“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the heart of Jesus.“
These were the words of Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa’s original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was born on 26 August, 1910, in Uskup, Kosovo Vilayet (presently known as Skopje, Macedonia). She was baptised on 27 August, and that was the day she regarded as her true birthday. Her father, Nicola Bijaxhiu was an entrepreneur and was involved in local politics. Her mother’s name was Dranafile Bojaxhiu, and both her parents were of Albanian descent.
By the age of 12, Mother Teresa decided she would dedicate her life to religion. And at 18, she left her home, mother, and sister, to join Sisters of Loreto as a missionary, in Dublin, Ireland. Over there, she changed her name to Sister Mary Teresa, after Saint Therese of Lisieux.
During her life in Macedonia, Mother Teresa were intrigued by the lives in India, particularly, Calcutta. She was so interested, that in 1929, she made her way to India, where she lived in Darjeeling, a town in India’s west, in the Himalayan region. In May 1931, she took her first vow as a nun. Later, she was transferred to Calcutta as a teacher of Saint Mary’s High School for Girls. And in May 24, 1937, she took her final formal vow. Thus, she was entitled “Mother”, becoming Mother Teresa.
While still working for the convent, Mother Teresa felt that her real work focus was working for “the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for”. After gaining some medical training, Mother Teresa started working in the slums of Calcutta. The main reason for this sudden transition is because on September 1946, she experienced “a call within the call” from Jesus, where the Lord asked her to work for the poor. This started her advancement towards building “The Missionaries of Charity“. The immense hard work, the struggles, and the poverty she, and some of her fellow nuns had to go through were gradually recognised by the country’s leaders, as well as the world leaders. Soon her missionaries spread throughout the globe.
Her health was deteriorating slowly. She suffered two heart attacks, and obtained a pacemaker. Due to fragile health, she stepped down from being the head of her charity in 13 March, 1997. On September 5, 1997, she breathed her last breath.
Because of the massive influence that she created, and the great impact that she has on all our lives, here are some famous quotes from Mother Teresa that will change the way you think of people.
