 From this time he practically devoted his life to social work among the poor Serbs of Budapest, and he became well known as a social reformer and philanthropist, at home and abroad.As a merchant, Tekelija made a princely fortune very early on in his career.Convened by Metropolitan Mojsije Putnik shortly before his death, Tekelija was among the many participants of the May 1790 Serbian Church Congress (Sabor) in Temeschwar (Timișoara) where political and military representatives of Serb people in the Habsburg Monarchy gathered.