I Thirst

You may have noticed the addition to our reredos, the words "I thirst" written at the foot of the crucifix. The words Christ spoke from the cross inspired Mother Teresa to found the Missionaries of Charity. They're written next to the crucifix in all their chapels as a constant reminder of their purpose.

"We have these words in every chapel of MCs to remind us what an MC is here for to quench the thirst of Jesus for souls, for love, for kindness, for compassion, for delicate love," Mother Teresa said.

Since her call in 1946 to serve the poorest of the poor, Mother Teresa insisted that the Missionaries of Charity were founded to "satiate the thirst of Jesus." She included this statement in the order's founding rules.

On Sept. 10, 1946, while traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, Mother Teresa received her "inspiration," what she would later describe as a "call within a call." On that day, in a way she could never fully explain, Jesus' thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart, and the desire to satisfy his thirst became the driving force of her life. (Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana)