Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu her parents were ethnic Albanians, she was born in Skopje, Macedonia which at the time was part of the Ottoman Empire. Some sources give her date of birth as August 26th 1910, though it is believed to be August 27th 1910. She changed her name to Teresa, in honour of a Spanish saint.
In 1928 aged 18 Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu decided to become a nun and joined a convent in Ireland known as the Sisters of Our Lady of Lareto a Catholic order that did charity work in India. She then went to teach in a school they ran in Calcutta, India, where she eventually became head teacher.
In 1946 she caught TB and went by train to be treated. On the train she heard God calling her to work with the poorest people in India. When she was well she left the school and did a medical training course. She then went into the slums in Calcutta to start a new school for children. They called her "Mother Teresa".
Mother Teresa grew famous for humbly ministering to lepers, the homeless and the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. In 1950 she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a new order devoted to helping the sick and poor; the order grew to include branches in more than 100 cities around the world, and Mother Teresa became a worldwide symbol of charity, meeting with Princess Diana and many other public figures. In 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, and in 1985 she was awarded the Medal of Freedom from the United States.
Mother Teresa gave everything she had to help the poor. All the money she had was given to her work. Even when she was given a car she sold it and used the money to set up a home for lepers. Even though she suffered a serious heart attack in 1990, she carried on working. In September 1997, at 87 years old, she died.
She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 19 October 2003, placing her one step from sainthood in the Catholic faith; after beatification she became known as the Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata.
Mother Teresa lived her life showing Gods love to other people.
