Mother Teresa, also known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was a Catholic nun who dedicated her life to serving the poor and sick. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in what is now Skopje, North Macedonia, Mother Teresa was the youngest of three children in her family. She was raised in a middle-class home and received a good education.
As a young woman, Mother Teresa felt a calling to become a nun and serve God. In 1928, at the age of 18, she left her home and family to join the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish order of nuns with missions in India. She was sent to Darjeeling, India, where she received her religious training and took her vows.
Mother Teresa was assigned to teach at St. Mary's High School for Girls in Calcutta, India. It was there that she saw the terrible poverty and suffering of the people living in the slums around the city. She became increasingly distressed by the sight of sick and dying people living on the streets, and she felt a strong calling to help them.
In 1948, Mother Teresa received permission from the Catholic Church to leave her convent and work with the poor. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, a religious order that was devoted to serving the poor, sick, and dying. She and her fellow nuns lived among the poor and worked to meet their basic needs, such as food, shelter, and medical care. They also provided emotional and spiritual support to those who were suffering.
Mother Teresa's work with the poor and sick quickly gained recognition and support from people around the world. She received numerous awards and honors for her humanitarian work, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In the years following, she continued to work tirelessly to help those in need, establishing missions in countries all around the world.
Mother Teresa remained dedicated to her work until the end of her life. She died in 1997 at the age of 87, and was beatified by the Catholic Church in 2003. Today, she is remembered as one of the greatest humanitarians in history and is an inspiration to people all around the world.