Mother Teresa Beatification Day
Mother Teresa Beatification Day is a national holiday in Albania that is observed annually on September 5th and marks the anniversary of the canonization of Saint Teresa in 2016 by Pope Francis.
Albania (National holiday)This holiday was originally observed on October 19th when Mother Teresa was beatified, but the date was changed to September 5th to coincide with her feast day. It is also now known as Mother Teresa Canonization Day. For the most part, the October celebration of Mother Teresa’s beatification is no longer observed as its own separate holiday, but some people do observe it as a special day of prayer.
The History of Mother Teresa Beatification Day
Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, in the Ottoman Empire. At the age of 18, she moved to Ireland and joined a nunnery. It was there that she learned to speak English. In 1929, she traveled to India, and by 1931, she was a nun, adopting the name Teresa after Thérèse de Lisieux—the patron saint of all missionaries. In 1950, she started her most important work—the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation.
The Missionaries of Charity ran soup kitchens, orphanages, and mobile clinics in over 120 countries around the world. They helped thousands of people who were blind, disabled, poor, homeless, and dying of terminal diseases. On September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa died at the age of 87.
On October 19, 2003, she was beatified as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta by Pope John Paul II. Shortly thereafter, Mother Teresa Beatification Day was observed as a holiday. In 2016, when she was canonized, Mother Teresa Canonization Day became the primary holiday celebrating her work and life.
Observing Mother Teresa Beatification Day
On this holiday, religious ceremonies are held all over Albania in honor of Mother Teresa. Not only is this holiday a feast day for Mother Teresa, but it is also the International Day of Charity. On social media, the hashtag #MotherTeresaBeatificationDay is often used to spread the word about this holiday.
Albania (National holiday)
