Missionaries of Charity Celebrate 75 Years of Service and Compassion

Kolkata, 8 October 2025 – The Missionaries of Charity Sisters marked their 75th Foundation Day with a solemn celebration at the Mother House in Kolkata, the global headquarters of the congregation founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta.

The Holy Mass was presided over by Archbishop Elias Frank of Calcutta at the tomb of St. Teresa, with Archdiocesan Chancellor Fr. Dominic Gomes, MC Fathers Superior Fr. Benjamin MC, and other MC Fathers concelebrating. The tomb chapel was filled with Sisters, volunteers, and well-wishers as the congregation renewed its commitment to “serve the poorest of the poor.”

The day was observed in an atmosphere of prayer, with continuous adoration held at the Mother House. A new statue of Mother Teresa was unveiled outside the Mother House by Member of Parliament Derek O’Brien, representing West Bengal Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee, who was unable to attend due to natural calamities in North Bengal.

Derek O’Brien commended the Missionaries of Charity for their enduring witness of compassion, saying their work “serves not only the poor but also informs the conscience of the city.” Superior General Sr. Mary Joseph MC and Archbishop Elias Frank also addressed the gathering.

The newly unveiled statue depicts Mother Teresa holding the hand of a little girl running towards her, a symbol of her lifelong embrace of humanity’s most vulnerable.

The Sisters also viewed the premiere screening of Mother Teresa – Prophet of Compassion, a documentary produced by veteran journalist Anto Akkara to commemorate the occasion. The film, which will be released to the public at the Archbishop’s House on 8 October, features rare anecdotes from Akkara’s 1995 interview with Mother Teresa and his decades-long engagement with the Missionaries of Charity.

By Office of Social Communication, Information & Media,

Archdiocese of Calcutta