very beautiful, very simple, and our poor people understand. And you know what they have told me? Our family is healthy, our family is united, and we can have a baby whenever we want. So clear — those people in the street, those beggars — and I think that if our people can do like that how much more you and all the others who can know the ways and means without destroying the life that God has created in us. The poor people are very great people. They can teach us so many beautiful things. The other day one of them came to thank and said: You people who have vowed chastity you are the best people to teach us family planning. Because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other. And I think they said a beautiful sentence. And these are people who maybe have nothing to eat, maybe they have not a home where to live, but they are great people.The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition — and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other three, I take of this one that looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: Thank you — and she died. I could not help but examine my conscience before her, and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself, I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more — she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face. As that man whom we picked up from the drain, half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for. And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel — this is the greatness of our people. And that is why we believe what Jesus had said: I was hungry — I was naked — I was homeless — I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for — and you did it to me. I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives in the heart of the world. For we are touching the Body of Christ 24 hours. We have 24 hours in this presence, and so you and I. You too try to bring that presence of God in your family, for the family that prays together stays together. And I think that we in our family don't need bombs and guns, to destroy to bring peace — just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world. There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home.

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do. It is to God Almighty. How much we do it does not matter, because He is infinite, but how much love we put in that action. How much we do to Him in the person that we are serving. Some time ago in Calcutta we had great difficulty in getting sugar, and I don't know how the word got around to the children, and a little boy of four years old, Hindu boy, went home and told his parents: I will not eat sugar for three days, I will give my sugar to Mother Teresa for her children. After three days his father and mother brought him to our home. I had never met them before, and this little one could scarcely pronounce my name, but he knew exactly what he had come to do. He knew that he wanted to share his love. And this is why I have received such a lot of love from you all. From the time that I have come here I have simply been surrounded with love, and with real, real understanding love. It could feel as if everyone in India, everyone in Africa is somebody very special to you. And I felt quite at home I was telling Sister today. I feel in the Convent with the Sisters as if I am in Calcutta with my own Sisters. So completely at home here, right here. And so here I am talking with you. I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people. And find out about your next-door neighbor. Do you know who they are? I had the most extraordinary experience with a Hindu family who had eight children. A gentleman came to our house and said: Mother Teresa, there is a family with eight children, they had not eaten for so long — do something. So I took some rice and I went there immediately. And I saw the children — their eyes shinning with hunger — I don't know if you have ever seen hunger. But I have seen it very often. And she took the rice, she divided the rice, and she went out. When she came back I asked her — where did you go, what did you do? And she gave me a very simple answer: They are hungry also. What struck me most was that she knew — and who are they, a Muslim family — and she knew. I didn't bring more rice that evening because I wanted them to enjoy the joy of sharing. But there were those children, radiating joy, sharing the joy with their mother because she had the love to give. And you see this is where love begins — at home. And I want you — and I am very grateful for what I have received. It has been a tremendous experience and I go back to India — I will be back by next week, the 15th I hope — and I will be able to bring your love. And I know well that you have not given from your abundance, but you have given until it has hurt you. Today the little children they have — I was so surprised — there is so much joy for the children that are hungry. That the children like themselves will need love and care and tenderness, like they get so much from their parents. So let us thank God that we have had this opportunity to come to know each other, and this knowledge of each other has brought us very close. And we will be able to help not only the children of India and Africa, but will be able to help the children of the whole world, because as you know our Sisters are all over the world. And with this prize that I have received as a prize of peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people that have no home. Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor — I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace, be the good news to the poor. The poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world. To be able to do this, our Sisters, our lives have to be woven with prayer. They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because today there is so much suffering — and I feel that the passion of Christ is being relived all over again — are we there to share that passion, to share that suffering of people. Around the world, not only in the poor countries, but I found the poverty of the West so much more difficult to remove. When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger. But a person that is shut out, that feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person that has been thrown out from society — that poverty is so hurtable and so much, and I find that very difficult. Our Sisters are working amongst that kind of people in the West. So you must pray for us that we may be able to be that good news, but we cannot do that without you, you have to do that here in your country. You must come to know the poor, maybe our people here have material things, everything, but I think that if we all look into our own homes, how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each, other, and that the smile is the beginning of love. And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other naturally we want to do something. So you pray for our Sisters and for me and for our Brothers, and for our Co-Workers that are around the world. That we may remain faithful to the gift of God, to love Him and serve Him in the poor together with you. What we have done we should not have been able to do if you did not share with your prayers, with your gifts, this continual giving. But I don't want you to give me from your abundance, I want that you give me until it hurts. The other day I received 15 dollars from a man who has been on his back for twenty years, and the only part that he can move is his right hand. And the only companion that he enjoys is smoking. And he said to me: I do not smoke for one week, and I send you this money. It must have been a terrible sacrifice for him, but see how beautiful, how he shared, and with that money I bought bread and I gave to those who are hungry with a joy on both sides, he was giving and the poor were receiving. This is something that you and I — it is a gift of God to us to be able to share our love with others. And let it be as it was for Jesus. Let us love one another as he loved us. Let us love Him with undivided love. And the joy of loving Him and each other — let us give now — that Christmas is coming so close. Let us keep that joy of loving Jesus in our hearts. And share that joy with all that we come in touch with. And that radiating joy is real, for we have no reason not to be happy because we have no Christ with us. Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor that we meet, Christ in the smile that we give and the smile that we receive. Let us make that one point: That no child will be unwanted, and also that we meet each other always with a smile, especially when it is difficult to smile. I never forget some time ago about fourteen professors came from the United States from different universities. And they came to Calcutta to our house. Then we were talking about that they had been to the home for the dying. We have a home for the dying in Calcutta, where we have picked up more than 36,000 people only from the streets of Calcutta, and out of that big number more than 18,000 have died a beautiful death. They have just gone home to God; and they came to our house and we talked of love, of compassion, and then one of them asked me: Say, Mother, please tell us something that we will remember, and I said to them: Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family. Smile at each other. And then another one asked me: Are you married, and I said: Yes, and I find it sometimes very difficult to smile at Jesus because he can be very demanding sometimes. This is really something true, and there is where love comes — when it is demanding, and yet we can give it to Him with joy. Just as I have said today, I have said that if I don't go to Heaven for anything else I will be going to Heaven for all the publicity because it has purified me and sacrificed me and made me really ready to go to Heaven. I think that this is something, that we must live life beautifully, we have Jesus with us and He loves us. If we could only remember that God loves me, and I have an opportunity to love others as he loves me, not in big things, but in small things with great love, then Norway becomes a nest of love. And how beautiful it will be that from here a centre for peace has been given. That from here the joy of life of the unborn child comes out.

If you become a burning light in the world of peace, then really the Nobel Peace Prize is a gift of the Norwegian people.

God bless you!  

More History

Picture Archive A - C Picture Archive D - M Picture Archive N - Z

Attila short biography Map of Attila's empire Battle of the Catalaunian Plains Who were the Huns?  

Also called the Persian Wars , the Greco-Persian Wars were fought for almost half a century from 492 BC - 449 BC. Greece won against enormous odds. Here is more:

Battle of Marathon Battle of Thermopylae Battle of Salamis Battle of Plataea

• International
• Today’s Paper
• Premium Stories
• Express Shorts
• Health & Wellness
• Board Exam Results

Love begins at home: Mother Teresa

"there is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.".

Mother Teresa death anniversary: Mother Teresa’s immense empathy and love for the underprivileged and needy is known to all and she holds a special place in people’s hearts even today.

The Nobel Peace Prize recipient has time and again emphasised the importance of love and kindness and its power to shape society.

ALSO READ | Good Morning Wishes Images, Messages, Quotes, HD Wallpapers, Pics, SMS, Greetings, Shayari, Pictures

In her Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech in 1979, Mother Teresa said, “… Maybe there is somebody there in the family who is unwanted, who is unloved, uncared for, forgotten.”

She shared a moving story about a poor girl who she had picked up from the street and offered a piece of bread. “I could see in the face of the child that the child was hungry. God knows how many days that she had not eaten. So, I gave her a piece of bread and the little one started eating the bread crumb by crumb…I said to the child, ‘eat the bread’. And she looked at me and said, ‘I’m afraid to eat the bread because I’m afraid when it is finished, I will be hungry again. This is a reality,” she expressed.

ALSO READ | Ganesh Chaturthi special: Save the environment through clay Ganpatis

“There is so much suffering, so much hatred, so much misery, and we with our prayer, with our sacrifice are beginning at home. Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do,” she said.

• Mother teresa

Trupti Khamkar, who acted in the film Crew alongside Kareena Kapoor, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon, spoke about the challenges she faced while shooting. She had to memorize her lines all day and only had a short time to perform after the lead cast left. Despite this, she believes the experience has prepared her for any challenging set in the future.

More Lifestyle

Buzzing Now

Apr 10: Latest News

• 01 ‘Jail ka jawab vote se’ campaign: Gopal Rai begins AAP’s door-to-door drive from East Delhi’s Shahdara
• 02 Umar Khalid used powerful people to amplify his narrative: Prosecution in Delhi court
• 03 Biden to meet Japan’s PM Kishida over shared concerns about China and differences on US Steel deal
• 04 Bhuvneshwar Kumar foxes Shikhar Dhawan, death bowling issues for SRH and other standout moments from PBKS vs SRH
• 05 IPL 2024 Purple Cap: Arshdeep Singh enters top 3 after PBKS vs SRH match
• Elections 2024
• Political Pulse
• Entertainment
• Movie Review
• Newsletters
• Gold Rate Today
• Silver Rate Today
• Petrol Rate Today
• Diesel Rate Today
• Web Stories

Speech on Mother Teresa in English

Good morning to the respected Principal, teachers and my dear friends. I am here to present a short speech on a great personality, ‘Mother Teresa’.

Mother Teresa was a very religious woman. Her real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was born on August 26, 1910, at Skopje. Her father was a businessman and her mother was a housewife.

She grew up as a beautiful lady but she never wised to get married. She decided to become a nun when she was 12 years old. She just wanted to serve the mankind with love and compassion. So she served the needly and poor people till her last breath.

She spent her day caring for people in need. She set up a Missionary of charity along with many homes for people in need. She spent a lot of time caring for the elderly, disabled and injured.

Mother Teresa had an interest in education. Soon after she became a nun, she began a charity work in which she taught and supported children from low-income families. She spent a lot of money on promoting literacy.

She won a lot of awards throughout her lifetime for her dedication to helping people in need. She won a Nobel peace prize in 1979 and considered a saint. Some more awards given to her were Pope John XXlll Peace Prize 1971, Nehru Prize for Promotion of International Peace & Understanding 1972, Balzan prize 1978, Nobel Peace Prize 1979, etc.

She became a famous woman and was also known as ‘Saint of the Gutters’ or an ‘Angel’. She was indeed one of the great servants of humanity. She passed away on 5th September 1997 but lives in our heart till date.

I think we should all take inspiration from her good deeds in life and try to help people to make this world a better place and it is not difficult as she rightly said, ‘ if you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one’.

Thank you, everyone, for listening.

Related Posts:

• The Last Visit Poem by Taufiq Rafat Summary, Notes and Line by Line Explanation in English
• Howl Poem By Allen Ginsberg Summary, Notes and Line by Line Explanation in English
• The Woman Speaks to the Man who has Employed her Son Poem by Lorna Goodison Summary, Notes and Line by Line Explanation in English
• Random Dog Breed Generator Tool
• 1 Minute Speech on Mother Teresa In English 
• Goblin Market Poem by Christina Rossetti Summary, Notes and Line by Line Explanation in English

UC Berkeley insider known for questioning the status quo is named new chancellor

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Rich Lyons, a UC Berkeley leader of innovation and entrepreneurship who cultivated a culture of questioning the status quo as business school dean, has been named the new chancellor of the premier public research university following unanimous approval by the regents Wednesday.

Lyons, 63, is a Berkeley alumnus who headed the Haas School of Business for a decade, shattering fundraising records, and currently serves as associate vice chancellor and chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer. A professor of economics and finance, Lyons has won numerous teaching awards and is seen as a charismatic insider with the skills to navigate the complex Berkeley culture — and enliven campus events with mean guitar-playing skills.

UC President Michael V. Drake selected Lyons from a diverse pool of candidates. Lyons would take the helm on July 1, following the retirement of current Chancellor Carol Christ.

An open letter to the new chancellor from the Berkeley Faculty Assn. signaled the challenges ahead. It described unprecedented demoralization stemming from growing workloads and financial hardships.

“You will inherit a campus that is close to breaking point,” the letter said. “That has created a huge burden on faculty to maintain Berkeley’s reputation as the best public university in the world with ever-diminishing resources and ever-deteriorating working conditions.”

Lyons will oversee a campus of nearly 46,000 students and 1,570 faculty members at a particularly fraught moment in higher education. Culture wars over free speech, academic freedom, diversity — and, more recently, the Israel-Palestinian conflict — have inflamed and divided campuses across the country, including Berkeley.

A People’s Park requiem: From free speech and flower children to planned dormitory towers

Half a century after its tumultuous birth, People’s Park in Berkeley, a treasured home for misfits and seekers, may have seen its last day

Jan. 6, 2024

Skepticism over the value of college degrees has grown, and state disinvestment in public universities has accelerated across the nation. Even in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators have increased higher education funding, Berkeley and other UC campuses continue to struggle to make ends meet.

Berkeley has closed two deficits and raised $7.3 billion in its capital campaign that ended Feb. 29 — the highest haul of any public university. But, faculty members say, the campus needs billions more to repair and maintain aging buildings, offer competitive salaries, accommodate growing enrollment and even afford regular cleaning.

Lyons, in a 2020 campus conversation , said financial sustainability was among the university’s biggest challenges — noting that the proportion of Berkeley’s educational expenses covered by state funding had plunged, from half years ago to less than 12% in recent years.

As a fundraiser, he helped land eight of the top 10 gifts to the Haas business school and nearly doubled the overall donations during his tenure as dean from 2008 to 2018, compared with the previous decade, the business school reported. One $25-million donation seeded the $65-million development of a six-story, 80,000-square-feet building with classrooms, study rooms, an event space and cafe.

Lyons said diversity, equity and inclusion issues were also top institutional challenges. UC Berkeley enrolls a lower proportion of underrepresented students — 22.6% in fall 2023 — than UCLA at 27.1% and UC San Diego at 25.1%.

“Berkeley ... is a profoundly important institution to society,” he said in 2020. “The idea that we look so different than the society we serve is going to get more and more troublesome.”

Sydney Roberts, Berkeley’s student body president, said financial support for underrepresented students to thrive and succeed was among top student priorities, along with affordable housing, safety and free speech protections. She called for a leader with conflict-resolution skills, political acumen and a commitment to listen to students and act on what they say.

“We need a community builder … a person to help people feel valued and heard,” said Lisa García Bedolla, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the graduate division.

She and Maximilian Auffhammer, UC Berkeley’s Academic Senate chair, said a new chancellor must be able to articulate the broad value of Berkeley to the larger public to help build support for the university. Its “world-class faculty” members have made life-changing discoveries, Auffhammer said, including breakthroughs in gene-editing processes that helped create COVID-19 vaccines and a treatment for sickle-cell anemia. Berkeley instructors also have helped inspire students to reach their potential, such as one teaching assistant who encouraged García Bedolla to pursue a PhD.

A divide over the Israel-Hamas war flares at UC Berkeley Law

A Wall Street Journal op-ed by professor Steven Davidoff Solomon recommended against hiring students who ‘support discriminatory bylaws or other acts and resolutions blaming Jews and Israelis for the Hamas massacre.’

Nov. 3, 2023

But García Bedolla also noted the low morale across campus, stemming from lingering pandemic fallout, the 2022 academic worker strike and recent polarization over the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Daniel Sargent, an associate professor of history and public policy, said the new chancellor should help facilitate a greater embrace of different viewpoints — including conservative voices as a counterweight to the prevailing “ultraprogressive monoculture,” he said.

Lyons has a track record of unifying people around shared goals. After two years as “chief learning officer” at Goldman Sachs, where he observed the value of building an institutional culture, he led a process to do likewise at the Berkeley business school.

UC Berkeley spreads the gospel of data science with new college, free curriculum

UC Berkeley is spreading the gospel of data science, a high-demand, high-earning field that can advance social justice, with a proposed new college and free curriculum to schools.

May 18, 2023

The school’s four “defining principles” — paraphrased — include questioning the status quo, showing confidence with humility, embracing lifelong curiosity and learning, and serving the collective good — not only personal interests. Lyons also helped spearhead new interdisciplinary majors combining business with other fields, such as engineering and biology, and a “Berkeley Changemaker” class that helped students identify their passions and activate them to make a difference in the world.

A Palo Alto native, Lyons earned a bachelor’s degree in business at UC Berkeley and a PhD in economics at MIT. He taught at the Columbia University business school for six years before returning to Berkeley in 1993 as an assistant professor of finance and economics. He went on to serve at Haas as associate dean for academic affairs, acting dean and, in 2008, dean after his stint at Goldman Sachs.

He was appointed chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer in 2020, serving in a newly created role by Christ. He and his team propelled Berkeley to become the No. 1 university to produce venture-funded startups founded by undergraduate alumni.

Fluent in French, he is married with two children.

More to Read

Stanford names Jonathan Levin, business school dean, new president after leadership crisis

April 4, 2024

After violent protest, controversial pro-Israeli speaker comes back to UC Berkeley

March 19, 2024

Violent protest at UC Berkeley triggers federal investigation into alleged discrimination

March 11, 2024

Start your day right

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Teresa Watanabe covers education for the Los Angeles Times. Since joining the Times in 1989, she has covered immigration, ethnic communities, religion, Pacific Rim business and served as Tokyo correspondent and bureau chief. She also covered Asia, national affairs and state government for the San Jose Mercury News and wrote editorials for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. A Seattle native, she graduated from USC in journalism and in East Asian languages and culture.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Caught up in the FAFSA chaos? Some students now have a workaround

April 9, 2024

L.A. school district probes inappropriate images shared at Fairfax High. More AI abuse?

World & Nation

Biden proposes new student-debt relief. Here’s who would benefit

April 8, 2024

Granderson: College costing nearly $100,000 a year? Forgiving loans is the least we can do