Mother Teresa
20th-century Roman Catholic nun and missionary
Name | Mother Teresa |
Birth name | |
Birth date | 26 August 1910 |
Birth place | Skopje, Ottoman Empire (now North Macedonia) |
Death date | 5 September 1997 (aged 87) |
Death place | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Nun, Missionary |
Years active | |
Organization | |
Known for | Founding the Missionaries of Charity |
Notable works | |
Spouse(s) | |
Website |
Mother Teresa (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997) was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. She was born in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire and now the capital of North Macedonia. After living in Macedonia for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Mother Teresa was born on 26 August 1910 into an Albanian family in Skopje. She was baptized in the Roman Catholic Church the day after her birth. Her father, Nikollë Bojaxhiu, was involved in Albanian politics and her mother, Dranafile Bojaxhiu, was a deeply religious woman who instilled in her children a commitment to charity.
Missionaries of Charity[edit | edit source]
In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries by 2012. The congregation manages homes for people dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counseling programs, as well as orphanages and schools.
Nobel Peace Prize[edit | edit source]
In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work. She refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, asking that the $192,000 funds be given to the poor in India.
Later Life and Death[edit | edit source]
Mother Teresa suffered from numerous health problems in her later years, including heart, lung, and kidney issues. She died on 5 September 1997 at the age of 87 in Kolkata, India. She was given a state funeral by the Government of India in recognition of her services to the poor of all religions in the country.
Canonization[edit | edit source]
Mother Teresa was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church on 4 September 2016. The canonization was held in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City and was led by Pope Francis.
Legacy[edit | edit source]
Mother Teresa's work has been recognized and acclaimed throughout the world and she has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1980. Her life and work have inspired many other charitable organizations and individuals to follow in her footsteps.
See Also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
External Links[edit | edit source]
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- Use dmy dates from August 2023
- 1910 births
- 1997 deaths
- 20th-century Albanian people
- 20th-century Indian people
- Albanian Roman Catholics
- Indian Roman Catholics
- Founders of Catholic religious communities
- Recipients of the Bharat Ratna
- Nobel Peace Prize laureates
- People from Skopje
- People from Kolkata
- Roman Catholic missionaries
- Canonized Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns
- Missionaries of Charity
- Female saints of the Roman Catholic Church
- Albanian expatriates in India
- Indian people of Albanian descent
- Roman Catholic missionaries in India
- Christian female saints of the Late Modern era
- Beatifications by Pope John Paul II
- Canonizations by Pope Francis
- 20th-century Christian saints
- Christian missionaries in India
- Christian humanitarians
- Medicine-stub
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD