From a young age, Agnes liked to be in church reading, praying and singing.
At the age of 18, she joined the Loreto Sisters. She was trained in religious activities and chose the name Theresa and in 1929, she was assigned to teach at the St. Mary’s Convent School in Calcutta, India. In her spare time, she used to look after the sick.
On May 26,1937 she made her final vows as a nun in Darjeeling. It was on this particular journey, that she heard God’s voice. His message was ‘to leave the convent and help the poorest of poor and to live with them.’
She said this was an order and had to be obeyed.
She then decided to be a guardian angel for the sick and dying the world over.
In 1948, she opened the first school for slum children in Calcutta, in 1952. She opened Nirmal Hriday {Pure Hearts} a home for the dying. This home became more and more popular where the dying came as their only hope for proper medical treatment.
Another of Mother Theresa’s foundations was Shishu Bhavan, home for orphan babies and children whose parents have left them on the streets and Shanti Nagar.
Shanti Nagar was a colony for lepers where they could build their own houses and work on their fields.
The biggest problem for her was not the disease but the lack of love and charity, the feeling of being unwanted.
These two extraordinary women are known today as heroines and will be remembered for their work, kindness and patience. They have set a good example for our world and have given many people inspiration to do good things in God’s name.
Obvious modern day disciples do exist.
These are Priests, Nuns, Teachers, Doctors, Police, Counsellors, Missionary workers etc.
Teachers give people the chance of education, Doctors give people the chance of life by using medicine, Police and Counsellors give people advice and try to keep the world crime free.
Priest and nuns also give guidance and religious advice and hope to their community.
They are the guardian angels of our community.
They are following in Jesus’ footsteps by helping others; they show self-sacrifice and obedience.
They are not necessarily religious but devote they life to serving others. We put our trust in these people to help our world become a better place, step by step.
Charities are also evidence of modern day discipleship.
Examples of their work are shown all around us in our community.
There are many charities with different aims to help our world such as Cafod and Christian Aid.
Cafod is a major British charity that has been fighting third world poverty since 1962.
Cafod works in third world countries such as; Africa, Asia, India, the Philippines, Argentina etc raising money, building futures and holding campaigns such as ‘Third World Debt.’
Cafod believe that all human beings have a right to dignity and respect and that the world’s resources are gifts to be shared by all men and women, whatever their race, age, nationality or religion.
Cafod, {as a charity} don’t just give money to the poor communities and walk away, they work hand in hand with the local people to help them respond to their own needs.
This means that they make a promise to these communities to help them, help themselves to give them a head start on a safer plan for a future.
Christian Aid Mission is a charity in touch with hundreds of indigenous Christian mission agencies in poor and oppressed countries, especially in lands where evangelism is greatly needed.
Thanks to Christian Aid Mission there are several thousand indigenous mission groups active in Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. They have also combined a total of more than 100,000 missionaries either on the field or ready to enter service.
These charities are combined of groups of people from the world over as modern day disciples to beat the systems like the trade system.
