Today, on August 26, is Mother Teresa's birth anniversary. Her remarkable journey is remembered by a lot of selfless acts and heartfelt contributions to humanity.
Mother Teresa, also known as the "Saint of the Gutters," was a well-known humanitarian who was also an honorary citizen of the United States. She received this honour in praise of her lifetime of work to reduce the suffering of the needy and underrated.
Mother Teresa, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning nun who dedicated her life to helping the poor and sick, was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje. She was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, the youngest child of Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Her father, who was involved in Albanian-community politics in Ottoman North Macedonia, died when she was eight years old.
In 1928, at the age of 18, Agnes left home to join the Sisters of Loretto, an Irish Catholic gathering of nuns. She was sent to India, where she taught at St. Mary's School in Kolkata (Calcutta) for 17 years.
When she was 18 years old, Mother Teresa left her family in Skopje, North Macedonia, to join the Sisters of Loreto in Dublin, Ireland. She never had the chance to meet her family again.
Mother Teresa's faith was not always strong. In her writing "Deep Down", she wrote about herself and what she thinks about God, there is nothing in me but emptiness and darkness."
These doubts and struggles were part of what Mother Teresa called her "night of the soul." This is a spiritual experience in which a person feels a deep separation from God.
Mother Teresa was born Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, North Macedonia. The name "Anjeze" means "little flower" in Albanian. Interestingly, she chose to commemorate her baptism on August 27th as her true birthday.
Mother Teresa was awarded over 120 awards and distinctions throughout her lifetime, including the Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. These awards recognized her work in reducing poverty and her dedication to serving the poor and sick.
Mother Teresa and Princess Diana met in 1997. Princess Diana died in a car accident on August 31, 1997, and Mother Teresa died five days later, on September 5, 1997.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy presented Mother Teresa with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. Mother Teresa was a rare exception to the tradition of awarding the medal to Americans, as she was a citizen of India.
In 1948, while on a train journey, she felt a calling to leave the convent and work among the poor. The Missionaries of Charity now have over 4,500 sisters working in over 130 countries.
Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her work with the poor. In 1980 she was awarded the Bharat Ratna which is India's highest civilian honour. On September 5, 1997, she died at the age of 87.