She is known around the world as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. To Albanians she is Nënë Tereza, Mother Teresa, and her story starts in the Balkans.
Early life in Skopje
Anjezë (Agnes) Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, then part of the Ottoman Empire and today the capital of North Macedonia, into a family of Albanian descent. She was baptised the next day in the city’s Sacred Heart church.
Ireland and India
At 18, in 1928, she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto, trained in Dublin and took her first vows in India in 1931. She taught in Calcutta (Kolkata) until 1948 and later became an Indian citizen.
The Missionaries of Charity
On 7 October 1950 the Missionaries of Charity were founded in Calcutta to care for the poorest of the poor. The congregation grew to serve people around the world.
Recognition
- 1979: Nobel Peace Prize, “for her work for bringing help to suffering humanity”.
- 5 September 1997: she died in Calcutta. The date is now her feast day.
- 19 October 2003: beatified by Pope John Paul II.
- 4 September 2016: canonized by Pope Francis as Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
How she is remembered
Albania honours her with a public holiday on 5 September, and Tirana’s international airport carries her name: Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza. In Skopje, the Memorial House of Mother Teresa opened in 2009 on the site of the church where she was baptised.
Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia all hold her close, and her work also drew criticism from some doctors and former volunteers about care in her homes, which her supporters reject. She is one of several famous people with Albanian roots. What nobody disputes is where she started: a girl from an Albanian family in Skopje who spent her life serving others.
Sources: Nobel Prize: Mother Teresa biography · Britannica: Mother Teresa · Missionaries of Charity: Our history · Vatican: Beatification homily, 2003 · Wikipedia: Memorial House of Mother Teresa · Bank of Albania: 2026 holiday schedule