Mother Teresa is an internationally renowned nun, known for her vast charity work and devotion to religion. Born in Macedonia, she grew up in an Albanian family. At eighteen, she left her family to become a nun after realizing her role for the world. Mother Teresa then became a teacher, but left to serve those less fortunate. Later, she formed the Missionaries of Charity, the organization that would later help thousands of people around the world. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II and was recognized as “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta”. She devoted her life to helping others. By the time of her death, the Missionaries of Charity had 610 missions in over 100 countries, with hospices and homes for the sick and elderly. Today, Mother Teresa’s legacy of charity and kindness never leaves us, and there are multiple establishments in her name. Her organizations and hospices continue to help those in need today.
1910:
Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia.
1928-1931:
By the time young Agnes was 18, she left her family in Macedonia and went to live with the sisters of Loretta On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun when she was 21.
1931-1948:
Starting 1931, Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta, India.1948:
After discovering the cruelty of poverty outside the convent, she made a request to leave the school to work with the victims of poverty, which was approved in 1948. She later opened a school for the less fortunate.
1950:
On October 7, 1950, the Holy See (The episcopal jurisdiction branch of the Roman Catholic Church) granted Mother Teresa permission to start the Missionaries of Charity, her own order.
1965:
Pope Paul VI declared the Missionaries of Charity an international religious family in 1965.
1950's-1980's:
From 1952 to 1981 Mother Teresa opened several hospices caring for the sick, injured, and dying. She also co-founded more movements and missionaries, such as the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests, or the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, which she created along with Father Joseph Langford.1984:
In 1984 the United States had 19 establishments under Mother Teresa. By 1996, she had over 500 ongoing missions in over 100 nations.
1983-1991:
Her health started declining in 1983, when she suffered her first heart attack visiting Pope John Paul II in Rome. she had another heart attack in 1989, forcing her to use an artificial pacemaker. In 1991, she had a case of pneumonia and suffered more heart problems.
1997:
On March 13, 1997, she resigned from her position as the head of the missionaries of Charity. She later died on September 5th, 1997. She was granted a state funeral by the Indian government. After her death, she was beatified and given the well-deserved title “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta." The beatification of Mother Teresa was conducted October 19, 2003 by Pope John Paul II. To this day, Mother Teresa is honored internationally.
