Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Background

Originally named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, Mother Teresa was born on August 27, 1910 in Skopje (present day Macedonia). Agnes's family were Albanian Catholic and they belong to the Albanian community. Her father, Kole was a businessman who owned a building company and food shop. He travelled widely, was a multi-lainualist and participated greatly in politics. Agnes's father taught her first lessons of charity. Totally unexpected, her father died when she was nine. Her mother had to raise Agnes and her two siblings. To foresee in their needs, she sew dresses, made embroidery and worked hard. In spite of all this, she made time for the education of her children. they prayed every evening, went to church everyday in May and assisted the service for the Holy Virgin. A great and warm attention went also to the poor and needy who came knock on the door.

Agnes liked to be in church, read, pray and sing, She washed alcoholistic women in the neighbourhood and fed them twice a day and took care of a widow and her children. Agnes studied well , was once a soprano in choir and played the mandolin.