Summary
Highlights
Mother Teresa, originally Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, modern-day North Macedonia. Her father was a businessman, and her mother, Drana, instilled charitable values. Agnes was a disciplined, thoughtful, and shy child. After her father's death when she was nine, her mother ensured her children had a good education and religious instruction. Agnes felt a calling to serve God from a young age, particularly after hearing about missionary work in Calcutta. At 17, she decided to become a nun, a decision her mother eventually supported.
Agnes joined the Sisters of Loreto and traveled to India, a place she had always wanted to go, leaving Skopje on December 25, 1928, never to see her family again. She became a novice, taking the name Maria Teresa. Initially, she worked in a hospital in Bengal before becoming a beloved teacher at a girls' school in Calcutta. She observed the poverty around her and often shared her food with hungry students, reflecting her growing concern for the less fortunate.
Teresa's true calling became clear during a train journey to Darjeeling when she heard a distinct call to serve the poorest. Despite initial shock from her superiors, she received special permission to leave the convent. She then trained in healthcare and began her work in the impoverished slums of Calcutta, offering free medical treatments. Despite financial struggles, her cheerful character led many pharmacists to provide her with medicine for free.
Teresa's dedication impressed others, and she began receiving donations. In February 1949, a former student, Shubashini, joined her, and soon, her ministry grew to 10 members, all committed to serving the poor without payment, living simply with minimal possessions. They followed a disciplined life of prayer and service, providing aid in the slums. Teresa, now known as Mother Teresa, drafted a constitution for the 'Missionaries of Charity', emphasizing compassion for the sick, infirm, lepers, lost, and outcasts.
The Missionaries of Charity expanded rapidly, operating in over 20 cities in India and, by the 1960s, globally. Mother Teresa received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. She became a celebrated public figure and met Pope John Paul II. Mother Teresa passed away on September 5, 1997, receiving a state funeral from the Indian government. By her death, her order had grown to over 4,000 sisters and 300 brothers, running 610 missions in 123 countries.
Mother Teresa's path to sainthood involved two recognized miracles. One involved Monica Besra, a tribal woman diagnosed with an abdominal tumor in 1997. After doctors stated there was no cure, Monica's husband was advised to take her to the Missionaries of Charity. On September 5, 1998, during prayers on the anniversary of Mother Teresa's death, Monica experienced a beam of light from Mother Teresa's photograph. Later, sisters tied a medallion with Mother Teresa's picture around her waist and prayed over her. Monica experienced a peaceful sleep, and her tumor was miraculously gone the next morning. Mother Teresa was canonized a saint in 2016.