Biography
Overview
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire, now North Macedonia. Her father was a successful merchant who died when she was eight, possibly poisoned for his Albanian nationalist activities. Her mother, Dranafile, raised the children in devout Catholic faith and practical charity, feeding the poor was as routine as feeding the family.
At eighteen, Anjezë joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish order with missions in India. She took the name Teresa, after Thérèse of Lisieux, the 'Little Flower' who taught that small acts done with great love are as valuable as grand ones. She was sent to Calcutta, where she taught geography at a school for wealthy Bengali girls for nearly twenty years. She was happy.
Mother Teresa’s world, year by year
19101997
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Dated facts
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- 1910Mother Teresa was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire.
- 1928In 1928, aged 18, she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto at Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland.
- 1929She arrived in India in 1929 and took her solemn vows on 14 May 1937 while teaching at the Loreto convent school in Entally, Calcutta.
- 1946On 10 September 1946, travelling by train to Darjeeling, she experienced what she called "the call within the call".
- 1950On 7 October 1950 she received Vatican permission for the congregation that became the Missionaries of Charity.
- 1962She received the Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
- 1997She resigned as head of the Missionaries of Charity on 13 March 1997 and died on 5 September 1997.
Alive at the same time
Overlap Same years; not influence
Wars during this life
- World War I
- World War II
- Guatemalan Civil War
- Eritrean War of Independence
- Indo-Pakistani Wars
- South African Border War
Sources
Primary works and follow-on reading.
Primary Sources
- Come Be My Light (letters)
- Missionaries of Charity constitutions
- Speeches and interviews
- Reference profile for Mother Teresa
Further Reading
- Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - Brian Kolodiejchuk (ed.)
- A Simple Path - Mother Teresa
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Mother Teresa.
Who was Mother Teresa?
Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire, now North Macedonia. Her father was a successful merchant who died when she was eight, possibly poisoned for his Albanian nationalist activities. Her mother, Dranafile, raised the children in devout Catholic faith and practical charity, feeding the poor was as routine as feeding the family. At eighteen, Anjezë joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish order with missions in India. She took the name Teresa, after Thérèse of Lisieux, the 'Little Flower' who taught that small acts done with great love are as valuable as grand ones. She was sent to Calcutta, where she taught geography at a school for wealthy Bengali girls for nearly twenty years. She was happy.
What was Mother Teresa best known for?
Mother Teresa is best known as a religious leader. Catholic nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity and served the poorest in Kolkata and beyond.
When did Mother Teresa live?
Mother Teresa lived 1910-1997 CE, born in 1910 and died in 1997, during the contemporary period.
Can I chat with an AI version of Mother Teresa?
Yes, free. Anyone can ask Mother Teresa, and a first question needs no account. Every answer is a Simulation in character, grounded in Mother Teresa’s real life, work and era. A good first question is: "How do I help someone when I have almost nothing to give them?"
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What Mother Teresa is best at.
- Compassion in Practice: Sustaining humane service under constraints
- Mission Design: Simple structures that endure
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“Mother Teresa.” HistorIQly. https://historiqly.com/ai-historical-figures/mother-teresa/
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