trust and self-surrender, much like a child with a loving parent. In 1927,
Pope Pius XI canonized Thérèse Martin who now became St. Thérèse of
the Child Jesus, and the patron saint of missions. In light of Gonxha’s own
life, her choice came as no surprise.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with her choice. There was al-
ready one nun in the convent with the name Marie-Thérèse. Not want-
ing to change her chosen name, Gonxha merely decided to go by the
Spanish spelling “Teresa.” Still the name change caused some confusion
throughout her life, as she was thought to have taken the name of the
great Spanish saint, Teresa of Avila. Whenever asked, however, she al-
ways patiently explained her choice. For the sisters in the Loreto Con-
vent, however, the new Teresa soon had a nickname that further
distinguished her: Bengali Teresa, an acknowledgment of her ability to
speak the language so well.
BENGALI TERESA
Not long after taking her vows, Gonxha Bojaxhiu, now called Sister
Teresa, took the train from Darjeeling to Calcutta. There, she was to
begin teaching at St. Mary’s School, located in the eastern district of
Calcutta. It was to be her place of residence and work for the next 17
years.
During the 1920s, the contrast between the cities of Darjeeling and
Calcutta was startling. In Darjeeling, one breathed clear mountain air,
and a walk in a flower-filled meadow was not far away. It was a city of re-
fined culture, of modern European architecture and imported luxury, a re-
treat for those unaccustomed to the heat and humidity of India. Calcutta,
while a dynamic and cosmopolitan city, serving as the political capital of
British India, was another story. The city teemed with humanity, over-
crowded and spilling into the streets and alleys throughout. It was on one
hand a city enriched by the culture and arts of India; on the other, it was
a cesspool of human misery and degradation.
Upon her arrival, Sister Teresa was taken to the eastern district of the
city where the school and living quarters for the Loreto nuns was located.
Here the Loreto Sisters worked with the Daughters of Saint Anne, a local
congregation of nuns founded by the Loreto Sisters in 1898. These nuns,
who were Bengali women, wore not the long black habit and veil of the
European order, but the traditional sari, the dress worn by Indian women.
For the hot summers, the sari worn was white; blue was used for the cooler
autumn and winter months.
18 MOTHER TERESA