Early Life of Mother Teresa

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Questions and Answers

What year did St. Teresa return to the Loreto compound and start visiting the poor on Sundays?

1935

1940

1937 (correct)

1945

What was one of the main reasons many of the poor that Teresa saw died on the streets?

Lack of education

Lack of access to basic healthcare (correct)

Lack of food

Lack of shelter

What did a mother say to St. Teresa that highlighted her impact on the poor?

You have changed our lives forever.

Your presence lightens our burden.

You are our only hope in this darkness.

Oh, Ma, come again! Your smile brought sun into this house! (correct)

Who inspired St. Teresa's lifelong conviction about the poor's needs?

Drana, her mother Signup and view all the answers

What was the background of the woman whom Drana cared for, influencing Teresa's dedication?

A woman with a skin disease Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary focus of the Loreto ministry?

Reducing poverty through education Signup and view all the answers

What activities did Sister Teresa engage in daily apart from teaching?

Prayers, Mass, and supervising children's recreation Signup and view all the answers

What emotions did Teresa experience when observing the community?

Anguish and despair Signup and view all the answers

How did Teresa's perception of teaching evolve over time?

She questioned if it was God's intended purpose for her. Signup and view all the answers

What was St. Teresa's baptismal name?

Thérèse Signup and view all the answers

What did Teresa identify as particularly severe in the community she served?

Extreme poverty and crime Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary purpose of the Loreto compound?

A refuge for the poor and untouchables Signup and view all the answers

What name did St. Teresa use after taking her final vows?

Mother Teresa Signup and view all the answers

In which subjects did St. Teresa teach while at the Loreto compound?

Geography and History Signup and view all the answers

How many children did the Loreto compound house?

500 Signup and view all the answers

What significant event occurred 28 years after Thérèse's death?

She was canonized. Signup and view all the answers

What did both Thérèse and Anjezë aspire to do in their ministries?

Serve abroad as missionaries. Signup and view all the answers

How did Thérèse's approach to ministry evolve over her life?

She opted for personal care and attention to individuals. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following was a common experience shared by both Thérèse and Anjezë during their youth?

They both lost a parent. Signup and view all the answers

What spiritual teaching is associated with Thérèse's beliefs?

God appreciates even small acts of love. Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary focus of the Loreto Novitiate where Anjezë studied?

Teaching Signup and view all the answers

What religious vows did Anjezë take at the Loreto Novitiate?

Poverty, chastity, and obedience Signup and view all the answers

Which language did Anjezë NOT learn during her education?

Spanish Signup and view all the answers

What nickname did Anjezë earn during her studies?

Bengali Teresa Signup and view all the answers

What event characterized the social life in Darjeeling during Anjezë's early life?

Garden parties Signup and view all the answers

What was Anjezë's initial reaction to the poverty she encountered in Madras?

She was shocked and horrified. Signup and view all the answers

How long did Anjezë and her fellow postulant take to reach the port of Calcutta?

Seven weeks. Signup and view all the answers

What overwhelmed Anjezë and her companion upon arriving in Calcutta?

The dense population and noise. Signup and view all the answers

What did Anjezë witness that particularly disturbed her during her time in Madras?

A Hindu funeral with body paint on mourners. Signup and view all the answers

How did Anjezë's perceptions of missionary life change after her experiences in India?

Her romantic fantasies began to vanish. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Early Life

Anjezë's birth name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu
Anjezë was born in 1910 and became Sister Mary Teresa
She took the name "Teresa" for her religious vows, but it was not the name of the famous St.Teresa of Avila.
Sister Teresa became "Mother" when she took her final vows.
Anjezë was known as Sister Teresa for six years
She was initially assigned to St.Mary's, a school within the compound
She taught geography and history, subjects she enjoyed
The compound had some greenery.
She visited the poor on Sundays and provided them with friendship and basic necessities.
She visited them in hospitals
Many of the poor she saw were Dalits
Dalits often died on the streets due to a lack of access to basic healthcare.

Early Years in India

Anjezë was sent to Calcutta and lived in the Loreto compound.
She was taken to the compound after taking her initial vows.
The compound was located in a poverty-stricken area of Calcutta, avoided by Europeans and Indian Brahmins.
It housed close to 500 children.
It was a compound for the poor and the "untouchables", who often scraped together a living
The compound was founded in 1845.
The Loreto compound was in a poverty-stricken area of Calcutta that Europeans and Indian Brahmins avoided.
Her daily life involved prayers, Mass, a quick breakfast, and six hours of teaching, followed by afternoon and evening activities like supervising children’s recreation and study.

Early Life and Vows in Darjeeling

Anjezë spent a significant portion of her life in Darjeeling.
The region served as a British colonial retreat from the intense summer heat of Calcutta and New Delhi for many months of the year.
Social events like garden parties, cricket, polo, and performances entertained British officials and Indian maharajas.
The Loreto Novitiate's primary focus was teaching and Novitiates were required to teach in a school attached to the novitiate for two hours daily.
Anjezë mastered English and was also required to learn Bengali, eventually becoming fluent in both languages.
She even picked up some Hindi and earned a nickname "Bengali Teresa."
Anjezë took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in late March 1931, at the age of twenty.
She chose the religious name Sister Mary Teresa of the Child Jesus, honoring St.Thérèse of Lisieux.

Loreto

The Loreto ministry focused on reducing poverty by educating children
St.Teresa questioned if teaching alone was God's intended purpose for her.
Anjezë (later Sister Mary Teresa) experienced, for the first time, the brutality of Indian poverty when she travelled to Madras by ship.
She witnessed scenes of misery that rivaled any suffering she'd seen before.
She saw poverty for the first time in India when the ship carrying her and her other postulants stopped at Madras on the way to Calcutta.

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Description

Explore the formative years of Anjezë Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known as Mother Teresa. This quiz delves into her early life, including her education, religious vows, and her compassionate work with the poor in Calcutta. Discover how her background shaped her mission to help those in need.