Advice from Mother Teresa on Class Day 1982 at Harvard

The class of 1982 hears from "the angel of Calcutta."

Mother Teresa delivers the Commencement address at Harvard University on June 10, 1982

Mother Teresa delivers the Commencement address at Harvard University on June 10, 1982 | Photograph by Joe Wrinn/Harvard News Office

Some senior classes opt for levity, or substance cloaked in levity, from their Class Day guest speaker. The class of 1982 chose to hear a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who may one day be named a saint. Mother Teresa, who founded the Society of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta in 1950, urged her audience to work for Jesus and to live virtuous lives themselves, and received a long, standing ovation from the unusually large crowd in Tercentenary Theatre.

 

For more on Mother Teresa’s speech, see this PDF from the July-August 1982 issue.

A transcription of the speech has been posted by Saint Catherine Labouré Church in San Diego.

Most popular

There’s a growing movement to curb light pollution. It starts on your front porch.

The wealth and fall of David and Jackie Siegel: a documentary

A documentary film turns a lens on the “1 percenters.”

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.

House - Email

Explore More From Current Issue

Aerial view of modern high-rise buildings surrounded by greenery and city skyline.

Architecture & Design

In a sea of red brick, the Science Center and Peabody Terrace make their mark.

Label showing the anatomy of a worker bee, featuring a detailed illustration.

Museums & Collections

Science and art capture the microscopic natural world.

A blue refrigerator covered with animal pictures, notes, and drawings, surrounded by greenery.

Health & Medicine

An animal’s journey from grief to love shows how much humans need each other, too.