Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta
The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta is a Christian religious celebration of the life of a 20th century Christian known around the world, in her own life, as Mother Teresa. She was most well-known in her life for winning a Nobel Peace Prize as being the founder of the Missionaries of Charity.
Who is St. Teresa of Calcutta?
Mary Teresa BojaxhiuMC (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, Albanian: [aˈɲɛzə ˈɡɔndʒɛ bɔjaˈdʒi.u]; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholicnun and the founder of the Missionaries of Charity. Born in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire, she was raised in a devoutly Catholic family. At the age of 18, she moved to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto and later to India, where she lived most of her life and carried out her missionary work. On 4 September 2016, she was canonised by the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The anniversary of her death, 5 September, is now observed as her feast day.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious congregation that was initially dedicated to serving “the poorest of the poor” in the slums of Calcutta. Over the decades, the congregation grew to operate in over 133 countries, as of 2012, with more than 4,500 nuns managing homes for those dying from HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis, as well as running soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, orphanages, and schools. Members of the order take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience and also profess a fourth vow: to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.”
Mother Teresa received several honours, including the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize and the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. However, she was also a controversial figure, drawing criticism for her staunch opposition to abortion and contraception, as well as for the poor conditions in some of her charitable institutions. Her life and work have inspired books, documentaries, and films. Her authorized biography, written by Navin Chawla, was published in 1992, and on 6 September 2017, she was named a co-patron of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta alongside Saint Francis Xavier.
Mother Teresa’s given name was Anjezë Gonxhe (or Gonxha) Bojaxhiu (Anjezë is a cognate of Agnes; Gonxhe means “flower bud” in Albanian). She was born on 26 August 1910 into a Kosovar Albanian family in Skopje, Ottoman Empire (now the capital of North Macedonia). She was baptised in Skopje the day after her birth. She later considered 27 August, the day she was baptised, her “true birthday”.
She was the youngest child of Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu (Bernai). Her father, who was involved in Albanian-community politics in Ottoman Macedonia, died in 1919 when she was eight years old. He was born in Prizren (today in Kosovo), however, his family was from Mirdita (present-day Albania). Her mother may have been from a village near Gjakova, believed by her offspring to be Bishtazhin.
According to a biography by Joan Graff Clucas, Anjezë was in her early years when she became fascinated by stories of the lives of missionaries and their service in Bengal; by age 12, she was convinced that she should commit herself to religious life. Her resolve strengthened on 15 August 1928 as she prayed at the shrine of the Black Madonna of Vitina-Letnice, where she often went on pilgrimages.
Anjezë left home in 1928 at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto at Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland, to learn English with the intent of becoming a missionary; English was the language of instruction of the Sisters of Loreto in India. She saw neither her mother nor her sister again. Her family lived in Skopje until 1934, when they moved to Tirana.
She arrived in India in 1929 and began her novitiate in Darjeeling, in the lower Himalayas, where she learned Bengali and taught at St. Teresa’s School near her convent. She took her first religious vows on 24 May 1931. She chose to be named after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries; because a nun in the convent had already chosen that name, she opted for its Spanish spelling of Teresa.
Teresa took her solemn vows on 14 May 1937 while she was a teacher at the Loreto convent school in Entally, eastern Calcutta, taking the style of ‘Mother’ as part of Loreto custom. She served there for nearly twenty years and was appointed its headmistress in 1944. Although Mother Teresa enjoyed teaching at the school, she was increasingly disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. The Bengal famine of 1943 brought misery and death to the city, and the August 1946 Direct Action Day began a period of Muslim-Hindu violence.
In 1946, during a visit to Darjeeling by train, Mother Teresa felt that she heard the call of her inner conscience to serve the poor of India for Jesus. She asked for and received permission to leave the school. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, choosing a white sari with two blue borders as the order’s habit.
What is a food you might eat to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta?
I got the following idea and recipe via catholiccuisine.blogspot.com and I recommend that you check out the link for other recipes and for more details regarding this one:
Crock Pot Pineapple Curry Chicken
Ingredients:
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or as many as your family needs) 2 white or sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon of the jarred minced garlic 1 teaspoon of ground ginger 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin Coarse salt 1 package steam bag peas 1 can of pineapple chunks in its own unsweetened juice 1 can unsweetened coconut milk 1/2 cup toasted cashews or peanuts (I actually didn’t use these, but I imagine they would be delicious) large package of yellow saffron rice (prepare as directed on package)
Directions
In a 5-quart slow cooker, toss chicken, onion, pineapples and juice, garlic, ginger, curry powder, coriander, and cumin to coat. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover, cook until chicken is fork-tender, about 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low (do not uncover while cooking).
Microwave steam bag of peas as directed on package. Stir in coconut milk and peas; cover, cook until heated through, about 20 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a large bowl; shred with fork. Return to pot; toss with sauce.
Prepare yellow saffron rice per package instructions.
To serve, spoon rice onto serving dish. Spoon chicken and sauce mixture on top of rice. Garnish with 1/2 cup toasted cashews or peanuts if desired.
What is a prayer you might say for the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta?
St. Teresa is sometimes associated with something called “flying novena.” A normal novena is a prayer said, with a singular intention, for nine consecutive days. However, given the dire circumstances often encountered in St. Teresa’s work, her order implemented an “emrgency” or “flying” version of a novena. (via hallow.com)
Emergency “Flying” Novena
To pray a novena typically means to pray with one intention for nine days. But the Missionaries of Charity often faced problems in which the petitions couldn’t wait nine days, which led to the origin of Mother Teresa’s “emergency” or “flying” novena. 10 Memorares (a prayer invoking Mary’s intercession) make up the Emergency Novena. Pray this novena anytime you need Our Lady’s “quick” intercession – guiding us to share what’s on our hearts with Jesus.
Mother Teresa used this prayer constantly: for petitions for the cure of a sick child, before important discussions or when passports went missing, to request heavenly aid when the fuel supply was running short on a night-time mission and the destination was still far away in the darkness.Msgr. Leo Maasburg, friend and spiritual advisor of Mother Teresa
Time needed: 8 minutes
How to Pray the Emergency Novena
Make the Sign of the Cross.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pray the Memorare.“Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.”
Repeat the Memorare 9 more times.
Close with the Sign of the Cross.In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
When is the Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta celebrated?
The Feast Day of St. Teresa of Calcutta is celebrated on 5 September.
I hope everyone who celebrates as a wonderful day!
