Today, Sept. 5, is the feast day of Blessed Mother Teresa, who died in 1997.

Saintly service: Mother Teresa certainly embodied it. And for a role model for service to others, there are few who compare.

I was pleasantly surprised when the Brownie troop my daughter was working on her Junior Aide patch with paired their World Thinking Day study of India with a Catholic role model: Mother Teresa.

The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry offers a Models of Faith patch program that features a number of role models for girls to look up to. “Throughout the long tradition of the Catholic Church, women and men have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to stand up for the faith in the midst of great trials and at deep personal risk,” the site says.

The girls learned about Mother Teresa’s story and discussed ways they could help those struggling in their communities as well. And while she has been named a Catholic saint, there is so much that could inspire girls of other faiths as well.

“Mother Teresa realized that she wanted to begin a new order for her mission, for the mission of God, and therefore she went out and began the Missionaries of Charity. This model of faith recognized that she needed to think a little outside the box and start something innovative.”

In fact, other than researching some of her favorite prayers online, there is little formally “Catholic” in doctrine to the activities. One such prayer, and inspiration to those of us from any faith, can be found in this prayer listed on www.motherteresa.org.

Download instructions for the Mother Teresa patch here. You can order the Mother Teresa patches through the NFCYM Online store.

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