Mother Theresa

Mother Teresa, also known as “Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta” is one of the most impressive characters of the 19th century. She cared about countless helpless people including the poor and sick. But she was also somewhat controversial in the eyes of many. Not only did she have to face criticism from the people in her new home country but also from the people to whom she devoted her life. She was born in 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. At the age of 18, she joined the “Sisters of Loreto” as a missionary. After one year, she went to India to begin her novitiate. About 20 years later she began her missionary work in the slums of Calcutta, India. Since at the time she didn’t have any income and even had to beg for food, Teresa started to doubt her personal strength in being able to pursue this kind of work. She felt left alone and tempted to return to a life with comfort and convenience. However, her passion and belief in being able to “change to world” to a better gave her strength to stay. The views of Indian people on Mother Teresa were not always favorable. While she was being loved by many, she was highly criticized by others. One of the main points of criticism was that she often opposed the Hindu Right, led a public campaign against abortion and claimed her actions are non-political while they were. On the other hand, she became a celebrity in the rest of the world and was awarded with several prizes honoring her mission. In her later years, she was also criticized by the Western media for refusing to give painkillers to suffering patients, for reusing hypodermic needles, for providing poor living conditions for the ill or her discouragement of her helpers from seeking medical training. Nevertheless, Mother Teresa was not a person to give up. Despite all the criticism she was confronted with and her personal health

problems, she never lost her ambition to help the impoverished. She found her strength in her belief in God and gained faith with prayer and