Missionaries of Charity facts for kids
The Missionaries of Charity (MC) is a special group of Catholic sisters. It was started on October 7, 1950, by Mother Teresa. This group began in the poor areas, called slums, of Kolkata (Calcutta), India. At first, it was just Mother Teresa and 12 other sisters. Today, there are nearly 5,000 sisters in the Missionaries of Charity all over the world.
Members of this group use the initials "M.C." to show they belong. Sisters in the Missionaries of Charity make special promises, called vows. These vows are to live a pure life (chastity), to live without much money or things (poverty), and to always follow rules (obedience). They also make a fourth promise: to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor." This means they promise to help the very poorest people with all their heart, without asking for anything in return. All MC members wear a simple white and blue habit, which is the same kind of clothing Mother Teresa wore.
The Story of Their Habit
In 1948, Mother Teresa changed her old nun's clothing. She started wearing a simple white cotton sari with just one blue stripe. A sari is a traditional Indian dress. The color blue is important because it represents the Virgin Mary. This sari was worn over a plain white habit. Mother Teresa and, later, her sisters wore this habit for more than ten years.
However, some parents of the Bengali sisters pointed out something interesting. They noticed that poor women who swept the streets of Calcutta also wore saris with one blue stripe. To make their habit unique and special, Mother Teresa and her sisters officially added two more blue stripes in 1960. So, their habit became a white sari with three blue stripes.
Images for kids
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Missionaries of Charity's Mother House (Headquarters) in Kolkata
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Mother Teresa's home for the dying, Nirmal Hriday, at Kalighat, Kolkata.
See also
In Spanish: Misioneras de la Caridad para niños
