Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

 Mother Teresa, also known as Saint Teresa 

of Calcutta, was a Catholic nun and missionary who devoted her life to helping the poor and the sick. She was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, which is now part of North Macedonia, and was named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Her parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, were ethnic Albanians who belonged to the Catholic Church.

Agnes was the youngest of three siblings and grew up in a devout Catholic household. Her father died when she was only eight years old, and her mother had to take care of the family by sewing and embroidery. Agnes was an intelligent and sensitive child, who showed an early interest in the Catholic faith and in helping the poor.

At the age of 18, Agnes joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns, and was sent to India to teach at a school in Calcutta. She took her vows as a nun in 1931 and was given the name Sister Mary Teresa. She taught at the school for 17 years and was known for her compassion and dedication to her students.

In 1946, while traveling to Darjeeling for a retreat, Sister Teresa received what she described as a "call within a call." She felt a strong desire to serve the poorest of the poor and to live among them. She began to wear a white sari with a blue border, which became her trademark, and left the convent to start a new order, the Missionaries of Charity.

The Missionaries of Charity began as a small group of women who went out into the slums of Calcutta to care for the sick and the dying. They lived among the people they served and took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Sister Teresa herself took on the role of a "mother" to the poor, comforting them in their suffering and providing them with food, clothing, and medical care.

The work of the Missionaries of Charity soon spread beyond Calcutta and into other parts of India and the world. By the 1990s, the order had over 4,000 sisters in 123 countries, running hospices, orphanages, and clinics for the poor and the sick.

Mother Teresa's work was not without controversy. Some criticized her for her opposition to contraception and abortion, which she saw as contrary to the Catholic faith. Others accused her of exploiting the poor and of being more interested in converting people to Catholicism than in providing them with practical help.

Despite these criticisms, Mother Teresa was widely recognized for her humanitarian work. She received numerous honors and awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She used the platform that her fame provided to advocate for the poor and the marginalized and to raise awareness about the suffering caused by poverty, disease, and war.

Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. Her funeral was attended by thousands of people, including dignitaries from around the world. In 2003, she was beatified by the Catholic Church, which is a step towards sainthood. In 2015, Pope Francis declared her a saint, recognizing her as a model of Christian charity and a source of inspiration for all who seek to serve others.

In conclusion, 

Mother Teresa was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to helping the poor and the sick. She lived a life of simplicity and self-sacrifice, and her work inspired many others to follow in her footsteps. Her legacy lives on through the Missionaries of Charity, which continue to serve the poorest of the poor in countries around the world.