Mother Teresa Interview, Ireland 1974

When I was hungry, you gave me to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me to drink. When I was naked, you clothed me. Mother Teresa, these are words which we would all agree with. But the difference between us and you is that we don't put them into action. We don't do anything about them, even though we might want to do it. We still don't. Now all of these words, to me, to you, just don't mean food and drink and clothes. They mean love. When did it all start for you? When did you start to put these words into action? Since 1946, actually, doing this close contact with the poorest of the poor. But before that, it was a vocation. At the time, I was 12 years old. Twelve. Calling to belong to Jesus. Now, at that time, you were in Skopje, in Yugoslavia, where you were born. With my own people. Was it difficult to leave your people? That was the sacrifice that Christ asked of us. Because we were a very happy and very united family. But God asked for the sacrifice from my people and from me. Were you a religious family? Had you been brought up to believe, as you do now, that everything was for God? Yes, I think my mother was a very holy woman. So she imparted that love for God and love for the neighbor very much into all her children's hearts. Now, when you got the calling and when you realized that you had to give up everything, what did you do then? How did you go about it? I mean, 12 was very young. Well, I didn't leave home until I was 18. And then I got in contact with some of our missionaries in India. And through them, I got in contact with the Lorettanans. And then 46 years ago, I came to Rathfarnham. And from there, I went to India in 1929 and finished my novitiate and laws. And I was with the Lorettanans for 20 years in India. Can I just go back a little bit to Rathfarnham? Because in Ireland, you know, we are a little bit interested in your time in Rathfarnham. How much do you remember of that time? Well, I remember yesterday when I went to Rathfarnham after 46 years, I saw the places where I had been as a young postulant. And I remembered the community room and the chapel and the refuge. So that brought back all those happenings that were happening at that time. Now, when you were there, had you that longing? Did it start there for your vocation, as you call it, a vocation within a vocation? No, it was not at that time. It was 20 years after when I was in India. When you'd gone back to India? Yes. I left Rathfarnham only after six weeks, and I went to India. I joined in October, and then in January, I went to India to do the novitiate there. Now, you were a teacher, Mother. Were you a good teacher? I couldn't tell you. I think you'll have to ask those whom I taught. Did you enjoy teaching? But I loved teaching. I loved teaching. Now, back in India 20 years later, when you got the feeling that you had to do something else, you had to go out to the poor, how did you go about that? Because you had taken your final vows, and it must have been difficult for you to give up the final vows as such, was it? I didn't have to give up anything, because vocation is belonging to Christ. The work is only a means to put our love for Christ into action. And so I had only to change, so to say, the way of work, the means I had to change, to work for the poorest of the poor. So my vocation was a continuation of belonging to Christ and being only His. So you left Loreto, but you kept with you all these vows, the spiritual feelings. Yes. And then when we had our own... I left Loreto in 1948, and in 1950, the Holy Father approved of the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity. And then in the new congregation, I took the vows of the new congregation of love, poverty, chastity, obedience, and charity. When you talk, Mother, of the new congregation, did you start this congregation the second you left? It went with you. You became a Missionary of Charity instead of being Loreto. The approval came from Rome in 1950, on the 7th of October. And since then, the little congregation, first it became a diocesan congregation, and after 15 years, it became a pontifical. Now we are a pontifical congregation with 850 sisters. As many as that? Yes. And do you find it easy to get sisters, because vocations have gone down for other orders? God has been very wonderful to us. We have 182 novices in our three novitiates, one in Rome and one in Calcutta and one in Melbourne. And I had news the other day from Calcutta to say that 109 aspirants have joined last June.