Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997 ), Albanian-born Roman Catholic
nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, and Nobel laureate. Originally named Agnes
Gonxha Bojaxhiu, she entered the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland at
the age of 18. She trained in Dublin and Darjeeling, India, before taking her religious
vows in 1937. While serving as principal of a Roman Catholic high school in Calcutta, she
was moved by the presence of the sick and dying on the city's streets. In 1948 she was
granted permission to leave her post at the convent and begin a ministry among the sick.
In 1950 Mother Teresa and her associates were approved within the archdiocese of Calcutta
as the Missionaries of Charity. Later the order was recognized as a pontifical
congregation under the jurisdiction of Rome. Members of the congregation take four vows on
acceptance by the religious community. Required in addition to the three basic vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience is a fourth vow pledging service to the poor, whom Mother
Teresa described as the embodiment of Christ. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the Nirmal
Hriday (“Pure Heart”) Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta. Subsequently she
extended her work onto five continents. In recognition of her efforts she was awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She was forced to scale down her activities in 1990 because of
declining health. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at age 87 in her Missionaries
of Charity home in central Calcutta.
"Mother Teresa of Calcutta," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft
Corporation. Copyright (c)
1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation.
Other Links of interest
Official Web site of Mother Teresa
A Tribute to Mother Teresa
