Mother Teresa was born on 26th August in 1910. Her birth place is Skopje in Macedonia. She had an Albanian lineage and was Roman Catholic by birth. Mother Teresa was known as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu as a child. She was deeply moved by the teachings of Jesus Christ. She felt a strong urge to go out and serve as a missionary.
Mother Teresa left her home at 18 years to join an Irish community run by nuns, known as the Sisters of Loreto. This community undertook missions in Indian subcontinent. Mother Teresa came to India after she took training in Dublin.
Mother Teresa after coming to India vowed to serve as a nun on 24th May 1931. She joined St. Mary's High School in Kolkata and taught there from 1931 to 1948. Soon she decided to work for the poor residing in slums of Calcutta or Kolkata. She took initiative to teach the children of the slums.
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Soon Mother Teresa of Calcutta came to be known as a social worker for the poor.
Mother Teresa started her Missionaries of Charity on 7th October in 1950 after the Holy See gave her permission to establish it. Pope Paul VI in 1965 issued a decree that recognized the society as an International Religious Family. This society, established by Mother Teresa of Calcutta took care of the poor, the deserted ones and those who did not have anybody to look after them.
Mother Teresa received many awards due to her selfless service towards poor and needy people of the society. She was honored with John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971. In 1979, Balzan Prize was given to her. As she was an ambassador of peace the world over, she was given the Nehru Prize in 1972. She was also awarded with Magsaysay and Templeton awards. She was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa breathed her last on 5th of September in 1997 in Kolkata.
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