Lesson: The Beginning

A. Reading

A Life Dedicated to Service

It was late summer, August 26, 1910. A little girl was born to a wealthy Catholic merchant family of Albanian descent in a small town called Skopje, Macedonia. She was the youngest of three siblings and was named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Who could have imagined at the time that this little girl would one day become the mother of humanity, loving and serving the poorest of the poor? Yes, we are talking about none other than Mother Teresa.

At the age of 12, she heard a voice from within that urged her to spread the love of Christ. She decided that she would be a missionary. At the age of 18, she left her parental home. She then joined an Irish community of nuns called the Sisters of Loreto, which had missions in India.

After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin, Mother Teresa arrived in India. On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography and theology at St. Mary’s High School in Kolkata (then Calcutta). However, the widespread poverty in Kolkata profoundly impacted Mother Teresa, and in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent and devote herself to caring for the poorest of the poor in the slums of Kolkata.

Questions: Choose the best answer.

1. What does “mother of humanity” mean in the text?

   • a) a good mother
   • b) a kind mother who has many children
   • c) a mother who likes humans
   • d) a mother figure who serves the poor like her own children

2. Why did Mother Teresa want to be a missionary? Because she heard:

   • a) the voice of her neighbors discussing it.
   • b) a voice in her dream.
   • c) a voice within herself.
   • d) the voice of her parents talking about it.

3. Mother Teresa set out to join the mission of the Sisters of Loreto in the year:

   • a) 1927
   • b) 1928
   • c) 1929
   • d) 1930

4. Mother Teresa took her first vows as a nun at the age of:

   • a) 18
   • b) 19
   • c) 20
   • d) 21

B. Comprehension

Read the text in Section A again and answer these questions:

1. Where did Mother Teresa’s ancestors come from?
2. Where was her family home?
3. Why did she want to become a missionary?
4. What made her different from other girls at such an early age? What words and expressions are used in the text to describe this difference?
5. What did Mother Teresa do during her first seventeen years in India?

C. Picture Discussion (Picture not provided)

Look at the picture and discuss Mother Teresa in pairs. Use the questions below to guide your conversation.

1. How old is she? Why do you think so?
2. What is she wearing?
3. How has she worn it?

(Note: Please refer to the picture provided with your original lesson materials)