▶ Watch: her 1979 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech

On 10 December 1979, Mother Teresa gave her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in the Aula of the University of Oslo, Norway. Before you watch: this is a historical, religious speech of about 19 minutes. She opens with the prayer for peace attributed to St. Francis of Assisi and speaks about peace, prayer, love within families, and the dignity of people who are poor, lonely, or unwanted. She also states her Catholic moral views, including strong opposition to abortion. We share it as a historical document; it is not a Kitchen Monk™ clinical recommendation, and not every position in it is ours.

Mother Teresa’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Oslo, 10 December 1979. Tap play to watch here. This copy is hosted on YouTube by a third-party channel that Kitchen Monk™ does not operate; the official recording is published by NobelPrize.org. If captions are available, turn them on with the CC button.

What you will hear, in brief: she thanks God for the gift of peace and leads the audience in prayer. She speaks of the poorest of the poor as brothers and sisters who need respect and dignity. She tells of small gifts, including a young Hindu boy in Calcutta who gave up his sugar for three days so it could go to her children. She asks listeners to notice loneliness in their own homes. And she presents her religious and moral convictions, including her opposition to abortion, as part of her vision of peace.

What this honor means

Kitchen Monk™ honors Mother Teresa in remembrance as an Honorary EVERgreen Guardian™ of Compassion and Service—a historical inspiration for putting love into action through presence, dignity, and care.

This is a memorial tribute that Kitchen Monk™ created, and EVERgreen Guardian™ is our own commemorative designation. It was not given by Mother Teresa, her congregation, or the Catholic Church, and it implies no endorsement of, partnership with, or affiliation with the Missionaries of Charity or any organization representing her legacy. It is not a nursing license, clinical credential, or professional appointment. Jesus’ teachings are our spiritual foundation; Mother Teresa’s example helps us reflect on how those teachings become service.

Her life at a glance

• 26 August 1910: born Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu in Skopje, now in North Macedonia.
• September 1928: leaves home to join the Sisters of Loreto and takes the name Teresa.
• 6 January 1929: arrives in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, and teaches at St. Mary’s School, later serving as its principal.
• 24 May 1937: makes her final vows.
• 10 September 1946: on a train to Darjeeling, experiences what she called her “call within a call” to serve the poorest of the poor.
• 17 August 1948: leaves the Loreto convent in a white sari with a blue border; after a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, she goes into Calcutta’s slums on 21 December.
• 7 October 1950: the Missionaries of Charity is officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta.
• 1962: receives India’s Padma Shri award.
• February 1965: Pope Paul VI grants the congregation a Decree of Praise; houses open in Venezuela, Rome, Tanzania, and eventually every continent.
• 1979: awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her work for bringing help to suffering humanity.”
• 5 September 1997: dies in Calcutta and receives a state funeral from the Government of India.
• 19 October 2003: beatified by Pope John Paul II.
• 4 September 2016: canonized by Pope Francis as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
• 2025: her memorial on 5 September is added to the Catholic Church’s General Roman Calendar.

Her own steps, and the work of many hands

According to the Vatican’s biography, on her first day in the slums she visited families, washed children’s sores, cared for an old man lying sick on the road, and nursed a woman dying of hunger and tuberculosis. Her former students soon joined her. Over the following decades, the larger work belonged to many: the Sisters, the Missionaries of Charity Brothers (1963), contemplative branches, the Missionaries of Charity Fathers (1984), and co-workers and lay volunteers of many faiths.

The congregation opened homes where people found dying on the streets could be cared for and not left alone; homes for orphaned children; schools, mobile clinics, food kitchens, and vocational training; and centers for people affected by leprosy, a disease that in her time brought severe stigma. Historical sources say “leprosy” and “lepers”; today the condition is usually called Hansen’s disease, and we speak of people affected by it, because a person is never a diagnosis. By 1997, according to the Vatican, the Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 in 610 foundations across 123 countries.

In her own words

A small selection, each with its source. We do not use quotations from social-media graphics, which are often misattributed.

“I accept the prize in the name of the poor.”

On learning of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, as quoted by the Norwegian Nobel Committee chair

“…being unwanted that is the worst disease that any human being can ever experience.”

As quoted by the Norwegian Nobel Committee chair, 1979 award ceremony

“As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”

Quoted in the Vatican’s biography of Mother Teresa, 2003

“Perhaps I don’t speak their language, but I can smile.”

A saying Pope Francis recalled she loved to repeat, canonization homily, 4 September 2016

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Love Made Visible: Jesus, Compassion, and Care

This section brings together three kinds of material, each labeled: Scripture, quoted from the World English Bible (WEB), a public-domain translation; Mother Teresa’s own motivation, from the sources on this page; and our reflection, Kitchen Monk™’s own Christian reflection on everyday care. You are welcome here whatever your faith, or none.

Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 · The Golden Rule

“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.”

Luke 6:31, World English Bible (public domain); see also Matthew 7:12

Our reflection: treat others with the care, dignity, and compassion you would hope to receive. Then ask what care means to the other person. Listen to their needs, respect their choices, and offer help that is useful to them, because people have different preferences, cultures, beliefs, and needs.

Matthew 25:35–40 · Recognizing need and responding

“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Matthew 25:40, World English Bible (public domain)

Scripture: Jesus describes feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners, and identifies himself with those who receive that care. Mother Teresa’s motivation: she saw serving people in need as serving Jesus himself. Our reflection: a meal for someone hungry, a welcome for a new family, a hospital visit, a card to someone who feels forgotten. Seeing Christ in another person should deepen our respect for their own identity, beliefs, and story, never replace it.

Luke 10:25–37 · The Good Samaritan

Scripture: a Samaritan, from a group many listeners distrusted, stops for a wounded traveler, treats his wounds, brings him to an inn, pays for his care, and promises to return. Our reflection: compassion crossed a boundary, and it was practical. Helping can mean calling 911 or another qualified service and staying until help arrives. Act within your abilities; you do not have to be the whole rescue.

John 13:1–17 · Jesus washes his disciples’ feet

Scripture: Jesus kneels to do a servant’s task and asks his friends to serve one another. Our reflection: ordinary bodily care, often done by CNAs, nurses, home care aides, and family caregivers, carries deep dignity. Intimate care always requires consent, privacy, skill, and respect.

Mark 1:40–42 · Compassion toward someone excluded

Scripture: moved with compassion, Jesus touches and heals a man with leprosy who lived under the exclusion of his time. Our reflection: we confront stigma and protect dignity, and modern compassion also follows infection prevention practices, which protect everyone and are themselves an act of care.

John 11:33–36 · Jesus weeps

Scripture: Jesus grieves with those mourning Lazarus. Our reflection: you can acknowledge a loss, listen, and stay, without needing the perfect words or resolving someone’s sorrow.

Matthew 11:28–30 · Rest for the weary

Scripture: Jesus invites the weary and burdened to find rest. Our reflection: “Who nurses the nurse?” Exhaustion is not a moral obligation. Rest and receiving help are part of faithful care.

John 13:34–35 · Love expressed in relationships

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34–35, World English Bible (public domain)

Our reflection: love becomes recognizable through action: patience in a hard moment, a covered shift, a word of thanks.

Galatians 5:22–23 · The fruit of the Spirit

Scripture: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Our reflection: these describe the character of compassionate service. They are spiritual reflections, not a checklist or a test of anyone’s worth.

Love made practical: one act of care this week

These ideas are Kitchen Monk™’s own, inspired by the tribute. Pick one. Small is enough.

Notice someone. A neighbor who lives alone, a coworker whose parent is ill, a friend who just lost someone. Noticing is where care begins.

Offer nourishment with dignity. Ask what would help before bringing food, and respect preferences, allergies, traditions, swallowing needs, and care-team instructions. Ideas: the Seven-Minute Rescue Meal™, The Garden Table™, or ready-to-eat options in Healthy Convenience. These are our contemporary tools; Mother Teresa did not promote the Kitchen Monk™ way of eating or lifestyle medicine.

Offer companionship. A phone call, an agreed visit, a shared meal, or a quiet conversation.

Help with one practical task. With permission: a grocery errand, a ride, or finding a community resource (in much of the U.S. and Canada, dial 2-1-1).

Support the caregiver. Offer two or three specific options and let them choose. More on Who Cares for the Caregiver?

Receive care, too. Letting others help you is compatible with dignity and strength.

🪔 Carrying the lamp forward

Mother Teresa’s own work continues through the Missionaries of Charity, and it belongs to them. What all of us can do is carry the same lamp of compassion into our own kitchens, clinics, and neighborhoods: noticing the forgotten, feeding the hungry, sitting with the lonely, and caring for those who care for others.

The image of a lamp kept lit is also at the heart of our story-world. The Book of the Lamp, Book I of The EVERgreen Chronicles™ by Nathanael Elijah Smith, is a work of fiction about keeping the light of compassionate care burning. It is available on Amazon in Kindle format. The book is our own; it is not affiliated with Mother Teresa or her congregation.

Pause and reflect

Who near you needs to feel seen today—and what small act of care can you offer?

• When have I felt cared for through someone’s presence?
• What does preserving dignity look like in an ordinary interaction?
• Who is quietly carrying a burden?
• Can I ask what would help instead of assuming?
• Where do I need support myself?

There is no form here, and nothing you think or write is collected.

A note on history

Mother Teresa is widely honored, and her legacy has also been debated. NobelPrize.org itself notes that she was criticized, including allegations that dying people in the congregation’s hospices were refused pain relief. In 1994, Robin Fox, then editor of The Lancet, described kindness and cleanliness at the Calcutta home for the dying alongside limited medical assessment and a lack of strong pain relief; palliative care clinicians replied in the same journal that strict limits on opioid medicines and scarce resources were common across India at that time.

Honoring an example of compassion does not mean adopting every historical care practice. Our present-day guidance follows current professional and ethical standards: pain and other symptoms should be relieved, infections prevented, and people offered evidence-based care with their informed consent. Prayer can accompany treatment when it is welcomed; it never replaces it. Illness is never a sign of weak faith, and no one needs to share our faith to receive our support.

Questions about this tribute

Is Kitchen Monk™ connected with the Missionaries of Charity?

No. This is our own memorial tribute. We have no affiliation, partnership, or endorsement from the Missionaries of Charity, the Catholic Church, or any organization representing Mother Teresa’s legacy.

Did Mother Teresa write the EVERgreen Oath™, the dedication, or the prayer?

No. Those are original Kitchen Monk™ and Flourishing Nursing™ words. Her own words appear only in the clearly sourced quotations above.

Do I need to be Christian to use Kitchen Monk™?

No. We are rooted in Christian compassion and welcome every person. Every resource is open to you whatever you believe.

Why include criticism in a tribute?

Because trust matters. Honoring compassion honestly means telling the whole story and making clear that today’s care must meet today’s standards.

Where to go next

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Sources, credits, and our memorial disclosure

Historical sources

• The Holy See. Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910–1997), biography, 2003.
• Vatican News. Second anniversary of Mother Teresa’s sainthood.
• Vatican Radio. Pope Francis’ homily for the canonization of Mother Teresa, 4 September 2016.
• Holy See Press Office. Decree on Saint Teresa of Calcutta in the General Roman Calendar, 2025.
• NobelPrize.org. Facts; press release; award ceremony speech; acceptance speech transcript; official recording (© Norsk Rikskringkasting AS).
• Fox R. Mother Theresa’s care for the dying. The Lancet. 1994;344:807–808. Reply: Jeffrey D, O’Neill J, Burn G. The Lancet. 1994;344:1098.

Scripture, images, and video

Scripture is quoted from the World English Bible (public domain); Matthew 25:40, Luke 6:31, and John 13:34–35 were checked against published WEB text. This page uses no photographs of Mother Teresa and no AI-generated images of her. The video plays from YouTube using WordPress’s standard YouTube embed; we do not download or rehost it.

Our full memorial disclosure

“Honorary EVERgreen Guardian™ of Compassion and Service” is Kitchen Monk™’s own commemorative designation. It was not bestowed by Mother Teresa, the Missionaries of Charity, or the Catholic Church; implies no endorsement, partnership, or affiliation; and has not been reviewed by them. It is not a license, credential, or appointment. Mother Teresa had no personal social media, and we link to no account in her name. There are no donation requests on this page, and Kitchen Monk™ has no financial relationship with any organization named here. “What would Jesus do?” is presented as a question Nathanael’s mother taught him, as he remembers it.