Mother Teresa also known as Mother Theresa, is one of the greatest humanitarians and philanthropists that the world has ever seen. She dedicated her entire life in the service of the poor, destitute, and the less-fortunate. Her tireless work to bring an end to the suffering of humanity and the compassion that she showed for all living being made the world a much better and safer place for humans.
She was the founder of Missionaries of Charity, an organization that helped the needy.
For her selfless work for the upliftment of the downtrodden and her courage in the face of despair, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She was also canonised as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 2016.
On her birthday today, let us have a look at the inspiring life of Mother Teresa.
Early Life
Mother Teresa was born on 26th August 1910 in Skopje in Macedonia and was named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was the youngest child of Nikola and Drane Bokaxhiu. While not much is known about her early life, she was very inclined towards helping the poor. At the young age of twelve, she felt a strong calling of God and understood that she had to become a missionary.
When she was only eighteen, Mother Teresa joined the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Sisters of Loreto, which was an Irish community of nuns that carried out missions in the South Asian country of India. In 1931, at the age of 21, she came to India and served as a teacher at St. Mary’s High School for girls in present-day Kolkata. However, acute poverty and destitution that she saw around her had a profound impact on her and she decided to dedicate her life in the service of the downtrodden.
So, she took the consent of her superiors to leave the convent and start a school for the slum children. With time and more recognition, she had more volunteers help the cause and financial support also began to come in.
In October 1950, she established her own order called ‘Missionaries of Charity,’ whose objective was to look after those people who were rejected by the community and society. The order today consists of thousands of nuns who work for the welfare of people across the continent. It has centres across the world in nations such as Russia, Albania, and Cuba.
She and her order brought dignity to human life by their work of providing care, love, and happiness to all souls.
For her selfless work, she was awarded many honours and recognitions across the world. The Indian government honoured her with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1980. She was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Despite her failing health in her last years, she still travelled across the world to spread the message of love. She passed away on 5th September 1997.
The world sees only a few pure and selfless souls like Mother Teresa. Singlehandedly, she made the world a better place to live in due to her extraordinary life.
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