St. Teresa of Calcutta
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire (today the capital of North Macedonia). Born into an ethnic Albanian family, she was the youngest of her siblings. Her father was a respected local merchant, but he died when Agnes was around eight years old, leaving her mother to support the family by running an embroidery and cloth business. Raised in a devout Catholic household, Agnes became deeply involved in parish life during her youth, which helped shape her lifelong commitment to faith and service.
At the age of 18, Agnes felt a strong call to religious life and left her home in September 1928 for the Loreto Convent in Rathfarnam, near Dublin, Ireland. There she became a postulant on October 12 and took the name Teresa, in honor of her patron saint, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Soon after, she was sent to India, arriving in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 6 January 1929, and entered the Loreto novitiate in Darjeeling.
Mother Teresa made her final profession as a Loreto nun on 24 May 1937, committing herself fully to religious life. For many years she served as a teacher at St. Mary’s Bengali Medium School in Calcutta, where she taught and cared for students with unwavering devotion.
On 10 September 1946, during a train journey from Calcutta to Darjeeling, Teresa experienced what she later described as a “call within a call” — a profound inspiration to leave the convent and live among the poorest of the poor. This spiritual turning point directed her toward a new and radical mission: to serve those whom society had abandoned, especially the sick, the dying, and the destitute.
In pursuit of this calling, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a new religious congregation officially established on 7 October 1950 under the Archdiocese of Calcutta. The mission she gave to her sisters was simple yet revolutionary: “to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the cross for love and souls” by serving the poorest of the poor with dignity and compassion.
Under her leadership, the Missionaries of Charity grew rapidly. On 1 February 1965, Pope Paul VI granted the congregation the Decree of Praise, elevating it to a pontifical institute. The first foundation outside India was opened in Cocorote, Venezuela, later expanding to Europe and Africa by 1968. Over the ensuing decades, the order spread worldwide, establishing hundreds of centers dedicated to serving the poor, sick, elderly, and marginalized in dozens of countries.
Mother Teresa’s humanitarian work brought her global recognition. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, among many other honors, for her tireless efforts to alleviate suffering and inspire compassion across cultural and national boundaries.
After a lifetime of devoted service, Mother Teresa died on 5 September 1997 in Calcutta at the age of 87. India honored her with a state funeral, and she was laid to rest at the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity.
Recognizing her widespread reputation for holiness and the miracles attributed to her intercession, Pope John Paul II opened her cause for canonization less than two years after her death. She was beatified on 19 October 2003 and later canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis on 4 September 2016. Today her life and legacy continue to inspire millions to serve others with love, humility, and courage.