Mother Teresa

Roman Catholic nun Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, in Macedonia, in 1910. She and her family were of Albanian descent, at the age of 12 Mother Teresa knew that she would dedicate the rest of her life to God. When Bojaxhiu turnes 18, she left home with aspirations to be a Missionary and she joined the Sisters of Love nuns and went on to India to spread the word and to dedicate the rest of her life to working for God.http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html

Her work continued and Mother Teresa won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work in Calcutta, India. On May 24, 1931, she took her religious vows and selected the name "Teresa" in honor of Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. Though she had traveled to Calcutta, India to teach children English, she was increasingly focused on the famine and poverty in the area. In 1948, she left the convent to tend to the sick and starving.http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html

She started in the "Missionaries of Charity" with Vatican approval in October 7, 1950, with the aim of aiding those who had otherwise been left behind by society. Today, the group includes more than 4,000 nuns.http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html

Young Agnes Bojaxhiu was committed to her faith from a very early age, and had been captivated by stories of missionaries throughout her teen years. She left home at age 18 to become a missionary herself, traveling to Ireland first to learn English, and never saw her family again.http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html

• Timeline: Mother Teresa Biographical Timeline Facts about Mother Teresa

• August 27, 1910: Born in Skopje, Ottoman Empire, now the Republic Of Macedonia

• 1931: Takes her first vows and takes name Sister Teresa

• 1947: Sets up her first school in Calcutta's slums

• 1950: Starts the diocesan congregation (Missionaries of Charity)

• 1952: Opens "Pure Heart," a home for the dying

• 1979: Wins Nobel Peace Prize

• 1982: Rescues 37 retarded children from a hospital in besieged Beirut

• 1985: Awarded Medal of Freedom

• 1996: Receives Honorary U.S. citizenship

• 1997: Steps down as head of her order

• September 5, 1997: Died at the age of 87 in Kolkata, India

After a series of heart attacks in the 1980s, Mother Teresa suffered through chronic health problems until her death on September 5, 1997. She was given a state funeral by the Indian government.

In 2002, her healing of an Indian woman's tumor was officially recognized as a miracle. On October 19, 2003, the Vatican officially started the process of beatification for Mother Teresa, though a second miracle will need to be demonstrated in order for her to be fully canonized as a saint.

Some have been critical of Mother Teresa and her legacy. Writer Christopher Hitchens appeared in the Vatican as a witness against her canonization, arguing that her goal was to convert people rather than alleviate their suffering. Indian critic Aroup Chatterjee takes issue with her role in Indian politics and blames Mother Teresa for promoting a negative view of the city of Calcutta.

On May 24, 1931, she took her religious vows and selected the name "Teresa" in honor of Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. Though she had traveled to Calcutta, India to teach children English, she was increasingly focused on the famine and poverty in the area. In 1948, she left the convent to tend to the sick and starving. She started in the "Missionaries of Charity" with Vatican approval in October 7, 1950, with the aim of aiding those who had otherwise been left behind by society. Today, the group includes more than 4,000 nuns.http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1979/teresa-bio.html