Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojarhiu, is revered for her lifelong dedication to the poor, most notably the destitute masses in India.
In 1928, at the age of 18, she went to Ireland to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary and shortly thereafter traveled to India to work with the poor of Calcutta. After studying nursing, she moved into the slums of the city where she founded the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa was summoned to Rome in 1968 to find a home for the needy, and three years later she was awarded the first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize.By the late 1970's, the Missionaries of Charity numbered more than 1,000 nuns who operated 60 centers in Calcutta and more than 200 centers worldwide. Her selfless commitment to helping the poor saved the lives of nearly 8,000 people in Calcutta alone. Mother Teresa's compassion and devotion to the destitute earned her the Nobel Peace Price in 1979.
