“Uniting Healthcare with Holiness to Relieve Suffering”
Mother Teresa Statue
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Mother Teresa
Feast Day: September 5
Born: August 26, 1910, in Albania.
Died: September 5, 1997
Full Name: Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu)
Order: Founder of the Missionaries of Charity in 1950
Fun Facts: Mother Teresa visited the tomb of St. Pio in 1987. They were both selected by Pope Francis to be the Jubilee Patron Saints.
Mother Teresa's Daily Prayer
Dear Jesus, help me to spread Thy fragrance everywhere I go. Flood my soul with Thy spirit and love. Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly that all my life may only be a radiance of Thine. Shine through me and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus. Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as you shine, so to shine as to be a light to others. Amen.
Mother Teresa's Five-Finger Gospel
“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:40
Mother Teresa said to remember that the ‘me’ refers to Jesus: “[Jesus] 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.”
She went on, “His ways are so beautiful.—To think that we have God almighty to stoop so low as to love you and me and make use of us—to make us feel that He really needs us.”
The next time you see someone in need. The next time someone annoys you. Use your five fingers and say:
You. Did. It. To. Me.
St. Teresa's Story
Mother Teresa was born in Macedonia of Albanian descent. She received her call to serve God what she was only 12 years old. She left home at age 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. She made her first vows on May 24, 1931. From 1931 to 1948 Mother Teresa was a teacher at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta. She could not ignore the poorest of the poor in the slums outside the school. She had no funds but relied on Divine Providence to start and school for the children of the slums. God blessed her ministry. On October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See, Pope Pius XII, to found a new order, “The Missionaries of Charity.” These devoted nuns loved and cared for the abandoned poor. Pope Paul VI decreed the order to be an International Religious Family in 1965, and the order now has the active Sisters and Brothers and Contemplative Sisters and Brothers. Mother Teresa established the Co-Workers for the laity in 1969 and the Sick and Suffering co-workers. The Lay Missionaries of Charity also serve the poor. Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and memorably spoke in opposition to abortion to the chagrin of world leaders in attendance. Watch the acceptance speech here. |
Pray the Rosary with St. Teresa
A Short History of St. Teresa
The Casa USA St. Teresa Statue
The St. Teresa statue was carved in marble by Catholic artisans in Quyang, China – known as the “carving capital of the world.” American Artist Joe Chovan created the design and served as the advisor to ensure the statue included the small details that tell the beautiful story of a Saint.
This 30″ statue is based on a photograph of Mother Teresa comforting a child.
As part of the artistic process, Joe read about St. Teresa and was moved by her dedication to the poor and her humility. One story, in particular, guided the creation of this one-of-a-kind statue.
Notice the feet of our St. Teresa. The feet are disfigured. Mother Teresa lived with the people she served, the poorest of the poor. People would donate their old shoes to the sisters and Mother Teresa let the sisters choose from the piles of worn shoes, then she would pick up whatever was left, and no matter the size or condition, she would wear the shoes until they disintegrated. Her sturdy feet became deformed through this sacrifice.
As the artists sent proofs to Joe, he would guide the fine details, and toward the end of the process, Mother Teresa’s face was lacking the depth of wrinkles and seemed younger than the image we sent. Joe stated, “Perhaps Mother Teresa is intervening and saying to us, ‘I want to look a little younger when everyone is visiting my statue…please, not so many wrinkles, squinty eyes and thin lips’ “…what woman (or man) would not want that!” 😉
