143. Mother Teresa


Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910. On August 27, 1910, she was christened Agnes-Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was the last of three children. She had an elder sister, Aga and an elder brother, Lazar. Her sister and her were actively involved in church activities. They were both a part of the choir and were affectionately known as the 'nightingales' of the church. Her brother received a scholarship to study in Austria and he therefore left home at an early age to study in Austria.


Mother Teresa's parents, Nikola and Dranafile were Albanian and were originally from city of Prizren, which was then a part of Yugoslavia. Her father, Nikhola, moved the family to the town of Skopje, Serbia where he became a merchant and an entrepreneur. Her mother, Dranafile, was a housewife. Both the parents made religion and prayer an important part of their family life. They also encouraged a non-materialistic and generous life style. Her mother occupied herself with taking care of elderly people, alcoholic mothers and orphans. As a child, Mother Teresa often accompanied her mother on these trips.


At about the age of twelve, Mother Teresa realized that she wanted to live her life with the poor and God. She discussed this with a Father she assisted in church and asked him how she could be sure about it. He replied that if the thought of it makes her happy, then it is it. And he added: "the deep inner joy that you feel is the compass that indicates your direction in life". At 18, she decided to be a nun. When she discussed this with her mother, her mother spent a whole day alone in a room and when she came out, she held her daughter's hand in hers and told her: "Put Your hand in His and walk all the way with Him."


She left Skopje on September 26, 1928 to become a nun. Many of her friends, relatives and neighbors accompanied her to the station and that was the last time she saw her mother. Other girls who were on the same mission joined her along her journey. Agnes and her colleague landed at Rathfarnham, Dublin and they went to the house of the Loreto Sisters.