Mother
Teresa was born in Skopje in
what is now Macedonia in 1910. At the age of eighteen she joined
the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with a mission in
Calcutta.
From 1929 to 1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary's High School in
Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the
convent walls made such a deep impression on her that in 1946 she
received permission from the Catholic church to leave the convent
school and devote herself to working among the poor in the slums of
Calcutta. In 1950, she founded the order of Missionaries of Charity.
In
1965, Pope Paul VI put the Missionaries of Charity under the control
of the Papacy and gave authorization to Mother Teresa to expand her
Order to other countries. Centers have opened almost everywhere around
the world to assist lepers, the elderly, the blind, and people living
with AIDS. Mother Teresa also opened schools and homes for the poor
and abandoned children.
The legendary Mother Teresa's work for the poor has become the
yardstick by which the world measures compassion, generosity, and
selflessness, and she has received a number of awards and
distinctions, among them in 1979 the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting
peace and brotherhood among the nations.
Her
words and actions have inspired millions of people from all religions
and races to help the poor and the needy, and this legacy is her gift
to mankind.
For
a full biography and additional links please visit Mother
Teresa - Her Life
Mother
Teresa : A Complete Authorized Biography
