Birthday celebrations and special prayers were held at the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, here on Sunday to commemorate her 97th birth anniversary.
Kolkata, Aug 26 : Birthday celebrations and special prayers were held at the headquarters of Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, here on Sunday to commemorate her 97th birth anniversary.
Hundreds of people joined the Missionaries of Charity nuns for a special morning mass at the 'Mother's House' led by Sister Nirmala, Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity.
"The message for the people today on Mother's birthday (is) let us praise and thank the God for the gift of our Mother's life and let us also praise and thank the God for the gift of our own lives. We ask the Lord to bless us, and Mother to pray for us that we also may make our lives something beautiful for the God," she said.
Albanian born Mother Teresa made Kolkata her home and dedicated her life to the service of poor and destitute children.
Mother Teresa was beatified by the Pope in October 2003, paving the way for her canonization, or being declared a saint.
She qualified for beatification after Vatican officials acknowledged that she was responsible for a miracle in which an Indian woman was cured of stomach cancer through her intervention.
Mother Teresa who died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87, was known for her extraordinary love and dedication to poor, homeless and diseased people.
She came to India in 1929 at the age of 18 and took up teaching, and became an Indian citizen in 1948.
She started working in slums and later set up her Missionaries of Charity, which was approved by the Vatican in 1950.
The organisation now runs more than 500 charity homes in over 100 countries.
Mother Teresa received several national and international awards for social service during her lifetime, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, the Magsaysay Award in 1962, the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971, and the John F. Kennedy International Award in 1971.
ANI