Teresa's Journey and Call to Ministry
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Questions and Answers

Teresa required convincing from the archbishop to become secular.

True

The Vatican granted Teresa only a secularization, not an exclaustration.

False

Teresa’s request for secularization was approved within two months.

False

The archbishop placed a one-year probationary period on Teresa.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa wrote to the Loreto motherhouse in America about her secularization.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa felt confident that her fellow sisters would support her call to a new ministry.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa's call to serve the poor required her to sacrifice the comforts of her Loreto sisterhood.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa faced immediate approval from her order to begin her new ministry.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa was only concerned about her own desires and did not trust God's timing.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Fr. Celeste Van Exem played an essential role in Teresa's journey.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa received a call to serve the wealthy of Calcutta.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The journey from Calcutta to Darjeeling included a transfer to the 'Toy Train'.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

September 10th is recognized as 'Inspiration Day' by the Missionaries of Charity.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The route to Darjeeling is 64 kilometers long and uses a standard gauge track.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa found her calling while she was in perfect health.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa decided to leave her Loreto order to serve the richest of the rich.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The blue-edged sari that St. Teresa adopted was inspired by the Virgin Mary.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa's departure from the Loreto Sisters was met with unanimous support.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa felt fully prepared to help the Dalits without needing any knowledge in first aid.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa removed her Loreto habit in mid-August 1948 at the age of 38.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa of Calcutta believed she heard a clear call from Christ to undertake a new ministry.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Voice emphasized the importance of ministering to the wealthy.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The founding of the Missionaries of Charity stemmed from St. Teresa's call.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa's understanding of the Voice was limited to the initial event.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa emphasized that Christ's words are only relevant to the past.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Fr. Van Exem was fluent in several languages, including Latin and Sanskrit.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

St. Teresa sought to minister to the poor without any guidance from Fr. Van Exem.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Fr. Van Exem recommended that St. Teresa directly petition the Vatican as the only option.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Fr. Van Exem assisted St. Teresa in writing a letter to the Archbishop of Calcutta.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The route through the Archbishop would not allow for an appeal to the Vatican if necessary.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Périer wanted to support Teresa's proposed ministry without any confirmation of her calling.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa was assigned to a posting in a town close to Calcutta.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Périer expressed annoyance at a newly arrived priest lecturing him on his ministry.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The meeting between Périer and Van Exem resulted in immediate action regarding Teresa's request.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Van Exem believed Teresa's sisters sensed a change in her and acted accordingly.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa experienced a spiritual journey after a 1946 train journey.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa believed that serving the needy was a way to serve herself.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa observed significant suffering among the wealthy in Calcutta.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa concluded that the impoverished were Christ in physical disguise.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Jesus never communicated with Mother Teresa during her early spiritual experiences.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa's experiences in Asansol were initially intended as a punishment.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The sweetness and consolation Mother Teresa experienced in Asansol lasted for three months.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Archbishop Périer was worried that Mother Teresa was fantasizing about her experiences.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa found the condition of requesting an 'indult of secularization' to be comforting.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Fr. Van Exem was ordered to contact the other Jesuits about Mother Teresa's petition.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'I thirst' expressed Jesus's longing for love and companionship.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

Mother Teresa believed that loneliness was most prevalent among the wealthy.

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

The victims of crucifixion were often positioned far above eye level from onlookers.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa found the prospect of serving the poor to be fully comforting and easy.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Teresa felt that her experience on the Darjeeling train confirmed her decision to continue teaching.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Teresa's Journey to Secularization

  • Teresa's final vows were unbreakable, requiring convincing from her superiors.
  • The archbishop required Teresa's secularization.
  • Teresa wrote to the Loreto motherhouse in Ireland, receiving their response within a month.
  • Teresa's superior authorized her to apply to the Church in Rome for an indult.
  • The archbishop insisted on secularization, prompting Teresa to follow his instructions and request it from Rome.
  • The Vatican granted both secularization and exclaustration, giving Teresa the choice.
  • This decision took four months, with Teresa praying before hearing the news.
  • The archbishop placed a one-year probationary period on Teresa to test her suitability for secular life.

Teresa's Call to Ministry

  • Teresa worried that her superiors would think she was foolish, proud, or mad when she revealed her call to a new ministry.
  • The call to serve the poor meant sacrificing the comforts of her Loreto sisterhood.
  • Teresa felt God wanted her to be poor with the poor.
  • Leaving the Loreto Sisters to work among the poor involved significant bureaucratic hurdles.
  • The "ecclesial red tape" took two years to obtain permission.
  • Teresa’s journey depended heavily on her confessor, Fr. Celeste Van Exem.

The Call Within a Call

  • Teresa had a profound calling to leave the Loreto Sisters and dedicate her life to serving the poorest.
  • This calling occurred on September 10th, annually celebrated as "Inspiration Day" by the Missionaries of Charity.
  • Teresa refused to discuss the experience, except to say it was not a vision or rapture, but something else entirely.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

  • St. Teresa decided to leave the Loreto order.
  • She purchased simple white saris with blue stripes, which later became the habit of her new order, in honor of the Virgin Mary.
  • Her departure caused distress and shock among the Loreto Sisters.
  • Some sisters thought God had led her to a new ministry, while others felt betrayed.
  • The sisters were advised to pray for her success or failure.
  • Teresa removed her Loreto habit and left the compound without fanfare, adopting a blue-edged sari.
  • She recognized a need for knowledge in first aid to help the poor.

Fr. Van Exem and St. Teresa of Calcutta

  • Fr. Van Exem initially came to India to foster Christian-Muslim dialogue.
  • His relationship with St. Teresa evolved from spiritual director to actively assisting her ministry.
  • He advised St. Teresa to discern her call for several months.
  • He offered her strategic advice on how to proceed.
  • He suggested two options for seeking permission to leave the Loreto Sisters.
  • Fr. Van Exem strongly supported the second route and aided Teresa in writing a letter to the archbishop.
  • He provided advice on what to say if the archbishop wished to interview her.
  • Fr. Van Exem volunteered to hand carry Teresa's letter and act as an advocate for her.

St. Teresa of Calcutta: A Description of the Instrument

  • St. Teresa believed she heard a clear call from Christ to undertake a new ministry.
  • A significant aspect of her ministry involved quiet and intimate prayer.
  • Her call was deeply connected with Christ's thirst for love and care.
  • The call emphasized the importance of ministering to marginalized people.
  • The founding of the Missionaries of Charity stemmed from this call.
  • The words related to Christ's thirst were prominently displayed in the order's chapels.
  • The call and the experience were not limited to the initial event but continued throughout her life.
  • St. Teresa's personal reflections further clarify her understanding of the instrument.

The Call Within a Call

  • The archbishop's initial response to Teresa's proposed ministry was discouraging.
  • Périer was cautious and wanted confirmation of Teresa's calling before supporting her.
  • His annoyance stemmed from Teresa being a newly arrived priest who lectured him on his ministry.
  • Périer said he was only just arrived in India and did not know the will of God.
  • The meeting between Périer and Van Exem led to no immediate action, with Périer instructing Van Exem to counsel Teresa to keep her desires secret.
  • A panel of priests was commissioned to advise Périer on Teresa's petition.
  • Teresa was assigned to a Loreto convent in Asansol, which may have been due to Périer's suggestion.

The Call Within a Call

  • Mother Teresa reflected on her experience of "God's infinite longing to love and to be loved."
  • This experience occurred during a 1946 train journey.
  • She received a letter from Divine Light and Love.
  • Private interior locutions from Jesus continued until mid-year after the experience.
  • Jesus addressed her as "My own spouse" and "My own little one," urging compassion for the poor.
  • She was consistently urged by Jesus to be a "light" to those in need.

The Meaning of Jesus’s Thirst

  • Mother Teresa sought to understand the implications of invoking Jesus' thirst.
  • Helping those in need was serving Christ.
  • Mother Teresa lived in Calcutta, witnessing suffering and poverty among the Dalits.

A Defining Experience

  • Mother Teresa had a revelation on a Darjeeling train.
  • She concluded that the impoverished were Christ in physical disguise.
  • Jesus desired something to quench his physical thirst; Similarly, Christ embodied in the Dalit women, children and men also thirsted for material aid.

Mother Teresa’s Experiences in Asansol

  • The order to go to Asansol was initially intended as punishment but turned out to be a positive experience.
  • Mother Teresa had ecstatic experiences, feeling connected to God.
  • The Archbishop Périer was unimpressed and worried that Mother Teresa was fantasizing.
  • While in Asansol, Périer returned to Europe to consult with other Jesuits about Mother Teresa's petition.
  • Van Exem was ordered not to contact the other Jesuits.
  • After returning to Calcutta, Mother Teresa appealed to the archbishop.
  • Two priests advised that there was no obstacle to her petition.
  • Périer finally granted Mother Teresa permission to write to her general superior.
  • The archbishop stipulated that Mother Teresa had to request an "indult of secularization" to formally leave the Roman Catholic Church.

Jesus's "I thirst"

  • Jesus's "I thirst" expressed an intense desire for love and companionship.
  • Teresa recognized that "I thirst" also signified the longing for love Jesus felt in his final moments.
  • Christ in the disguise of the poor thirsted not only for material necessities, but even more so for kindness, love, and compassion.
  • Teresa concluded that the thirst for love was felt by everyone.
  • Her experience convinced her to leave the Sisters of Loreto to serve the poor.
  • Working with children made her "the happiest nun in the world," and forsaking it was a "great sacrifice."

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Explore Teresa's path to secularization and her deep sense of calling to serve the poor. This quiz covers the challenges she faced from superiors, the decisions made in Rome, and her internal struggle with her new ministry. Test your understanding of these significant moments in Teresa's life.

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