Mother Teresa Missionaries of Charity
A Roman Catholic religious order established in 1950 to look after the poor and needy of Calcutta, Missionaries of Charity was set up by Mother Teresa. Considering her ceaseless efforts for the betterment of poor and diseases, Mother Teresa received permission from the Vatican to start her own order in October 1950 that was originally called as the Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese.
Later it came to be known as the Missionaries of Charity that aimed to care for "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" as expressed by Mother Teresa herself.
It began from an abandoned Hindu temple that was converted into Nirmal Hriday (Home for the Dying), a free hospice in Calcutta. Later, she established a home for lepers known as Shanti Nagar (City of Peace) in Titagarh, and an orphanage too. With this, the congregation began to attract both the charitable donations as well as the poor who needed care and by 1960’s the missionary was able to open numerous hospices, orphanages and leper house all over the country. Now the mission consists of more than 4,500 nuns and has offices in more than 133 countries that are striving hard to help the deprived people all over the world.
The aim of Missionaries of Charity is to help the poor, needy, diseased and hungry. The nuns who enter this organization are asked to take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and to give "Wholehearted and Free service to the poorest of the poor". The members of the order show their affiliation by using the initials of MC that helps them to get recognized all over the world.
As a part if its extensions, The Missionaries of Charity Brothers was established in 1963 that was later followed by a contemplative branch of the Sisters in 1976. In 1984, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Fathers with Fr. Joseph Langford. This combined the vocation of the Missionaries of Charity with the ministerial priesthood. Along with it, Lay Catholics and non-Catholics constitute the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa, the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, and the Lay Missionaries of Charity were also established that are giving services to needy in various vocations.
The aim of Missionaries of Charity as outlined by Mother Teresa since it was founded was to care for all people who needed help; it included refugees, ex-prostitutes, the mentally ill, sick children, abandoned children, lepers, AIDS victims, the aged, and convalescent.
Missionaries of Charity ran schools where volunteers taught children to read and writer, they also ran soup kitchens as well as many other social services depending upon the needs of suffering and deprived people. By 1970’s Mother Teresa had become an internationally known charity worker, a humanitarian and an advocate of the poor. The best thing about Missionaries of Charity is that all people who come here are provided help and care, irrespective of their religion and beliefs. This one act of Mother Teresa of helping people belonging to all religions and casts alone made her one of the most popular and loved personality in the world with her sympathy extended to all the races and nations of the world.
Today, the Missionaries of Charity has 19 homes only in Calcutta, that include homes for women, for orphaned children, and for the dying; an AIDS hospice, a school for street children, and a leper colony that houses people according to their needs and problems. All over the world, the Missionaries of Charity is assisted and aided by Co-Workers who also became an official International Association on March 29, 1969. Along with Co-Workers, the Missionaries of Charity tries to help the needy and poor with the same zeal as spirit as that of Mother Teresa.
Although Mother Teresa resigned from the position of head of the missionaries in 1990, she was again voted back as the Superior General. However, it was only six months before her death that Sister Mary Nirmala Joshi became the new Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity.
