Discover the Unseen Side: Top 13 Surprising and Heartwarming Fun Facts About Mother Teresa
1. Mother Teresa: The Marvel Superhero
If Mother Teresa were a Marvel superhero, she'd be known as "The Pencil": crafting love letters to the world with divine prowess, dodging ego like a true avenger, and heroically mending the lives of those in need: Mother Teresa, indeed a humble superhero, founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and devoted her life to serving the sick, disabled, and destitute in Calcutta, India. Garnering accolades such as the Nobel Peace Prize, she remained modest and committed to her work until her passing in 1997, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and touch lives globally.
Source => catholiccompany.com
2. Saintly Stand-Up Comedian
Before she became a saint, Mother Teresa was quite the stand-up comedian, slaying crowds at open mics with her passionate punchlines on peace, poverty, and prioritizing people: In reality, Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, utilizing her acceptance speech to advocate for unity, love, and understanding towards the less fortunate while also speaking out against abortion and emphasizing the importance of valuing every human life.
Source => nobelprize.org
Did you know Dorothy Height, a civil rights activist, was also a fashion icon? She designed her own inauguration gown and broke stereotypes about African American women's style. Discover more stylish facts about her!
=> Fun Facts about Dorothy-Height
3. Divine GPS Guidance
Who needs GPS when a divine calling can lead the way: Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 after receiving cosmic guidance on a train ride from Kolkata to Darjeeling, and the order now boasts 130+ houses globally, providing solace and support to the world's most vulnerable citizens.
Source => jacksonville.com
4. Heavenly Bureaucracy Approved
In a miraculous twist of heavenly bureaucracy, Mother Teresa earned the Vatican's stamp of approval for her divine start-up: On October 7, 1950, she received permission to establish the Missionaries of Charity, now celebrated as their Feast Day. This soul-saving enterprise has scaled up exponentially, boasting over 4,500 dedicated nuns in 133 countries as of 2012, all committed to uplifting the "poorest of the poor" and extending a helping hand to those in need.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
5. Missionary Millionairess
From Loreto Abbey to Slumdog Millionairess: Mother Teresa was a dab hand at Catechism and Geography from her time at Loreto Convent Entally in Calcutta, but she truly won big when she swapped her comfy teaching gig to answer God's call for serving the poorest of the poor, founding the Missionaries of Charity in 1950!
Source => catholicireland.net
6. Fashion Icon: The White and Blue Sari
While walking the runway of compassion, Mother Teresa donned the ultimate fashion statement that turned heads and warmed hearts: her iconic white and blue sari, which symbolized her commitment to charity and purity, was first given to her by a teacher at St. Mary's School in Calcutta. The sari's blue border was specifically chosen to represent Mother Mary and was later sourced from a leprosy patient home in Kolkata, where patients were trained to weave it, although it never made its way onto the trademark catwalk.
Source => peepultree.world
7. Divine Hugs with Princess Diana
When two royals meet - one of heaven and the other of earth - it's only fitting they share divine hugs and kisses: Mother Teresa and Princess Diana forged a heartwarming friendship through their mutual love for charity, meeting in person first in 1992 to talk, pray, and eventually, embrace in an NYC chapel visit in 1997 – where Mother Teresa even offered a celestial blessin' upon the people's princess.
Source => popsugar.com
8. Saint of the Slums Meets the Big Apple
When the Big Apple met the Saint of the Slums: Mother Teresa opened a hospice in the rectory of St. Veronica's Catholic Church in Greenwich Village, NYC on Christmas Eve 1985, called the "Gift of Love," providing care for terminally ill AIDS patients and even working with Mayor Edward I. Koch to secure medical furloughs for three state prison inmates with AIDS.
Source => villagepreservation.org
9. Scaling Mountains of Compassion
If you think scaling a mountain seems tough, imagine doing it while dressed as a nun: Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity grew from a humble starting point of 12 members in Calcutta in 1950 to an astounding 5,281 members operating in 139 countries by 2020. These charitable sisters run everything from schools and orphanages to homes for the dying and leper colonies, spreading compassion around the world faster than a viral cat video.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
10. Queen of Modest Slumbers
If Mother Teresa ever attended a sleepover party, she'd surely be the queen of "slumbers": At her Home for the Dying Destitutes in Calcutta, space was so limited that the residents had to sleep on basic mats tightly packed on the floor, while Mother Teresa herself rested in a modest room at the back – her royal chamber containing nothing fancier than a bare-bones cot.
Source => catholicnewsagency.com
11. Touchdown for Humanity Award
You know you've made it when you win life's 'Touchdown For Humanity' award: Mother Teresa scored a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 thanks to her tireless dedication to the poor and the dying of Calcutta.
Source => reaganlibrary.gov
12. Honorary Citizenship BFF
Who needs to win a popularity contest when you can just receive honorary citizenship from an entire country? That's right – Mother Teresa didn't even need to submit a PowerPoint presentation to become BFFs with the United States: In 1996, she was one of the five individuals ever granted honorary citizenship by the U.S., with President George H.W. Bush's signature making it official! The group included the likes of Winston Churchill, Raoul Wallenberg, and married couple William Penn and Hannah Penn.
Source => nytimes.com
13. Mother Teresa's "Flying Novena" Party Trick
When life handed Mother Teresa lemons, she whipped up a "Flying Novena" to get the party started: Back in her time, she relied on this super-charged prayer, consisting of 10 Memorares to the Virgin Mary, to solve crises like sick children, missing passports, and fuel shortages on daring nighttime missions. The "Flying Novena" even had a 100% success rate, unlocking the doors to the Vatican and speeding up visa approvals like nobody's business!
Source => ncregister.com
