September 5 is the Feast of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta a day the Church, and the world, pause to remember a small woman with a fierce love. Her legacy isn’t just a story from yesterday; it’s a living invitation for us today: to see Christ in the poor, to do the simple thing that is in front of us, and to do it with great love.
At Hope For Indigent Persons (H.I.P.), this feast is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a mirror. In Mother Teresa’s smile, courage, and relentless service, we recognize our own mission: to restore dignity, relieve suffering, and open doors of opportunity for indigent children, struggling mothers, and vulnerable families one person at a time.
The Girl from Skopje Who Heard a Whisper
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje (in today’s North Macedonia). She grew up in a close-knit Catholic family that practiced ordinary generosity sharing meals, welcoming the poor, and serving the parish. That simple domestic charity planted the seed of a lifelong mission.
At 18, Agnes left home for Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto. She arrived in India in 1929, taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta, took the name Sister Teresa, made her final vows in 1937, and became “Mother” to countless students who saw in her a gentle firmness and a steady, practical faith.
“A Call within a Call”
On a train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling in 1946, she experienced what she later described as a “call within a call”: a clear conviction that Jesus was asking her to leave the convent school and serve Him among “the poorest of the poor.” She obtained permission and, in 1948, stepped into Calcutta’s slums wearing a simple white sari with blue trim—the sari that would become a global symbol of mercy.
In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation dedicated to serving those no one else would touch: the dying, the abandoned, the orphaned, the homeless, the sick in mind and body. She taught that the measure of love is love, not numbers. And that dignity is not a luxury of the rich it is the birthright of every person.
Work, Not Words
Mother Teresa’s impact spread far beyond Calcutta. Homes for the dying and destitute appeared across continents. She and her sisters clothed the naked, fed the hungry, cradled the dying, and comforted those the world refused to see. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, but remained unimpressed by accolades. Awards didn’t change her schedule; there were still mouths to feed and wounds to bandage.
When she died on September 5, 1997, the world dimmed, but a million small lights her sisters, volunteers, and ordinary people kept glowing. She was beatified in 2003 and canonized on September 4, 2016. Her feast is kept on September 5, the day she went home to God.
Her most-quoted line continues to teach us how to live:
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
The Genius of Small Things
Mother Teresa never promised that charity would be easy or tidy. She believed in small, faithful acts that collectively transform the world: a glass of water, a shared meal, a medical bill paid in full, a school fee covered, a child’s hands held. These “small things” are the daily miracles that rebuild dignity.
At Hope For Indigent Persons, we see the same truth every day in Nigeria:
- A child with a preventable illness receives treatment because someone cared enough to cover the hospital bill.
- A widowed mother gets the support she needs to keep her children in school because someone believed their future matters.
- A family facing crisis finds hope and solidarity because a community was willing to show up.
These aren’t headlines; they are holy ground. And they are exactly the kind of “small things with great love” Mother Teresa entrusted to all of us.
Why Mother Teresa Still Matters Especially in Nigeria
Nigeria’s challenges are real: poverty, healthcare gaps, school dropouts, and families living on the fragile edge of survival. Policy debates matter, but hungry children can’t eat a debate. Mother Teresa’s life cuts through the noise with a simple command: “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”
That’s why H.I.P. exists. Our mission is grounded in three convictions that echo Mother Teresa’s spirituality:
- Dignity First
Every person carries God’s image no exceptions. Poverty does not erase dignity; it tests our commitment to honor it. - Presence Over Prestige
Real change is incarnational: face-to-face, name-to-name. We don’t count success by the scale of our projects, but by the sincerity of our love. - Hope Is a Verb
Hope is something we do: paying a hospital bill, funding back-to-school projects, supporting orphanages, offering scholarships, and showing up when it counts most.
What Your Love Makes Possible (Concrete Impact)
When you donate or partner with Hope For Indigent Persons, here’s what your gift puts into motion:
- Emergency Medical Aid: We help indigent patients pay hospital bills and access essential care.
- Education & Scholarships: We keep children in school – books, fees, uniforms, mentorship.
- Family Support: We stand with single parents and vulnerable families, offering food, counseling, and pathways to stability.
- Orphanage & Shelter Support: We partner with homes that care for orphans and abandoned children because every child deserves safety and love.
- Back-to-School Drives: We equip students with the basics they need to learn with dignity.
These are the “small things” Mother Teresa spoke about ordinary acts that carry extraordinary love.
A Story Like the Ones Mother Teresa Loved
Mother Teresa used to say: “If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.”
At H.I.P., we meet the “one” every day.
Picture this: a seven-year-old girl, feverish and quiet, sitting on a hospital bench with her mother. The diagnosis is simple, the treatment affordable, but the bill is impossible for her family. Your generosity turns “impossible” into “paid”. In a week, she is laughing again. In a month, she’s back in school. In a year, she’s top of her class.
No press release. No spotlight. Just love – effective, efficient, and unforgettable to the people who receive it.
How to Celebrate Mother Teresa’s Feast Day – Practically
Want to honor Mother Teresa today? Here are simple, high-impact ways to begin:
- Give a “Small Thing” Gift: Cover a day of school for a child. Contribute to a medical bill. Sponsor a food basket for a struggling mother.
- Become a Monthly Partner: Consistent giving helps us plan and protect vulnerable families all year.
- Share the Mission: Post about H.I.P., invite friends to join, or organize a small fundraiser in your parish, school, or office.
- Pray with Us: Your prayer matters. Pray that God will multiply our efforts and protect the families we serve.
“It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Saint Mother Teresa
Our Promise to You
- Stewardship: We treat every token entrusted to us as sacred.
- Transparency: We’re committed to updates, impact stories, and clarity on how your gifts are used.
- Dignity & Protection: We serve discreetly, always safeguarding the dignity and privacy of those we help.
- Local Roots, Real Reach: We work on the ground where needs are urgent and solutions must be practical.
A Simple Prayer for Today
Saint Mother Teresa,
teach us the courage of small acts and the patience of steady love.
Open our eyes to see Christ in the poor,
our hands to serve without counting the cost,
and our hearts to give with joy.
Amen.
Join Hands with Us -Turn Compassion into Action
If Mother Teresa were here, she would not tell us to do something spectacular. She would hand us a task so small we might be tempted to ignore it and then smile until we did it with love.
Today, you can feed one family, heal one patient, keep one child in school, lift one mother’s burden. That’s how nations change: one person at a time.
Be the difference, starting now.
👉 Donate or partner with Hope For Indigent Persons: visit our website and choose a giving option that fits your heart and means.
Every gift – large or small – becomes love in action.
Thank you for standing with us. On this feast, may we do small things with great love – together.