Missionaries of Charity: Mission Expansion

Expansion of Missions

• The mission to Venezuela was the first of many.
• In 1967, the Sisters were invited to Sri Lanka.
• In 1968, missions opened in Tanzania, Australia, and Rome.
• In 1970, missions were established in Jordan, London, and Bangladesh.
• 1971 saw missions open in the South Bronx and Belfast.
• Gaza in 1973, and Lima, Peru in 1975.
• By 1975, Mother Teresa and her Sisters had opened 32 homes for the dying, 67 leper colonies, and 20 orphanages across a dozen countries.
• Archbishop Périer stated that God was discernible in the work of the Missionaries of Charity.
• Missions were established only if a bishop or archbishop requested them.
• Two or more Sisters would visit the location to determine how to best serve the people.
• The Sisters would buy or rent the cheapest building to use as a dormitory, chapel, and house for the ill, homeless, and orphaned.

Expansion of Scope

• The Sisters expanded to care for drug addicts, alcoholics, and troubled teenagers through the invitation of Australian Archbishop James Robert Knox in Melbourne.
• The order's ministry was extended to those who suffered from psychological problems.
• The Missionaries of Charity do not serve as case workers or therapists.
• Teresa insisted that the sisters undertook labor for Christ, not for the sake of the work.
• Mother Teresa stated that nakedness is not only for a piece of cloth but for dignity.
• Loss of purity in heart, mind, and body, leads to homelessness, rejection, and being unwanted.

Meeting Malcolm Muggeridge

• She was wary of adopting practices that would turn the Missionaries into an altruistic business venture or social entrepreneurship.
• She resisted regular contributions of money from donors, fearing that their souls would be harmed.
• She rejected a donation from Cardinal Terence Cooke of New York.
• Mother Teresa had a horror of her order getting bogged down by bookkeeping and investments.
• Accepted donations under the condition that the funds be spent where needed, not banked to earn interest or invested.
• In 1968, Malcolm Muggeridge interviewed Mother Teresa, which accelerated mission requests and dramatically increased donations.
• Muggeridge was a high-profile journalist and author known for skewering people in interviews.
• He felt that his personal life would disgrace the Christian religion.
• Despite warnings, Mother Teresa agreed to the interview, stating that the work mattered, not herself.
• Teresa sensed in Muggeridge a longing for faith that he didn't recognize at the time.
• The televised BBC interview was a success, leading to thousands of letters thanking Muggeridge and sending checks to the Missionaries of Charity.
• Muggeridge revealed the audience stated she spoke to them like no one had, inspiring them to help her.

The Documentary

• Muggeridge and his crew went to Calcutta to make a documentary about her work.
• Muggeridge was astounded at the kindness and gratitude of those served by the Missionaries of Charity.
• Coming face-to-face with goodness that gives without expecting anything in return was Muggeridge’s turning point.
• Muggeridge was impressed by the joy with which Mother Teresa and her Sisters went about their ministries.
• Teresa explained to Muggeridge that a joyful heart is the result of a heart burning with love.
• Muggeridge found himself praying for the first time in years and was convinced he witnessed a miracle.
• Footage of the Kalighat was processed bathing the building in light.
• The cameraman had no explanation for the clarity of the film.
• Muggeridge believed the light was the love with which the dying were treated by Mother Teresa.

Aftermath

• Three years after meeting Mother Teresa, Muggeridge became a practicing Christian.
• His conversion led to his resignation as honorary rector of the University of Edinburgh.

Additional Orders

• The Brothers of Charity was founded in 1967 for men who wished to serve Christ in the suffering poor.
• Missions were planted in Saigon and Los Angeles's Skid Row.
• In 1976 and 1979, two contemplative orders for Missionaries of Charity were established.
• An order for priests who felt called to the work of the Missionaries was also inaugurated.

Other Forms of Assistance

• The International Association of Co-Workers of Mother Teresa was formed in 1969.
• Members promised to serve God through free service to the poorest and collect clothing, money, and medical supplies.
• Members vowed to live simply, without luxury and ostentation.

Awards and Recognition

• The Muggeridge publicity brought the Missionaries of Charity additional funds and helpers.
• Teresa was reluctant to talk about herself, which frustrated journalists.
• She reconciled to being the order's public face and tolerated her celebrity status.
• She accepted awards on behalf of her Sisters.
• In 1969, Teresa was given the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding.
• Two years later, Pope Paul VI bestowed the first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize upon her.
• In 1980, Teresa won the Bharat Ratna or Jewel of India award, the highest honor that an Indian civilian can receive.
• She addressed the UN General Assembly in 1985.
• In 1987, Teresa was honored by the Soviet Union with the Gold Medal of the Soviet Peace Committee.
• The work of Teresa and her Sisters received its most prestigious award in 1979 when she won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Robert McNamara backed her candidacy, believing Missionaries of Charity were touching the lives of the world's poorest people.
• Teresa accepted on behalf of the world’s poor.
• Humans are called to be collaborators in divine love.

Lesson from the Poor

• The poor have much to give: their patience and gratitude teach people to be better.
• The story of the four people picked up from the street illustrates this point.

Another Tale

• There was a terrible sugar shortage in Calcutta, and it hit the Missionaries of Charity orphanages hard.
• A four-year-old Hindu boy gave up his sugar for three days to give to Mother Teresa for her children.

Aid Extends

• A starving Hindu family of nine divided rice with a Muslim family, understanding that they needed help too.
• A man paralyzed for two decades willingly gave up tobacco to help others.

Conclusion

• She was not naive or innocent regarding poverty.
• She tried to nurture the goodness in people by lovingly serving them.
• Physical suffering wasn't the only kind of misery that Mother Teresa and her Sisters tried to alleviate; they also sought to address emotional and spiritual suffering.
• Love begins at home, and home and family are the twin tutors in love, compassion, patience, and service
• After her Nobel speech, she returned to Calcutta and secluded herself in a private retreat to recharge her spiritual batteries.