| Mother Teresa
of Calcutta (1910- ), Albanian-born Roman Catholic nun, founder
of the Missionaries of Charity, and Nobel laureate. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu,
she entered the Order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto in Ireland at
the age of 18. She trained in Dublin and Darjiling (Darjeeling), India,
before taking her religious vows in 1937. While serving as principal of
a Roman Catholic high school in Calcutta, she was moved by the presence
of the sick and dying on the city's streets. In 1948 she was granted permission
to leave her post at the convent and begin a ministry among the sick. In
1950 Mother Teresa and her associates were approved within the archdiocese
of Calcutta as the Missionaries of Charity. Later the order was recognized
as a pontifical congregation under the jurisdiction of Rome. Members of
the congregation take four vows on acceptance by the religious community.
In addition to the three basic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience,
a fourth vow is required pledging service to the poor, whom Mother Teresa
described as the embodiment of Christ. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the
Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart) Home for Dying Destitutes in Calcutta. Subsequently
she extended her work worldwide. In recognition of her efforts she was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She was forced to scale down her
activities in 1990 because of declining health. Mother Teresa: In My Own
Words, a collection of her anecdotes and quotations, was published in 1996. |
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