Pinks Mag 003

MOTHER TERESA
Mother T?r??? ?? th? most f?m?u? and ?t
th? ??m? t?m?? most ??ntr?v?r???l
C?th?l?? nun ?f th? tw?nt??th ??ntur?.
Agn?? G?nxh? B?j?xh?u (her real name)
was b?rn on 27 Augu?t 1910 ?n Sk??j? or
Sk??j?, a ??t? in S.E. Yugoslavia, (wh??h
w?? ??rt ?f the Turk??h Em??r? at th?
t?m?) to ?n Alb?n??n mother ?nd f?th?r,
Nikola, ?f unkn?wn background, g?v?ng
r??? t? a debate wh??h Agn???, ?v?n ??
M?th?r T?r??? n?v?r bothered to resolve
in h?r l?f?t?m?. B?th h?r parents were
b?rn ?n Sk??j? w?? ?ll th?t P?n?
Markovska, a r?l?t?v? ?f Agn??, w?uld say
?b?ut th? ?ng??ng d???ut? ?v?r wh?th?r
she was a M???d?n??n ?r Alb?n??n. But t?
the m?ll??n? ?f her ?dm?r?r? ?t m?tt?r?
l?ttl? as t? which nationality ?h? b?l?ng?d
t?. A?tu?ll?, M???d?n?? ?nd neighboring
Alb?n?? d?d n?t even exist wh?n Agn??
w?? born. H?w?v?r, at ?r???nt, Sk??j? is
th? ????t?l ?f M???d?n??. She h?d ?n
elder br?th?r ?nd a sister whom she w??
?tt??h?d t? ?n childhood, besides her
m?th?r. Wh?n Agnes was ??v?n years old
(1917), h?r f?th?r N?k?l? died, l??v?ng the
f?m?l? ?n dire financial ?tr??t?. Agnes w??
l??k?d ?ft?r b? th? ??r??h ?f th? Sacred
H??rt, a d?n?m?n?t??n ?f the Catholic
Church. She w?? so ?nflu?n??d b? the
religious atmosphere ?f the P?r??h that at
an early ?g? ?f tw?lv? she d???d?d that
?h? w?nt?d t? b? a nun. At the ?g? ?f
fourteen, she h??rd about the Irish Order
?f th? S??t?r? ?f L?r?t?. She w?nt t?
Ir?l?nd in 1928 t? j??n th? In?t?tut? ?f th?
Bl????d V?rg?n M?r? but ???n ?ft?r
d???d?d to ??m? to Ind?? t? j??n th?
S??t?r? of L?r?t?. Wh?t inspired h?r t?
??m? to Ind?? ?? n?t recorded but she
must h?v? learnt that th? S??t?r? of L?r?t?
w?r? w?rk?ng ?n Ind??. Sh? reached India
?n 61anuary 1929. Sh? w?? ??ght??n ?t
th? time, a short (f?ur f??t t?n inches tall)
frail little g?rl. Aft?r h?r ?rr?v?l ?h? was
??nt to Darjeeling t? t???h ?n the Loreto
Convent. B?f?r? ??m?ng t? Ind?? she had
learnt English; ?nd had ???u?r?d a
smattering of Bengali. Sh? ?t?rt?d w?th
teaching h??t?r? and g??gr??h? to jun??r
?tud?nt?. On 24 M?? 1931, she t??k h?r
vows as a nun ?nd ?h?ng?d h?r n?m? t?
Teresa, b?rr?w?ng th? name fr?m a
Fr?n?h nun, Th?r??? Martin. T? ?v??d
??nfu???n, ?h? ?h?ng?d th? ???ll?ng t? ?t?
S??n??h v?r???n 'T?r???'. On her return t?
C?l?utt?, ?h? ?t?rt?d her m?????n of mercy
in the Moti Jheel ?r??. S??t?r Teresa w??
soon t? b???m? a m?th?r t? th? masses.
Sh? ?t?rt?d w?th ???n?ng in a ?m?ll h?u??,
th? 'Nirmal H?rd??' (? h?m? ?f th? k?nd
h??rt.) This w?? the home for th? d??ng
th?t had nobody t? look ?ft?r them. In
1952, th? h?m? w?? ?h?ft?d t? K?l?gh?t.
Mother Teresa ?t?rt?d collecting fund? f?r
?r??t?ng n?w modes ?f ??rv??? t? th? ???r
and th? d?wntr?dd?n. Soon after a ?h?d
was ?t?rt?d in Dh?b? Where children
suffering fr?m w?r? h?u??d ?nd l??k?d
?ft?r. It w?? f?ll?w?d b? h?m?? for lepers
?n B?lg??h?? ?nd T?t?g?rh, all l???t?d ?n
C?l?utt? ?nd its ?uburb?. A Mobile
L??r??? Cl?n?? w?? ?l?? ?t?rt?d t? help
th??? ?ffl??t?d w?th leprosy in f?r flung
?r??? ?n H?wr?h, T?l?j?l? ?nd ?th?r ?r???.
It mu?t b? r?m?mb?r?d that l??r??? h??
been a special concern for Chr??t??n
missionaries wh? ?r? ?n???r?d from J??u?
Chr??t h?m??lf who ?ur?d l???r? with h??
'm?r??ul?u? ??w?r?'.
In 1955, M?th?r T?r??? opened 'Sh??hu
Bhawan', a h?m? for ?r?h?n? ?nd
abandoned ?h?ldr?n. The ?ld?r ?h?ldr?n
w?r? sent to one ?f the schools run b? th?
M?????n?r??? ?f Charity and th? ??ung?r
?n?? w?r? kept in the 'Sh??hu Bh?w?n'.
The children w?r? given food ?nd ?l?th??.
M?n? of th?m w?r? g?v?n to f?r??gn
??u?l?? for adoption. In 1963, ?h?
founded th? Missionary Br?th?r? of
Charity to h?l? th? Sisters ?f Ch?r?t? ?n
th??r work. Sh? was media fr??ndl? and
?n??ur?g?d correspondents and
journalists to v???t h?r. Sh? ??uld expand
her charitable w?rk w?th ?m?z?ng speed
and ?n m?n?
??untr???. H?r d?m?nut?v? figure ?nd h?r
wr?nkl?d face b???m? one of th? m??t
familiar faces ?f th? tw?nt??th ??ntur?.
Th? T?m? magazine in Augu?t 1983 ??rr??d
a ?r?f?l? ?f M?th?r T?r??? ?nd also ??m?
statistics: 2000 Sisters and 400 Br?th?r?
w?rk?ng ?n 257 b???? in at least 152
countries; 70 H?m?? l??k?ng ?ft?r 4000
?h?ldr?n and ?rr?ng?ng at l???t a 1000
?d??t??n? every ???r; 154 ?lum schools
f??d?ng 50,000 children; 81 H?m?? ??r?ng
for 13,000 d??ng d??t?tut?. It is claimed
that th??? ?t?t??t??? ?r? now dr??t???ll?
?utd?t?d, ?nd th?t th?r? ?r? ?t l???t 4000
S??t?r? W?rk?ng ?n some 561 missions
??r??d out in 180 ??untr??? of the W?rld.
In the 19705, M?th?r T?r??? ?dd?d AIDS
??t??nt? to her m?????n ?f ?h?r?t? ?nd
care. In 1986, ?h? opened the 'C?t? ?f
Peace' ?n Washington, D.C. t? l??k after
and help AIDS patients. In f??t ?h? opened
several ??ntr?? ?n the ??-??ll?d developed
countries ?n Eur??? ?nd North America
b???d?? th??? ?n ??untr??? in Asia, Afr???