(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 02.11.2025).- Pope Francis decided to place the liturgical memory of Mother Teresa of Calcutta in the official liturgical calendar of the entire Catholic Church. This means that Catholics around the world will now have the option to celebrate her memory in the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours every year on September 5—the day of her passing in 1997.
The announcement, made by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, reflects the continued resonance of Mother Teresa’s mission of mercy. The decree, signed by Cardinal Arthur Roche, acknowledges the countless requests from bishops, priests, religious communities, and lay faithful who sought a formal place for her commemoration in the Church’s liturgical life.
Although she was canonized in 2016, many still call her simply «Mother Teresa,» a title that speaks to the deep personal connection people feel toward her. During her canonization, Pope Francis remarked that her sanctity is «so close to us, so tender and fruitful, that we instinctively continue to call her ‘Mother.'» The decision to include her in the Church’s official calendar only reinforces this sentiment, ensuring that future generations will continue to reflect on her extraordinary witness of love and service.
Born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in what is now North Macedonia, Mother Teresa left home as a teenager to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland before beginning her work in India. There, she heard what she described as a «call within a call»—a divine summons to serve «the poorest of the poor.» She left her convent, walked the streets of Calcutta, and devoted herself to the dying, the abandoned, and the destitute. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, which continues to serve the marginalized in over 130 countries.
The decree introducing her liturgical memorial highlights the profound impact of her work. It describes her as a «tireless worker of charity» who restored dignity to those the world had discarded. It also recalls Christ’s words from the Gospel of Mark: «Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant.» These words, the document notes, encapsulate Mother Teresa’s entire life.
The Church portrays her as a modern Good Samaritan, someone who saw suffering not as an abstract concept but as a personal call to action. The decree notes how she embodied mercy, becoming «the salt» that gave flavor to love and «the light» that illuminated the darkness of suffering. Her mission was not simply to provide physical aid but to answer a deeper, spiritual hunger—the longing for love, dignity, and belonging.
One of the most profound moments of her journey came from the Gospel itself. The decree recalls how Jesus’ words from the cross—»I thirst»—became the driving force of her mission. She understood this not merely as a physical thirst but as Christ’s plea for love, for souls, for presence. Every action she took was her response to that cry, an effort to quench the thirst of Christ by serving Him in those who were suffering.
By adding her to the General Roman Calendar, the Church is not just honoring a saint—it is inviting the faithful to reflect on a radical call to love. The liturgical texts, which will now be included in Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, will guide prayers and readings that encourage believers to follow her example of humility and service.
Her legacy was recognized far beyond the Church. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she refused the traditional banquet, asking instead that the funds be given to the poor of India. She walked into places others feared to go, offering her hands to lepers, AIDS patients, and those left to die on the streets. She stood before world leaders and called them to account for their failure to care for the weak.
Although she passed away in 1997, Mother Teresa’s work continues. Her Missionaries of Charity remain a presence in the most neglected corners of the world, serving those who have nowhere else to turn. Pope John Paul II beatified her in 2003, and Pope Francis canonized her in 2016, during the Jubilee of Mercy—a fitting moment for a woman who embodied that very virtue.
Now, with her name officially inscribed in the Church’s calendar, her message remains ever-present: Love, in its purest form, is found in serving others. And that is a lesson the world will always need.
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