In 1948, after receiving permission from her superiors, she left the Loreto order and began her mission to serve the poor in Calcutta. She took simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and adopted the name "Mother Teresa." She began by caring for the sick and dying on the streets, providing them with food, shelter, and medical attention. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, an order dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor. The organization began in a small way, with just a handful of sisters, but it rapidly grew and expanded its reach.
Establishment of the Missionaries of Charity
Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity was founded with the goal of serving the "hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." The order quickly gained international recognition, and its members established homes for the dying, orphanages, and hospitals across India and later throughout the world. The work of the Missionaries of Charity expanded dramatically, and by the time of Mother Teresa’s death, the order had more than 5,000 members in over 130 countries.
One of the most well-known institutions of the Missionaries of Charity is the Kalighat Home for the Dying in Calcutta, which became a symbol of Mother Teresa’s work. There, the dying were provided with a place to die with dignity, surrounded by love and care, rather than being abandoned in the streets. shutdown123