The Missionaries of Charity celebrated the 75th anniversary of their founding on October 7, 2025, marking three-quarters of a century serving the world's poorest populations.
The Society of the Missionaries of Charity Sisters was formally established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta on October 7, 1950. This was about four years after Mother Teresa had what she described as "a call within a call" from Jesus Christ to establish a new religious community dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor.
At the time of this "call within a call," Mother Teresa, who was born in what is now North Macedonia under the name Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was a member of the Sisters of Loreto. She was sent to India in 1929, where she stayed for the rest of her life.
Mother Teresa was canonized on September 4, 2016, 19 years after her death.
New statue unveiled at Missionaries of Charity's Mother House
The sisters of the Missionaries of Charity celebrated their anniversary at their Mother House in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, which serves as the global headquarters of the order.
Archbishop Elias Frank of Calcutta presided over Mass, and a new statue of Mother Teresa was unveiled outside of the Mother House, said a post on Facebook from the Archdiocese of Calcutta.
In the 75 years since the founding of the Missionaries of Charity, the organization has spread throughout the world, with more than 5,000 sisters serving the world's poorest in 138 countries. There are a total of 754 Missionaries of Charity homes, says the Archdiocese of Calcutta.
