Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic nun who became well-known throughout the world for her missionary work. Anjez Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, an Albanian-Indian, was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Ottoman Empire, to Nikoll and Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Her father died when she was eight years old, and by the age of twelve, she was convinced that she wanted to devote her life to religion. Teresa left home at the age of 18 to join the Loreto Sisters in Rathfarnham, Ireland, to become a missionary. Teresa took her first religious vows on May 24, 1931, and was named after the patron saint of missionaries, Therese de Lisieux. On May 14, 1937, she took her solemn vows. Teresa taught at the Loreto convent school for the next 20 years. Teresa received “the call” to missionary work in 1946.
Mother Teresa spent many years in Calcutta and became known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
Mother Teresa considered her baptism day, August 27, 1910, to be her true birthday.
Despite the fact that Mother Teresa spent her life serving the poor, she was born into a wealthy family.
Mother Teresa never saw her mother or sisters again after moving to Ireland at the age of 18 to learn English and become a missionary.
Mother Teresa’s ‘call’ came in 1946, when she claimed Jesus spoke to her and told her to quit her job as a teacher and instead help the poor and sick in Calcutta.
Mother Teresa established the ‘Missionaries of Charity’ religious order in 1950. It had over 4,500 sisters and was active in 133 countries by 2012.
Mother Teresa used dirt and wooden sticks to teach children to read and write when she was a teacher in Calcutta.
During the Siege of Beirut in 1982, Mother Teresa rescued 37 children who were trapped in a hospital in a war zone.
Mother Teresa had to beg for food because she didn’t have any money when she worked in Calcutta caring for the sick and poor.
Mother Teresa received numerous awards throughout her life for her efforts to assist the poor and sick.
Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She requested that the $192,000 budgeted for the banquet be used to help India’s poor instead.
Many of Mother Teresa’s quotes became famous, including “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
Mother Teresa became ill with a variety of illnesses while serving as a missionary, including malaria and pneumonia. She also had two heart attacks and a broken collarbone.
Mother Teresa’s letters revealed that from 1948 until her death in 1997, she struggled with faith, questioning God’s existence at times.
Princess Diana was a friend of Mother Teresa. They were seen walking through New York City holding hands just weeks before they both died. Princess Diana was killed in a car accident, and Mother Teresa died only five days later.
