Mother Teresa Project

The Mother Teresa Project (MTP) is producing graduates who convey her compassion and teachings to the next generation and spread peace in the same manner as she did—one person at a time. Through the MTP, students immerse themselves in the spirituality and life of Mother Teresa through her writings and participating in service work locally and internationally alongside the Missionaries of Charity (MCs).

Ave Maria students perform thousands of hours of volunteer service and mission work annually, both locally in the neighboring farm town of Immokalee and across the globe in countries such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Uganda, and Mexico, as a part of the Mother Teresa Project.

Bernadette Hartney, a biochemistry major from Ave Maria, had the opportunity to participate in a 5-day mission trip to Haiti led by Mary Towey, wife of President Towey. “Going to Haiti opened my eyes in many different ways,” says Bernadette, “I had never seen such poverty and state of living in my life as we experienced in Haiti.” During this mission trip, students worked alongside MCs at their compound in Port-au-Prince, served in the Children’s Home, and accompanied the sisters as they traveled to other cities, tending to men, women and children in need. “The joy emanating from the MCs was contagious,” Bernadette continues, “and it was truly a gift to be able to share in their joy by serving others.”