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The Story of Mother Teresa
A true story told in simple words: a girl from Skopje who taught in India, learned to care for neighbors who were ill, and welcomed others into a life of prayer and service.
Short answer: This read-aloud Mother Teresa storybook for children ages 5 to 12 tells how Gonxha of Skopje became a teacher in India, heard what she called a call within a call on a train to Darjeeling in 1946, and went to care for the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. It also tells of the sisters who joined her.
Story Summary
This read-aloud storybook tells children ages 5 to 12 the true story of Mother Teresa: the girl Gonxha from Skopje who became a teacher in India, heard what she called a call within a call on a train to Darjeeling in 1946, and went into the slums of Calcutta to care for the poorest of the poor. It tells of the sisters who joined her, the work that grew around the world, and the long hidden darkness she carried in prayer.
What This Story Covers
- Gonxha in Skopje
- A Teacher in India
- A Call on the Train
- Learning to Care
- Others Join Her
- Many Hands at Work
- When Prayer Felt Dark
- A Saint Remembered
- Who Is Before You?
- Points of reflection
The grown-up account, with sources and her own words, is on the St Teresa of Calcutta page.
Reading…
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Evidence for This Page
AI-generated read-aloud narration. Illustrations are original composite scenes, not historical footage.
About Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
- Lived
- 1910-1997
- Place
- Skopje, then Calcutta, India
- Status
- Canonized September 4, 2016, by Pope Francis
- Feast
- September 5
Anjeze Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, to an Albanian family. At 18 she joined the Loreto Sisters and went to India, where she taught for almost twenty years. On September 10, 1946, on a train to a retreat, she felt what she called "a call within a call" to serve the poorest of the poor.
In 1948 she began working in the slums of Calcutta. Her congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, was recognized in 1950. In 1952 she opened a home for the dying, and later orphanages and clinics followed. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and died on September 5, 1997. Pope Francis canonized her in 2016.
Read the full life of Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Sources: Pope Francis: homily for the canonization of Mother Teresa.
About this story
These scenes are imaginative illustrations, not historical footage. The train experience is Teresa's reported interior call, not a voice heard by fellow passengers. Some ordinary scenes are composites, not recorded afternoons. The final page is a narrated "Points of reflection" invitation to put neighbor-love into practice.
Sources: Holy See biography, Missionaries of Charity, Nobel Prize, and 2016 canonization homily. Read more on the Mother Teresa biography page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Mother Teresa?
Born Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Skopje in 1910, she founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and was canonized on September 4, 2016.
Who is this storybook for?
Children ages 5 to 12, reading on their own or listening with family. Every page has a Read Aloud button with gentle narration, so the book can be heard as well as read.
Is the story true?
Yes. It retells documented events. The book's own notes name the reported interior experiences, like the call on the train, as reported experiences, and explain that some ordinary scenes are composites.
Where can I read more about Mother Teresa?
The St Teresa of Calcutta page on this site tells her full story for adults, with sources and her own words.