Born:August26,1910
Died:September5,1997
Achievements:StartedMissionariesofCharityin1950;receivedNobelPrizeforPeacein1979;receivedBharatRatnain1980.
MotherTeresawasoneofthegreatservantsofhumanity.ShewasanAlbanianCatholicnunwhocametoIndiaandfoundedtheMissionariesofCharityinKolkata.LateronMotherTeresaattainedIndiancitizenship.Herselflessworkamongthepoverty-strickenpeopleofKolkata(Calcutta)isaninspirationforpeopleallovertheworldandshewashonoredwithNobelPrizeforherwork.
MotherTeresa'soriginalnamewasAgnesGonxhaBojaxhiu.ShewasbornonAugust26,1910inSkopje,Macedonia.Herfatherwasasuccessfulmerchantandshewasyoungestofthethreesiblings.Attheageof12,shedecidedthatshewantedtobeamissionaryandspreadtheloveofChrist.Attheageof18sheleftherparentalhomeinSkopjeandjoinedtheSistersofLoreto,anIrishcommunityofnunswithmissionsinIndia.
AfterafewmonthsoftrainingattheInstituteoftheBlessedVirginMaryinDublinMotherTeresacametoIndia.OnMay24,1931,shetookherinitialvowsasanun.From1931to1948,MotherTeresataughtgeographyandcatechismatSt.Mary'sHighSchoolinCalcutta.However,theprevailingpovertyinCalcuttahadadeepimpactonMotherTeresa'smindandin1948,shereceivedpermissionfromhersuperiorstoleavetheconventschoolanddevoteherselftoworkingamongthepoorestofthepoorintheslumsofCalcutta.
AfterashortcoursewiththeMedicalMissionSistersinPatna,shereturnedtoCalcuttaandfoundtemporarylodgingwiththeLittleSistersofthePoor.Shestartedanopen-airschoolforhomelesschildren.Soonshewasjoinedbyvoluntaryhelpers,andshereceivedfinancialsupportfromchurchorganizationsandthemunicipalauthorities.OnOctober7,1950,MotherTeresareceivedpermissionfromtheVaticantostartherownorder.VaticanoriginallylabeledtheorderastheDiocesanCongregationoftheCalcuttaDiocese,anditlatercametoknownasthe"MissionariesofCharity".TheprimarytaskoftheMissionariesofCharitywastotakecareofthosepersonswhonobodywaspreparedtolookafter.
TheMissionariesofCharity,whichbeganasasmallOrderwith12membersinCalcutta,todayhasmorethan4,000nunsrunningorphanages,AIDShospices,charitycentresworldwide,andcaringforrefugees,theblind,disabled,aged,alcoholics,thepoorandhomelessandvictimsoffloods,epidemicsandfamineinAsia,Africa,LatinAmerica,NorthAmerica,Poland,andAustralia.In1965,bygrantingaDecreeofPraise,PopePaulVIgrantedMotherTeresapermissiontoexpandherordertoothercountries.Theorder'sfirsthouseoutsideIndiawasinVenezuela.Presently,the"MissionariesofCharity"haspresenceinmorethan100countries.
MotherTeresa'sworkhasbeenrecognisedandacclaimedthroughouttheworldandshehasreceivedanumberofawardsanddistinctions.TheseincludethePopeJohnXXIIIPeacePrize(1971),NehruPrizeforPromotionofInternationalPeace&Understanding(1972),BalzanPrize(1978),NobelPeacePrize(1979)andBharatRatna(1980).
OnMarch13,1997,MotherTeresasteppeddownfromtheheadofMissionariesofCharityanddiedonSeptember5,1997,just9daysafterher87thbirthday.FollowingMotherTeresa'sdeath,theHolySeebegantheprocessofbeatification,thesecondsteptowardspossiblecanonization,orsainthood.Thisproce
