Date of Birth: August 26, 1910
Place of Birth: Skopje, Macedonia
Died: September 5, 1997
Place of Death: Calcutta, India
Classification: Heroes & Icons
Living her life for the betterment of the conditions of the poor, diseased, and neglected, Mother Teresa has been beatified in the Catholic church for her role in helping millions of people worldwide in over 120 countries. Many look to her for guidance in their own lives and her candor, giving, and peaceful spirit led her to win the rightly deserved Nobel Peace Prize.
In her early ears, the Blessed Teresa, as she is called by those of the Catholic Faith, helped the poverty stricken in Calcutta, India. She alone brought awareness and funding through the Catholic Church that would work to help and comfort the most needy. With the founding of her own organization, called the Missionaries of Charity, which was deemed necessary and appropriate by the Vatican, her organization would expand worldwide, now run by over 3,500 nurses and hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
Upon the formation of the Missionaries of Charity, she opened up an orphanage and an escape for lepers called the City of Peace. By the mid 1960s, she would be the sole overseer of several branches of her organizations across the great sub-continent of India. By the latter 1960s, she wished to spread what had been working so well in India to the rest of the world. First, she thought about what countries needed the most attention. She looked to Asia, then to South America, and expanded into parts of Eastern Europe.
Pope John Paul II has spoken about Mother Teresa in several addresses stating her inspiration, will, and strength at attempting to save the entire world through her prayers and dedication to the church. Mother Teresa was an admirer of a sect known as the Franciscan Order. Saint Francis of Assisi inspired Mother Teresa to live a life dedicated to helping the helpless, to lead a life of poverty, and to dedicate service to the betterment of mankind.
In 1971, she was awarded the Pope John Peace Prize and the Kennedy Prize. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1985, she was awarded the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1994. She passed away at the age of 84 in her home in India and was given a burial ceremony that is usually reserved for the prime minister.
