Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu

Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997), known to the world as Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun who became one of the most recognized humanitarian figures of the 20th century. Born in Skopje (now North Macedonia) to a merchant family, she felt called to religious life and joined the Sisters of Loreto at age eighteen. In 1946, while teaching at a convent school in Calcutta, she experienced what she described as a divine calling to serve the poorest of the poor. She subsequently founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, an organization dedicated to serving those suffering from extreme poverty, disease, and neglect in India and eventually worldwide. Her tireless work with the destitute, sick, and dying earned her international acclaim and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Though her legacy remains celebrated for compassion and dedication, it has also faced scholarly scrutiny regarding her medical practices and attitudes toward suffering. Nevertheless, her influence on global charitable work and the recognition of human dignity among society's most marginalized remains profound and enduring.