MOTHER TERESA’s BIRTH CENTENARY: The nun who moved mountains

The eastern Himalayan ranges of Darjeeling in 1929 received a young nun from Macedonia, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, who had left her home at the age of 18 to serve humanity. Agnes chose the name Teresa after arriving in India and took religious vows as a nun - now forgotten in Darjeeling by Bengal ?!! (Photo: The Hindu Archives)

The nun who moved mountains – forgotten in Darjeeling by Bengal ?!!

From The Hindu

August 26, 2010: The nun who moved mountains. (A Photo Journal Link) The birth centenary celebrations of Mother Teresa remind us of the enormous potential that resides in human beings, to serve humanity with unwavering faith and love.

Mother Teresa’s 100th Birthday

After spending 20 years teaching as part of the Loreto order in India, in 1948, she left her convent out of a genuine urge to work among marginalised people in the streets of Kolkata. She also adopted Indian citizenship - and still the Indian Identity Question of the Gorkhas remain in question without statehood, Darjeeling's agony forgotten by a colonialist Bengal ?!! (Photo: AP)

From Trends One
By Bhagwati

Mother Teresa Birthday is on August 26th, 1910 born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was a Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata, India in 1950.

Mother Teresa called a miracle for the world as for over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries.

On the occassion of Mother Teresa 100th Birth Anniversary German-born Sister Mary Prema, present Superior General of the Order, in an interview with Fides revealed that they are conducting an event on Mother Teresa Birthday which will be celebrated on August 26, 2010 is “trust in Divine Providence” that is one of the essential features that the Congregation of Sisters with the “white sari” live, in respect and memory of their founder, who has been called “a miracle in the history of mankind.”

An Exhibition on Mother Teresa- Life, Spirituality and Message in were conducted recently in different countries like INDIA, ITALY, USA, PHILIPPINES, ALBANIA, GERMANY, MEXICO, AUSTRIA, FRANCE, SPAIN. Mother Teresa died on 5 September 1997, following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birthday, there will be celebrations the world over. From St. Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast, Ireland to the Hutchinson Metro Center in the Bronx, blue and white (the colors of the Missionaries of Charity) will shine brightly.

Billboards in Times Square will shine blue and nearby Hoboken will feature posters of Mother Teresa in several venues. Hundreds of devotees gathered in West Bengal to celebrate Mother Teresa’s 100th birthday. A special Mass was held at the cathedral ahead of her birthday, which falls on Wednesday.

Albanian born Mother Teresa made Kolkata her home and dedicated her life to the service of poor and destitute children. Her wisdom and nobility spread far and wide and was adopted by many. By the 1970s, she was internationally famed as a humanitarian and advocate for the poor and helpless, due in part to a documentary and book Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge.

She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980 for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity continued to expand, and at the time of her death it was operating 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children’s and family counselling programs, orphanages, and schools.

She has been praised by many individuals, governments and organizations; however, she has also faced a diverse range of criticism. These include objections by various individuals and groups, including Christopher Hitchens, Michael Parenti, Aroup Chatterjee, Vishva Hindu Parishad, against the proselytizing focus of her work including a strong stance against contraception and abortion, a belief in the spiritual goodness of poverty and alleged baptisms of the dying.

Medical journals also criticised the standard of medical care in her hospices and concerns were raised about the opaque nature in which donated money was spent.

Mother Teresa came to India in 1929 at the age of 18 and took up teaching and became an Indian citizen in 1948. The nun started working in slums and later set up her Missionaries of Charity, which was approved by the Vatican in 1950.

The organization 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.

Acts of charity on Mother Teresa’s birthday

From The Indian Express

KOCHI, 27 Aug 2010 10:47:38 AM IST: Mother Teresa’s hundredth birth anniversary was celebrated by various organisations in the city on Thursday.

Nirmala Sisubhavan at SRM Road here, run by Missionaries of Charity, celebrated the day with various charitable acts. The programmes started early morning when all the people who gathered at the Sisubhavan lit a huge candle and kept it burning.

Later, there was Holy Mass said by Bishop Sebastian Edayanthrath of Ernakulam diocese. After the Mass, breakfast was served for all those present. At another function, the Bishop distributed school kits to 100 school children. The kit included school bag, notebooks, umbrella and a pencil.

Later, two documentaries, A Call Within A Call and Mother’s visit to Kerala 1994, were screened. Kits which included rice, sugar and milk powder were also distributed to 400 families.

KCYM, Verapoly diocese had organised the Mother Teresa centenary celebrations at Mother Theresa Nagar, High court junction on Thursday.

Verapolu diocese Almaya Commission chairman Antony M Ambatt inaugurated the function. A hundred candles (Sneha deepams) were lighted to commemorate the mother’s 100th birth anniversary. Prayers were held.

Rev Thomas Kandathil, KCYM president I M Antony and general secretary Shine Antony attended the function.

The Mother Theresa Foundation, based in West Kochi, celebrated the day by sponsoring lunch at Sehiyon Oottushala, a free daily lunch programme of the Kochi diocese. It sponsored the lunch at 23 centres from Alappuzha to Kochi.

On Wednesday, the foundation had organised a programme to mark the conclusion of its one year programme commemorating Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa’s birth anniversary held

From The Times of India

VARANASI, Aug 26, 2010, 09.15pm IST (TNN): The 100th birth anniversary of Mother Teresa was celebrated by the volunteers of Subeh-e-Banaras, a social organisation, at Bhartendu Park, Maidagin, on Thursday.

Hariyali Sringar: The traditional Hariyali Shringar of Baba Batuk Bhairav is going to be held at Batuk Bhairav temple in Kamachha on August 29.

Lok Adalat: The Union Bank is going to hold a Lok Adalat under the auspices of district legal service authority in the court premises on August 29 to dispose of loan related matters.

Procession carried out: Activists of Pahal, a social organisation, carried out a silent procession to create awareness about evils of child marriage on Thursday. They also organised a street play and meeting at Shaheed Udyan Park.

Chamling urges emulation of Mother Teresa’s example

From IBN Live

Gangtok, Aug 26 (PTI): Sikkim Chief Minister Dr Pawan Chamling today urged the people to emulate the example of selfless service of Mother Teresa on her birth centenary. Chamling announced naming of the road leading from St Thomas Church at the NH 31 A here to Yatayat Bhavan after her at a programme at Chintan Bhavan.

The chief minister also announced dedicating health cards to be distributed from today under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual and Total Check Up for Healthy Sikkim programme, to her. Chamling stressed on preventive measures instead of the curative ones to ensure health for all.

AND IN A LIGHTER VEIN

Mother Teresa’s birthday struggles to compete with Macaulay Culkins’ 30th

Macaulay Caulkin at 30 - still sweet as ever ?!!

From Culture Map, Huston
By Steven Thomson

Huston, August 26th, 2010 at 11:44 AM: Generation Y is slipping out of its roaring twenties and into its third decade, as evidenced by Macaulay Culkin’s 30th birthday today.

The Home Alone heir was once regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple as well as one of Michael Jackson‘s best friends — he’s the godfather to the performer’s son Prince Michael and daughter Paris.

Culkin was the first child actor to ever get paid $1 million for one film — 1991’s My Girl — and while that may have been the most lucrative moment in his career, he’s snagged That 70s Show hottie Mila Kunis for what looks like the long run. The party monster kicked off the bday bash earlier this weekend in London with younger brother Kieran.

Renowned English actress Olivia Hussey has spoken of her delight at being chosen to play Mother Teresa of Calcutta in a new television series for Italian TV, produced by Lux Vide. It was shown around the time of the beatification of the world's most famous nun, October 2003 - now needed by Darjeeling more than ever ?!!

Culkin’s not the only Aug. 26 birthday who’s Lost in New York. Were she still alive, today would be the 100th birthday of Mother Teresa. In commemoration of the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s big day, Catholic League president Bill Donohue urged the management of the Empire State Building to light the building in white and blue.

When the building management declined, assuming that most New Yorkers would see a blue and white edifice as being symbolic of the New York Giants or Yankees, Donohue accused the building management as acting like “bigots.”

Donohue proceeded to call upon Catholics nationwide to sign petitions to get Madame T up in lights. Mother Teresa — the Musical has yet to premiere on Broadway, but if Donohue gets his way, we hope to see a dazzling Macaulay and Mila on the red carpet at the premiere.