Mother Teresa

I believe that a hero is a person who dedicates his or her life to others, who inspires people to follow his example to make a better world, who is a humble person who shows respect for others, and is someone who has make an impact on peoples' lives.

My hero is a living saint, that dedicated every day of her life to help the hungry, the homeless, the blind; the poorest of the poor. A woman who gave them shelter, food and made them feel loved and cared for.

Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje , Macedonia. The youngest child born to Nikola and Drana Bojaxhiu, she was baptised Gonxha Anges. She received her first communion at the age of five and a half and was confirmed in November 1916. When her father died, her mother raised her children with lots of dedication and a strong vocation.

At the age of eighteen, moved by a desire to become a missionary, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. In December she departed for India, arriving in Calcutta on the 6th of January, 1929. After her first profession of vows in May 1931 she became a teacher at St. Mary’s school for girls. On May 24, 1937, Sister Teresa made her final profession of vows, becoming the “spouse of Jesus” for “all the eternity.” From that time she was called Mother Teresa. She dedicated 20 years in Loreto filled with happiness and joy.

In September of 1946 during a trip from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, Mother Teresa received her “inspiration." On that day, Jesus became the driving force of her life. During the next months, through visions, Jesus revealed to her his pain, his sorrow, his longing for love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service to the poorest of the poor. On August 17, 1948, she left the doors of the Loreto convent behind to enter the world of the poor.

For the first time, on December 21, 1948, she went to the slums to visit and nurse the families. On October 7, 1950, the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. Ten years later, Mother Teresa began to send her sisters to other parts of India. In February of 1965 she opened a house in Venezuela that soon was followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania.

She was awarded with The Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979; the world became interested and honoured her work. She opened houses in almost all communist countries, including the Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba. In 1981 Mother Teresa began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests as a “little way of holiness.” By 1997, Mother Teresa’s Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world.

On September 5th, 1997, Mother Teresa’s earthly life came to an end. Less than two years after, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonization. On the 20th of December, 2002, he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles.

Mother Teresa was a symbol of compassion to the world that inspires people to love, to care for others, to learn the value of little things done faithfully and with love, and to be touched by the spirit of prayer and the humble works of love.

She has made an impact in my life because in the midst of this world full of war she is a little ray of light, a signal of hope, and if people follow her example we can make a great difference.

From her I’ve learned that we have to be humble, to be patient, to treat others as you would like to be treated, to care for others and to love every human being.

I try to follow her example by being humble and optimistic because she has taught me that when you want something you have to fight for it, as she did, with faith; and we have to work together for others to have a better life.