Character Catalog

Catholic religious congregation dedicated to serving 'the poorest of the poor', recognized by Rome on October 7, 1950. Present in more than 130 countries at her death, it now counts over 5,000 sisters.

First free shelter for abandoned dying people in Calcutta, allowing thousands of people to end their lives in dignity, cared for and spiritually accompanied.

Orphanage and reception center for abandoned, malnourished and disabled children founded in Calcutta. This model would be replicated in dozens of countries.

Collection of intimate letters by Mother Teresa published after her death, revealing her profound doubts and her 'dark night of the soul'. An exceptional document for understanding the spiritual life and inner fragility of a figure considered a saint.

International recognition crowning thirty years of work among the destitute of Calcutta. In her speech, she advocates for the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death.

Compilation of texts, speeches and meditations by Mother Teresa on love, poverty and vocation. A reference work for understanding her spirituality and her vision of humanitarian commitment.

I want to be free for God alone. I want to love Him with all that I am. Allow me to go into the streets to serve the poorest of the poor.

I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing by the mother herself. And we read in the Scriptures... if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for us to kill each other?

In my soul, I feel just this terrible pain of absence — God does not want me — God is not God — God does not exist.

Woman is the strength of the family. If we destroy woman, we destroy the family. And if we destroy the family, we destroy the world.

Our aim is to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus Christ on the cross for souls, by working for the salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor.

Birthplace of Anjezë Bojaxhiu, where she grew up in a deeply devout Albanian Catholic family. It was here that her vocation was born during youth outings in the poor outskirts of the city.

The first home for the dying founded by Mother Teresa in 1952, established in a former dharamsala adjoining the Kali temple. Thousands of people would die there with dignity, cared for and accompanied.

Global headquarters of the congregation founded in 1950, on A.J.C. Bose Road. It is here that Mother Teresa lived, prayed, and led her work, and where her body rests today, drawing pilgrims from around the world.

Venue for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in December 1979. Mother Teresa delivered a memorable speech there and refused the honorary banquet, demanding that the funds be redistributed to the poor of Calcutta.

In 1982, during the civil war, Mother Teresa negotiated a temporary ceasefire to evacuate disabled children trapped between the front lines. This episode illustrates her boldness and her international political influence.

Adopted in 1948 as the habit of her congregation, the white sari with three blue stripes became the global emblem of the Missionaries of Charity. The colors were inspired by the traditional sari worn by poor women in Bengal whom Mother Teresa worked alongside.

Mother Teresa permanently wore a rosary in her hand or on her wrist and recited it daily. She considered prayer, particularly the Marian rosary, to be the primary weapon of her apostolate among the most destitute.

The Missionaries of Charity use a simple enameled metal bowl to distribute food to the dying and the destitute at Nirmal Hriday. This object embodies the total detachment that Mother Teresa demanded of her sisters.

Mother Teresa wore rudimentary leather sandals similar to those of poor Indian women, a symbol of her vow of poverty and her desire to share the daily life of the most destitute.

She always wore a small medal of the Virgin pinned to her sari, to which she had been deeply attached since her Albanian childhood. This Marian devotion directly influenced the choice of blue for her congregation's habit.

Basic care instruments — cloths, bandages, clean water — were the daily tools of Mother Teresa and her sisters as they tended to the dying, lepers, and sick abandoned on the streets of Calcutta.