Failing Health

In the early 1980s, Mother Teresa's health began to fail. She had her first heart attack in 1983, followed by a second one in 1989. After her second heart attack in 1989, she was fitted with a pacemaker, which greatly extended the quality and quantity of her life.

The Power Of Trusting In God

In 1982,  Mother Teresa was asked by the Holy Father to travel to Beirut, an area which at this time was desolate from war and destruction. Mother Teresa felt the need to save the people of this war torn area, especially the suffering children. When she arrived she carried with her an Easter candle with the image of the Madonna and Child on it. At 4 PM, during the height of the bombing and shelling, Mother Teresa lit the candle, at 5 PM everything became quiet. This exemplifies Mother Teresa's great trust in God, and his love for her and all of creation.

Click HERE to see a map of Beirut.

Mother Teresa Wins The Nobel Peace Prize

In 1979, Mother Teresa was chosen as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the suffering and dying. She choose to give all of the financial reward to the poor, even cancelling her celebration banquet. Mother Teresa wished that the $3000 set aside for the banquet would be used for those who really were in need of a meal. She wrote:

"I want to make it very clear I do not want our Co— Workers to he involved in fund raising. It was necessary before for us to have Flag Days, Leper Days, Children ‘s Days and all this. We had to do all this because nobody knew we existed hut now the work has involved so many people that we just get — even in India where we never used to get anything before — we used to feed about 20,000 rupees after working hours and hours — those who were in Calcutta they know how hard they had to work — now without even asking, without any difficulties we get quite a lot of money and help for the lepers Let us avoid publicity under that fund raising name because it has become like a target with other o1ganizations and people are beginning to doubt, and so let us not give them a chance." 

Click HERE to see a video about Mother Teresa

The Work Of The Brothers

In 1971, Mother Teresa received the Pope Paul XXII Award. The  $25,000 reward money was used to help those with leprosy by building a leper colony. Throughout the early 1970's, sister foundations of the Missionaries of Charity were formed in England, the United States, Jordan, Bangladesh, Israel, Mauritius,Yemen, and Peru. It was also during this time that Brothers of The Missionaries of Charity went to serve the people of Saigon, providing shelter and food for the homeless. The brothers continued to work in Saigon until 1975 when communists took over the houses, forcing the brothers to eave the area.

Mother Teresa wrote: "This year has been heartbreaking We lost five houses in Vietnam and Cambodia. The buildings don't matter. But to be separated so finally from all the people one came to know and love is unbelievably painful. I shall never be the same after this, and I know I shall have an ache in my heart for them until the day I die."

Click HERE to see the places that the Missionaries of Charity Brothers served.

Worldwide Growth of The Missionaries of Charity

As the 1960s continued, Mother Teresa received more and more requests to open houses, in areas  throughout the world including Tanzania, Austria, and Melbourne Australia;. The Holy Father himself made a personal request for the Missionaries of Charity to work among the poor of Rome.

Click HERE to see the locations of the new houses.

"Our Sisters are working around the world and I have seen all the trouble, all the misery, all the suffering. From where did it come? It has come from lack of love and lack of prayer. There is no more of that coming together in the family, praying together, coming together, staying together."

Expanding the Missionaries of Charity Outside India

1965 was an important turning point for the Missionaries of Charity. In that year, the church asked Mother Teresa to organize missions outside of India. In July of 1965, Mother Teresa left  for Venezuela with  five other sisters to start the new mission.

"Leaving Belfast was a very big sacrifice — hut very fruitful — for our Sisters are now going to Ethiopia to feed the hungry Christ. The same Sisters who so lovingly served him in Belfast will now he giving his love and compassion to the suffering people of Ethiopia — pray for them and
share with then, the joy of loving and serving."

Click HERE to listen  to Venezuelan Music

Pope Paul VI Comes to the Rescue

In 1964, Pope Paul VI visited Bombay where he visited Mother Teresa, and upon his departure left her his Lincoln Continental to aid her in his work. Pope Paul VI came to the aid of the Missionaries of Charity on other occasions as well, giving the sister the means to buy 4000 mattresses for the poor, and giving a handsome Christmas donation allowing meals and presents to 5000 children and leprosy patients.

Click HERE to see a map of Bombay.