PresentationofMotherTeresaofCalcutta

1) CatholicnunandmissionaryMotherTeresawasborncircaAugust26,1910inSkopje,thecurrentcapitalof
theRepublicofMacedonia.OnAugust27,1910,adatefrequentlycitedasherbirthday,shewasbaptizedas
AgnesGonxhaBojaxhiu.MotherTeresa'sparents,NikolaandDranaBojaxhiu,wereofAlbaniandescent;her
fatherwasanentrepreneurwhoworkedasaconstructioncontractorandatraderofmedicinesandother
goods.TheBojaxhiuswereadevoutlyCatholicfamily,andNikolaBojaxhiuwasdeeplyinvolvedinthelocal
churchaswellasincitypoliticsasavocalproponentofAlbanianindependence.
1childhood
In1919,whenMotherTeresawasonly8yearsold,herfathersuddenlyfellillanddied.Whilethecauseofhisdeath
remainsunknown,manyhavespeculatedthatpoliticalenemiespoisonedhim.Intheaftermathofherfather'sdeath,
MotherTeresabecameextraordinarilyclosetohermother,apiousandcompassionatewomanwhoinstilledinher
daughteradeepcommitmenttocharity.
2) The example of his Mother
Althoughbynomeanswealthy,DranaBojaxhiuextendedanopeninvitationtothecity'sdestitutetodinewithher
family."Mychild,nevereatasinglemouthfulunlessyouaresharingitwithothers,"shecounseledherdaughter.
WhenMotherTeresaaskedwhothepeopleeatingwiththemwere,hermotheruniformlyresponded,"Someofthem
areourrelations,butallofthemareourpeople."
3 Declining health and death
MotherTeresasufferedaheartattackinRomein1983,whilevisitingPopeJohnPaulII.Afterasecond
attackin1989,shereceivedanartificialpacemaker.In1991.
TheMarch13,1997resignedasheadoftheMissionariesofCharitybecauseoftheirillnessanddisease.
SisterMaryNirmalaJoshiwasselectedtotakehisplace,butrefusedtotakethetitleofMother:"Noone
LUISBONILLAPgina1





































PresentationofMotherTeresaofCalcutta
canreplaceMotherTeresa"
TeresadiedonSeptember5,1997atage87,causeofcardiacarrestaftersunrisewithseverebackpain
andbreathingproblems.
SHEwasrestinginSt.Thomas(Calcutta)aweekbeforehisdeathinSeptember1997.TheIndian
governmentawardedhimastatefuneral,andaspartofthis,hiscoffinwastakenbymuchofthecityinthe
samecarriageinwhichwerecarriedtheremainsofMahatmaGandhiandJawaharlalNehru.Her
deathwasmournedinbothsecularandreligiouscommunities.Intribute,NawazSharif,thePrimeMinisterof
Pakistansaidthatshewas"arareanduniqueindividualwholivedlongforhigherpurposes.Herlifelongdevotion
tothecareofthepoor,thesick,andthedisadvantagedwasoneofthehighestexamplesofservicetoour
humanity."
[60]
TheformerU.N.SecretaryGeneralJavierPrezdeCullarsaid:"SheistheUnitedNations.Sheis
peaceintheworld."
[60]
LUISBONILLAPgina2