Missionaries of Charity
Queen of Peace Shelter and Soup Kitchen
If you are a woman in need of temporary housing in the shelter, call (225) 383-8367.
The soup kitchen serves men and women at 10 am five days per week (not on Thursday and Sunday).
if you would like to volunteer with the Sisters, call (225) 383-8367.
If you would like to donate money to the Sisters, write a check made out to “Missionaries of Charity.” The Sisters’ mailing address is: Missionaries of Charity, 737 East Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70802.
About the M.C.
The Missionaries of Charity (M.C.) are a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Saint Teresa of Calcutta, commonly and affectionately known as Mother Teresa. It consists in over 5,300 religious sisters all throughout the world.
The M.C. Sisters adhere to the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and to a fourth vow of “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” Relying entirely on Divine Providence, they place their trust in God to provide all the needs of the poor they serve. This trust is also demonstrated by their own simplicity - they possess only three saris (one to wear, one to wash, and one for special occasions), two or three cotton habits, a rope cincture, a pair of sandals, a crucifix, a rosary, a canvas bag, set of utensils, and a prayer book. In colder climates they are permitted a few items such as a coat and closed toes shoes. As a community they also refrain from the use of television, radio, and most items of convenience that many take for granted.
For the M.C., the pencil - a humble and simple tool - symbolizes the very meaning of their vocation of serving the poorest of the poor, in whom they recognize Christ. They clearly remember Mother Teresa’s words, “I am only a little pencil in God’s hand.” It is precisely the pencil which a Missionary of Charity brought to the altar during the Offertory at the funeral Mass of Mother Teresa. Sister Nirmala, the first successor of Mother Teresa as Superior General of the Congregation remarked, “That was a Sister’s idea, in order to honor Mother who loved to describe herself as ‘God’s pencil.’ Jesus has so many pencils of God that get worn down, we are only the ‘temporary’ pencils that God uses to write the history of charity.”
The M.C. in Baton Rouge
In 1985, Bishop Stanley Ott invited Mother Teresa to bring some of her Sisters to care for the poor in Baton Rouge. With the kind approval of St. Agnes Parish’s pastor, Fr. John Spriggs, Bishop Ott leased the former St. Agnes Elementary School building to Mother Teresa’s community. Mother brought Sr. Priscilla, then Regional Superior, and four other Sisters to open the new foundation - Sr. Deepam (superior), Sr. Maria Seraphino, Sr. Thomas More, and Sr. Scholastica. The Sisters stayed in the parish’s former convent, originally used by the Dominican Sisters, and established a maternity home for unwed women upstairs. Later, the upstairs was converted to classrooms for catechism classes. The Sisters also opened a soup kitchen in the parish cafeteria very soon after arriving and a shelter for women was established in the former school building.
Their apostolate at St. Agnes currently includes:
The women & children’s shelter, where a place to sleep and two meals a day are offered to residence. The Sisters also work with the Diocese of Baton Rouge to find employment and permanent housing for the residents.
The soup kitchen is open five days per week (excepting Thursdays and Sundays) and feeds 60-80 people per day. Volunteers are always needed and welcome!
The Parish School of Religion catechism program for St. Agnes, where four of the Sisters serve by forming youth in the faith in preparation for First Holy Communion, Confirmation, and 4th & 6th grade classes.
An atrium for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is also set up in the old school building, providing a hands-on teaching method for the youth of the parish.
