Mother Teresa, Small Things with Great Love
Mother Teresa was a sister who gave her whole life to God. She loved people who were poor, sick, or lonely, just like Jesus does!
Mother Teresa
Small Things with Great Love
Stories of a Big, Kind Heart
Meet Mother Teresa!
Mother Teresa was a sister who gave her whole life to God. She loved people who were poor, sick, or lonely, just like Jesus does!
People called her Mother because she cared like a mom!
Come Along on a Journey!
Let's follow Mother Teresa from her home all the way to India.
Story 1
Little Flower Bud
Skopje, in the land now called North Macedonia, 1910
Long ago, in the city of Skopje, a baby girl was born. Her name was Agnes, but her family called her Gonxha, which means “little flower bud.” Gonxha loved to sing, to read, and to pray with her family.
Gonxha's mama always made room at the table, and hungry people came to eat with them. “Who are they, Mama?” asked Gonxha. “Some are our family,” said Mama, “and all of them are our people!”
Mama took Gonxha to visit neighbors who were sick or all alone, with food and cheerful smiles. “When you do good,” Mama said, “do it quietly, like dropping a pebble into the sea.”
This place is real!
Mother Teresa's Memorial House, Skopje
Let us pray
Dear God, thank You for my family. Help me to share, just like little Gonxha!
Story 2
A Big Trip to India
From Skopje to Ireland to India, 1928
When Gonxha was 18, God called her to be a sister and to share His love far away in India. Saying goodbye was hard. Mama hugged her and said, “Put your hand in Jesus' hand, and walk with Him all the way.”
First she went to Ireland to learn English. Then she sailed on a big ship for weeks and weeks, all the way to India! She took a new name too: Sister Teresa, after St. Thérèse, the Little Flower.
In the big city of Calcutta, Sister Teresa became a teacher. She taught history and geography, and she always taught about God's love. Her students loved her very much!
Let us pray
Jesus, I put my hand in Yours. Walk with me every day!
Story 3
A Call on the Train
On the way to Darjeeling, India, 1946
One day, Sister Teresa took a long train ride up into the mountains. Chug-a-chug, chug-a-chug! She looked out at the green hills and talked to Jesus in her heart.
Then, deep in her heart, Jesus spoke to her. “Come, be My light,” He said. He wanted her to go to the poorest people — the hungry, the sick, and the lonely — and show them His love.
So she put on a simple white sari with blue stripes, like the poor women of India wore. Blue is Mother Mary's color! Then she walked out into the city, ready to help.
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to listen for Your voice in my heart.
Story 4
A School on the Ground
Motijhil, Calcutta, 1948
Mother Teresa found a neighborhood where the children had no school, so she started one right there! There were no desks and no chalkboard. She wrote the letters in the dirt with a stick.
The next day, more children came… and more… and more! She taught them their letters, how to wash with soap, and how much God loves them. And every day there was a cup of milk for everyone!
Soon, young women came to help her. Some had been her students! They wore white saris with blue stripes too. Together they were called the Missionaries of Charity.
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to be a happy helper, wherever I am.
Story 5
A Home Full of Love
Calcutta, India, 1952
Mother Teresa knew that every person is precious to God. When she found people who were sick and alone on the street, she stopped. She knelt beside them, gave them a drink, and held their hands.
She made a home for them called Nirmal Hriday, which means “Pure Heart.” There they had a clean bed, warm food, medicine, and lots of love. Being loved helps everyone feel better!
This place is real!
Nirmal Hriday, Kolkata — still caring for people today
She opened a home for babies and little children too. The sisters cuddled them, fed them, and sang them songs. Many children found new families to love them forever!
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to be gentle and kind to everyone I meet.
Story 6
The Boy Who Gave His Sugar
Calcutta, India
One day, the sisters could not find any sugar for the children's milk. Word got around, and a little boy heard about it. He was only four years old — maybe just like you!
The little boy told his mama and papa, “I will not eat any sugar for three days. I will save it for Mother Teresa's children!”
After three days, his parents brought him to Mother Teresa. He could hardly say her name, but he held out his little jar of sugar. It was a small gift, given with a great big love!
Let us pray
Jesus, help me to give with a big, happy heart.
Story 7
Rice to Share
Calcutta, India
One evening, Mother Teresa heard about a family with eight children who had not eaten for days. She hurried right over with a big bag of rice.
The mama poured half of the rice into a bowl and carried it next door. “Our neighbors are hungry too,” she said. Mother Teresa was amazed. Even with just a little, she shared!
Let us pray
Dear God, help me to share, even when I have just a little.
Story 8
A Prize for Peace
Oslo, Norway, 1979
Mother Teresa's love spread all around the world. One snowy day in Norway, she was given a very special prize: the Nobel Peace Prize! She came in her same simple sari and sandals.
There was going to be a big, fancy dinner for her. But Mother Teresa asked them to use the money to feed hungry people instead. Sharing made her happiest of all!
A real photo!
The real Mother Teresa, 1985
Let us pray
Dear God, let my smile bring peace to everyone I meet.
Five Little Words
Mother Teresa liked to count Jesus' words on her fingers.
You, did, it, to, me!
Jesus said that when we help someone, we are helping Him! Hold up your hand and count the words too. (Matthew 25:40)
Pray with Mother Teresa
Little prayers she loved to say
Her quick prayer to Mother Mary
Mary, Mother of Jesus, be a mother to me now. Amen.
A little prayer from Mother Teresa
Jesus in my heart, I believe in Your tender love for me. I love You. Amen.
A little prayer for little ones
Little hands to help and share, a great big smile for everywhere, a heart that's full of love for You — Jesus, make me kind and true! Amen.
Small Things, Great Love!
Color in a heart each time you do it!
♥I can give someone a big smile.
♥I can share my snack or my toys.
♥I can help at home without being asked.
♥I can play with someone who is all alone.
♥I can pray for people who are sick or sad.
Mother Teresa's Special Day
September 5
Every year on September 5, we celebrate St. Teresa of Calcutta. Pope Francis named her a saint in 2016! Here are some fun ways to celebrate.
Give out big smiles
Share a meal or a snack
Wear white and blue
Draw a love note
Color Mother Teresa!
Small things with great love!
You can do it too!
Mother Teresa said she was like a little pencil in God's hand, writing a love letter to the world. You can be God's little pencil too! Every smile, every hug, and every kind word is part of His love letter.
Dear God, thank You for Mother Teresa. Help me to do small things with great love. Amen.
For Grown-Ups
Where these stories come from. They are retold simply and gently for young children, keeping close to Mother Teresa's own words and the memories of her family.
Little Flower Bud. Born Anjezë (Agnes) Gonxha Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, to an Albanian Catholic family. “Gonxha” means “flower bud.” Her brother Lazar remembered their mother, Drana, feeding the poor at the family table and saying, “Some of them are our relations, but all of them are our people.” The Memorial House stands where her parish church once was.
A Big Trip to India. She left home in September 1928, joined the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, and reached India in January 1929. She chose the name Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and taught at St. Mary's School, Calcutta, for many years. Her mother's parting words: “Put your hand in His hand, and walk all the way with Him.”
A Call on the Train. On 10 September 1946, on the train to Darjeeling, she received what she called “the call within the call.” “Come be My light” is from her letters, published in Come Be My Light (2007). In 1948 she put on the white cotton sari with a blue border.
A School on the Ground. In December 1948 she began teaching five children in the Motijhil slum, writing letters on the ground with a stick. Her first follower was a former pupil. The Missionaries of Charity were founded on 7 October 1950.
A Home Full of Love. Nirmal Hriday (“Pure Heart”), a home for the sick and dying poor, opened at Kalighat in 1952; Shishu Bhavan, a home for children, opened in 1955.
The Boy Who Gave His Sugar. Mother Teresa told this story in her Nobel lecture (1979): a four-year-old Hindu boy went without sugar for three days and brought it to her for her children.
Rice to Share. Also from her Nobel lecture: a Hindu mother of eight shared half the rice with her Muslim neighbors, saying, “They are hungry also.”
A Prize for Peace. Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, 10 December 1979. She asked that the celebration banquet be cancelled and the money given to the poor. She died on 5 September 1997 and was canonized by Pope Francis on 4 September 2016. “Little pencil” and “You did it to me” (Matthew 25:40) are her own favorite images.
St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
The end
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