Mother Teresa was a sister famous for helping poor people all over the world.
Quick Info
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu |
| Date of Birth | 26 August 1910 |
| Place of Birth | Skopje (then Ottoman Empire) |
| Date of Death | 5 September 1997 |
| Place of Death | Kolkata, India |
| Nationality | Albanian by birth, later Indian citizen |
| Religious Order | Founded Missionaries of Charity |
| Major Work | Caring for the poor, sick, dying, homeless |
| Honors | Nobel Peace Prize, Bharat Ratna, many others |
| Style of Life | Simple, lived in poverty, devoted fully to service |
Biography
Mother Teresa was born as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu on 26 August 1910 in Skopje. Her childhood was humble and religious. When she was young, her father died, which brought hardship to her family. At age 18, she left home and went to Ireland to join a religious order. After that, she moved to India and lived in Kolkata (then called Calcutta). Over time, she became an Indian citizen and spent most of her life in India, working for people in need.
Career
She began working as a teacher in a convent school in Kolkata under the Sisters of Loreto. After many years of teaching, she felt a deeper calling to leave the convent walls and live among the poorest. She trained in basic medical care, then started to serve people living in slums, the homeless, the sick, the dying, and orphans. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity. Under her leadership, this order grew to many countries, running homes for dying people, shelters, orphanages, leprosy clinics, AIDS care centers, free kitchens, and schools for the poor. She travelled to troubled zones, disaster areas, and places suffering war, famine, or disease, to bring care and comfort. She won many awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, for her humanitarian work.
Personal Life
Mother Teresa lived a life of great simplicity. She wore plain white clothes with a blue border, slept on a simple bed, and owned almost nothing. She made vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity, and added a special vow to serve “the poorest of the poor.” Though she seemed full of faith, she faced long periods of spiritual challenge and inner darkness, where she felt distant from God. Her health was weak in later years—she suffered heart problems, malaria, and other illnesses. She stepped down from leading her order before her death. She died on 5 September 1997 in Kolkata.
Net Worth
Mother Teresa did not keep wealth for herself. She never lived in luxury. Most of the money she handled was for her charity work. Some reports say that the funds connected with her name or order at the time of her death were large—over 100 million US dollars in charity accounts—but these funds were meant for her organization, not for personal use. Others argue that she had no personal assets at all, and that all donations were used (or intended to be used) for the work of the Missionaries of Charity.
