In 1979 Mother Teresa received the Nobel peace prize.

Mother Teresa was born on the 26th of August 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia and was baptised, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, the following day. Her Father died when she was just eight years old and young Agnes became even closer to her mother, a very compassionate and charitable person, and they would often share the little food they had with the poor and destitute.

Agnes joined a roman-catholic school and by age 12 believed she had her first calling from god. After finishing school at age 18 Agnes became a nun and moved to Ireland, joining the Loreto Sisters of Dublin convent. Aged 21 she was sent to Calcutta in India to teach at a girl’s school and there she remained for 17 years.

On the 10^th of September 1946 was on a train near the Himalayas when she saw a vision of Jesus telling her she needed to help the poor, the sick and the dying. She sent several requests to her convent explaining that she had received a new calling and needed to pursue it and after a year she was given permission from the Archbishop.

The ‘Nirmal Hriday’ or ‘Sacred Heart’ refuge was set up by Mother Teresa in the 1950’s and has help many sufferers of cancer, malnutrition and tuberculosis.

  Mother Teresa’s good works was noticed by the world and this aided her cause. On the 17^th of October 1979 she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her great work and 3^rd of February 1986 Pope John Paul II visited Mother Teresa at her refuge for the sick and dying in Calcutta ( Mother Teresa said that the popes touch was “the touch of God”).

In1 989 after her second heart attack, her first was in1983 on a visit to the Pope, she was given a pacemaker. She continued to suffer with heart problems and in 1996 she suffered from malaria causing her left ventricle to fail. She survived heart surgery but due her health deteriorating she was forced to step down as head of the Mission on the 13^th of March 1997. Mother Teresa died on the 5^th of September 1997    

Her ‘Missionaries of Charity’ order also started in the 1950’s helps thousands of people in 133 countries through their network of 610 schools, hospices and homes for the poor. Mother Teresa received much recognition from around the world and in her memory, starting in 2013, the 5^th of September is designated International Day of Charity by the United Nations General Assembly.