Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Biography

Born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje (now North Macedonia), she joined the Sisters of Loreto at eighteen, taking her religious name Teresa. Professed in 1931, she taught in Calcutta for nearly two decades. In 1946, experiencing a profound spiritual calling, she received permission to leave her convent and serve the destitute. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to caring for those society abandoned: the dying, the poor, lepers, and orphans. Her work expanded globally, opening hospices, schools, and medical facilities across multiple continents. Characterized by radical simplicity, she lived among those she served, performing intimate acts of dignity for the forgotten. Though her faith was tested by decades of spiritual darkness, she remained committed to her mission. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, donating all proceeds to her work. She was canonized in 2016. Mother Teresa epitomized Christ's love manifested through tireless service to humanity's most vulnerable members.