Mother Teresa Biography, Early Life, Religious Life, Achievements

Mother Teresa Biography: Mother Teresa was born as Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. She became a Roman Catholic nun and spent her whole life helping the poor and sick people. Most of her work was done in India, where she cared for those who had no one else. Because of her kind and selfless service, she became known all over the world. She even received the Nobel Peace Prize and was declared Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016.

Mother Teresa Biography 

Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire (now in North Macedonia). She came from an Albanian family. From a young age, she felt a strong desire to serve God. Later, she moved to India and started the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta to help the poorest and sickest people. Her kindness, simple life, and strong faith made her one of the most respected people in the world.

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Mother Teresa Biography Overview 

Here is a concise overview of Mother Teresa’s life and achievements:

Mother Teresa Early Life 

Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, who later became known as Mother Teresa, was born into an Albanian family. She was baptized just one day after she was born. Her father, who was a grocer, passed away when she was only eight years old. After that, her mother took care of the whole family on her own. From childhood, Anjeze was very religious and often took part in church activities. When she was 12 years old, she felt a strong desire to become a missionary. She decided to spend her life helping others and serving God.

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Mother Teresa Path to Religious Life

At 18, she left her home in Skopje to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland, where she learned English in preparation for missionary work in India. She took her initial vows as a nun in 1931 and chose the name Teresa, after Therese de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. Soon after, she was sent to Calcutta (now Kolkata), where she taught at St. Mary’s High School for 17 years.

Mother Teresa The Call Within the Call

In 1946, while traveling to Darjeeling, Mother Teresa experienced what she described as a “call within the call”, a profound urge to leave the convent and work directly with the poorest people in Calcutta. After receiving permission from her superiors, she left the Loreto order in 1948 and began her mission in the city’s slums, relying on faith and charity to support her work.

Mother Teresa Founding the Missionaries of Charity

In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation dedicated to serving “the poorest of the poor.” The order adopted a simple white sari with blue borders as their custom and took a unique fourth vow: to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” Over the decades, the Missionaries of Charity expanded globally, running homes for the dying, orphanages, clinics, and schools in over 130 countries.

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Mother Teresa Humanitarian Work and Achievements

Mother Teresa’s humanitarian work focused on caring for the sick, destitute, and dying, regardless of their background or faith. She opened orphanages, hospices, and leprosy centers, and her organization became a beacon of hope for the marginalized. Her efforts earned her numerous accolades, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award. Despite facing criticism for her views and the conditions in her homes, her legacy as a symbol of compassion endures.

Mother Teresa Later Years, Death

Mother Teresa continued her work despite declining health, suffering from heart problems in her later years. She stepped down as head of the Missionaries of Charity in 1997 and passed away on September 5, 1997, in Calcutta. Her funeral was attended by dignitaries from around the world. The process for her sainthood was expedited, and she was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta on September 4, 2016. Her feast day is observed on September.