The most notable new female community was the Missionaries of Charity, originally founded by an Albanian nun, Bl. Teresa of Calcutta (d. 1997), to work especially with the poorest of the poor in India—the abandoned and homeless taken off the streets to be cared for in their last hours. Partly because of the fame of Teresa herself, the new community grew rapidly and soon extended its apostolate to many parts of the world, including the United States. The Missionaries serve as a living example of the continued “relevance” of traditional religious life, in that they have responded to the most desperate needs of the age but nonetheless live in convents, wear religious habits, and have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as the heart of their spirituality.
–James Hitchcock, History of the Catholic Church, 517
