So this week, my blog post will be all about Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu and, although she was born on August 26^th in 1910, she considers her true birthday to be on August 27^th, the day of her baptism. She was born in Skopje, which is the current capital of he Republic of Macedonia, but at the time, it was a part of the Ottoman Empire. She was the youngest child of Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu; however, her father passed away when she was only eight years old.

From a young age, Mother Teresa was fascinated by stories about missionaries and their lives, especially their service in Bengal. By the time she was twelve years old, she was convinced that she would commit her life to service and become a part of a religious order. She fulfilled her promise at the age of eighteen when she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. That was the last time she ever saw her mother and sister. She chose to be tamed after St. Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. However, since one of the other nuns in the convent had already chosen that name, she chose the Spanish spelling, Teresa. She took her vows on May 14^th, 1937 while she was teaching at the Loreto convent school in Entally, Eastern Calcutta. Seven years later, she was named headmistress of the school.

On September 10^th, 1946, Mother Teresa experienced what she called, “the call within the call” while she was traveling to her annual retreat. She realized that she needed to leave the convent to work with the poor in 1948 and began wearing a white cotton sari with a blue border. She received basic medical training at the Holy Family Hospital and became an Indian citizen before she started working in the slums. She started with a school in Calcutta, but eventually began helping the destitute and starving. One year later, she was joined by a group of young women who helped her. They became the foundation of a new religious order. On October 7th, 1950, Mother Teresa received permission to start the diocesan congregation that eventually became the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa stated that its mission was to care for “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone.”

This congregation that began with only thirteen members grew to encompass over 4,000 sisters who carried out its mission in their every day lives. She opened up multiple different homes in Calcutta including the Home of the Dying, a home for those suffering from Hansen’s disease, or leprosy, called the hospice Shanti Nagar, and the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the Children’s Home of the Immaculate Heart, as a safe place for orphans and homeless youth.

In 1962, Mother Teresa received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for International Understanding. In 1971 she was awarded the first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize to commend her for her work with the poor, display of Christian charity, and efforts for peace. She later received the Pacem in Terris Award in 1976. In 1979, Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize for “for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace.” She refused the ceremonial banquet and instead asked that the $192,000 that would have been used for the banquet be donated to the poor in India. After suffering for years with heart, lung, and kidney problems, Mother Teresa died on September 5^th, 1997 of a heart attack.

Mother Teresa was an incredible woman who dedicated her life to the service of others. She always stood by her beliefs, regardless of how they were received, and continued her selfless work until she was physically incapable of doing so. Since her death, she has rapidly advanced along the path towards sainthood, and I have no doubt that she will complete that journey.