Mother Theresa

Mother Teresa was a Roman Catholic religious sister and missionary, founder of the order of the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic congregation of women dedicated to helping the poor. Mother Teresa stands out as one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20th century for her commitment to aiding the ones most in need.
Born in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 26, 1910, she was baptized as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 27, 1910, a date frequently cited as her birthday. She was the youngest one of three children of parents Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu. Her father was a famous trader and member of the City Council of Skopje as the only Catholic member. Bojaxhiu family house was open to all, especially to the poorest. In 1919 Nikola Bojaxhiu died and then her family suffered a financial difficulties.
Mother Teresa attended a convent-run primary school and then a state-run secondary school. As a girl, Mother Teresa sang in the local Sacred Heart choir and was often asked to sing solos. In 1928, an 18-year-old Agnes Bojaxhiu decided to become a nun and set off for Ireland to join the Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was there that she took the name Sister Mary Teresa after Saint Thérèse of Lisieux.
A year later, Mother Teresa traveled on to Darjeeling, India for the novitiate period; in May 1931, Mother Teresa made her First Profession of Vows. Mother Teresa taught in India for 17 years before she experienced her 1946 “call within a call” to devote herself to caring for the sick and poor. Her order of the Missionaries of Charity, established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged, and disabled; and a leper colony. By the time of her death in 1997, the Missionaries of Charity numbered over 4,000—in addition to thousands more lay volunteers—with 610 foundations in 123 countries on all seven continents.
Mother Teresa received various honors for her tireless and effective charity, more than 700 awards during her life, the first of all was Padma Shri Award which was awarded by the President of India in 1962. After the disastrous earthquake in Skopje on July 1963, she appeals the world for solidarity.
Her work was respected by Pope Paul VI, who in 1971 awarded her with Peace Prize “Pope John XXIII “, she was awarded the now-defunct Soviet Union’s Gold Medal of the Soviet Peace Committee, and in 1979, Mother Teresa won her highest honor when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work “in bringing help to suffering humanity.” 
After several years of deteriorating health in which she suffered from heart, lung and kidney problems, Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997 at the age of 87. In 2003, she was beatified “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta”. A second miracle credited to her intercession is required before she can be recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Mother Teresa visited her home town Skopje several time, first in May 1970, on March 27, 1978
was her second visit to Skopje, causing great media interest , on June 27, 1980 after receiving the Nobel Prize she visited Skopje for the third time, and was declared an honorary citizen of Skopje by the Mayor Methodi Antov. Her last visit to Skopje was on September 19, 1986.

There is a Plaque at the location the family house of Mother Teresa was situated at the Skopje City Square, and her Statue stands in front of The Memorial house of Mother Teresa built in her honor, at the exact place the old Catholic Church “Sacred heart of Jesus” where she was baptized used to stand.

Visit : http://www.memorialhouseofmotherteresa.org/