Saint Teresa of Calcutta

On December 24, 2024, Pope Francis ordered the inscription of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Virgin, into the General Roman Calendar.  St. Teresa is celebrated each year as an Optional Memorial on September 5.

The Holy See released the proper liturgical texts in Latin. Some of those texts were previously approved in English and Spanish by the USCCB, and they were confirmed by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on June 24, 2025. Texts involving the Liturgy of the Hours must still be newly translated and approved before they can be implemented.

The confirmed proper texts in English for the liturgical celebration of St. Teresa of Calcutta are provided below, together with ad interim indications for the Liturgy of the Hours:

Roman Missal

From the Common of Virgins: For One Virgin, or the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Those Who Practiced Works of Mercy.

Collect

O God, who called the Virgin Saint Teresa
to respond to the love of your Son thirsting on the Cross
with outstanding charity to the poorest of the poor,
grant us, we beseech you, by her intercession,
to minister to Christ in our suffering brothers and sisters.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Lectionary for Mass

Aside from the usual Mass readings of the day, any Lectionary readings from the Common of Virgins or Common of Holy Men and Women: For Those Who Work for the Underprivileged may be used for St. Teresa of Calcutta. The following readings are also recommended by the Holy See, and will appear in a future edition of the Lectionary for Mass. (Current citations from the Lectionary's Common of Holy Men and Women are provided for convenience.)

635A – Saint Teresa of Calcutta, Virgin

From the Common of Virgins, or the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Those Who Work for the Underprivileged, or:

First Reading – Isaiah 58:6-11 (no. 737-15)
Share your bread with the hungry.

Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11 (no. 739-5)
R/. I will bless the Lord at all times.

Gospel Acclamation – See Matthew 11:25 (no. 741-4)
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.

Gospel – Matthew 25:31-46 (long) or 31-40 (short) (no. 742-13)
Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.

Liturgy of the Hours

Psalmody of the day; other elements from the Psalter of the day or the Common of Virgins or the Common of Holy Women: For Those Who Worked for the Underprivileged.

Prayer (for Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, and Evening Prayer)

O God, who called the Virgin Saint Teresa
to respond to the love of your Son thirsting on the Cross
with outstanding charity to the poorest of the poor,
grant us, we beseech you, by her intercession,
to minister to Christ in our suffering brothers and sisters.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Excerpts from the English translation of Liturgical Texts for Saint Teresa of Calcutta © 2025 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.