Mother Teresa: a biography

REACHING OUT
By 1953, the work of the Missionaries of Charity had grown tremen-
dously. On April 12, 1953, the initial group of Missionary Sisters took
their first vows in Calcutta’s Roman Catholic Cathedral; during the same
ceremony, Mother Teresa took her final vows as a Missionary of Charity.
She also now succeeded Archbishop Périer as superior of the order she
“ R I G O R O U S P OV E RT Y I S O U R S A F E G U A R D ”
5 9

---

had founded. Despite his early resistance to Mother Teresa’s efforts, the
archbishop had demonstrated his full support in the order’s early years, be-
lieving, as many others did, that God’s hand clearly was at work in his city.
In time, Mother Teresa and her sisters became a familiar sight in the
streets of Calcutta. As news of their endeavors spread, Mother Teresa was
asked on occasion to speak about her work. As a result, many groups and
organizations pledged their aid to carry out the work of the Missionaries of
Charity. It took time, but soon doctors, nurses, and other lay people were
volunteering their time and skills to help Calcutta’s poor. As the number
of volunteer medical personnel increased, so did the number of dispen-
saries to help tend to the sick and dying. Mother Teresa was also able to
increase the number of schools in the slum areas; with more teachers,
more poor children had the opportunity to learn how to read and write.
Even the City of Calcutta eventually relented: whenever there were 100
pupils studying with the Missionaries of Charity in one area, the city
agreed to build a small school building for them.
Despite these strides, Mother Teresa felt that still she and her congre-
gation were not doing enough to help the growing numbers of poor. In the
wake of Indian independence, conditions had worsened throughout India
and particularly in Calcutta. Malnutrition and overcrowded living condi-
tions contributed to even more illness and suffering. Even the governing
body of the city, the Calcutta Corporation, was powerless to help.
In the 3,000 official slums in the city, there resided more than two mil-
lion persons. The overcrowded conditions forced many to seek shelter on
railway platforms, in alleyways, or on city streets. Prisons were overflow-
ing and hospitals had to turn away people because they had no room.
Even with the help of relief organizations, the city struggled to take care
of the problem. As a result, the sick and the starving, weakened by disease
and hunger, simply dropped wherever they were to die. To many, Mother
Teresa and her nuns were but a small trickle of hope in a growing sea of
suffering.