Major Accomplishments of Mother Teresa

In 1946, Mother Teresa received a divine message, possibly an intuition, after which she decided to devote her life to the betterment of society. In 1948, she started working with the poor. She soon became an Indian citizen and toured to different parts of India to uplift the downtrodden. In 1950, she was granted permission to establish the diocesan congregation, which would work for those, whom she described as the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers and all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone. The congregation extended far and wide and came to be known as the 'Missionaries of Charity', one of the very big organizations with centers all around the world.

In 1952, she founded the first Home for the Dying in India. Later, she converted an unused Hindu temple into Kalighat Home for the Dying. People from all religions were accepted into Kalighat, where they would receive medical attention and care. She soon opened a home for lepers in Shanti Nagar. In 1955, Mother Teresa went ahead to open the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, a home for the orphan and homeless children.

The Missionaries of Charity established by Mother Teresa continued growing to reach different parts of India. It opened several orphanages and leper houses across India, and later, in different parts of the world. The first house of the Missionaries of Charity that was established outside India was the one in Venezuela, which was opened in 1965. By 2007, the Missionaries of Charity had established 600 missions, schools and homes in 120 nations and had thousands of nuns working for it.

In 1962, Mother Teresa was awarded the Padma Shri, followed by the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1972 and the Bharat Ratna in 1980. She was honored with the Philippines-based Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding in 1962. In 1971, she received the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize from Pope Paul VI. She was honored with the Pacem in Terris Award in 1976. In 1996, she received the honorary citizenship of the United States of America.For her struggle to overcome poverty and remove the sorrow and suffering from society, she was awarded the Noble Prize for Peace. She selflessly donated an amount of $192,000 to India to be used for the upliftment of the poor in the country. According to her, rewards were important only if they would help her work for the helpless. Mother Teresa left for heavenly abode on September 5, 1997. After death, she reached sainthood and has been beatified. She has always proved to be an epitome of humanity and continues to be admired by people the world over.