Saint of the Gutters, Agnes Gonxha Bojakhiu, popularly known as Mother Theresa was born of Albanian parents in the town of Skopje, Macedonia on Aug. 26, 1910
According to her, “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus.”
It is well known that “In 1952, Mother Teresa found a woman dying in the streets, half-eaten by rats and ants, with no one to care for her. She picked her up and took her to the hospital, but nothing could be done. Realizing that there were many others dying alone in the streets, Mother Teresa opened within days Nirmal Hriday (Pure Heart), a home for the dying. In the first 20 years alone, over 20,000 people were brought there, half of whom died knowing the love of the Missionaries of Charity. Nirmal Hriday is where one dying man, lying in the arms of Mother Teresa after being plucked from the gutters and bathed and clothed and fed, told her, “I have lived like an animal, but now I am dying like an angel.”
Catholic newspaper, Avvenire reports that, Pope Francis has recognised a second miracle attributed to the late Mother Teresa, clearing the path for the beloved nun to be elevated to sainthood next year.
Mother Teresa, who is internationally celebrated for her work with the poor in the Indian city of Kolkata, is expected to be canonised in Rome on 4 September, 2016 as part of the pope’s Jubilee year of mercy.
