Man's Call To Salvation

As Sister Teresa (later Mother Teresa) wended her way to the train station that would take her to the retreat house in Darjeeling, India, she walked past thousands of outcasts preparing to spend the night on the stairways, hallways and streets of Calcutta. These Indian outcasts were scattered throughout the city in a repulsive atmosphere generated by dampness, buzzing flies, garbage, vermin, and body waste.

Sister Teresa slept very little during the overnight journey. Pictures of the poor and the suffering kept running through her mind. She was so greatly disturbed by what she had seen that there and then, she resolved to leave the Convent and devote herself exclusively to the poor. That was in September 10, 1946.

After receiving of the Archbishop and her religious superior, Sister Teresa studied basic health care. After three months, she returned to Calcutta where she immediatly went to work with soap and water washing one hut after another and feeding and caring for the children in each household. As she moved throught the streets, countless people cried out to her, asking for food.

The example of Sister Teresa attracted other young women who were also concerned for the poor. With their assistance and the financial support of many generous citizens, Mother Teresa founded schools, orphanages, a center for lepers, medical dispensaries and many other institutions for the poor.