Mother Teresa’s parents, Nikollë and Drana Bojaxhiu, were Albanians from the city of Prizren in Kosovo, but moved the family to the town of Skopje where Agnesë (the name with which Teresa was christened) was born.
In 1928 she left Skopje to become a nun and, before sailing to India, she changed her name from Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu to Sister Mary Teresa of the Child Jesus. As we all know, she lived most of her life in India, where she passed away quietly on September 5, 1997.
Mother Teresa was often referred to as the “most powerful woman in the world”. Her faith in God and her sincerity in serving Him through the poor showed humanity the beauty of love.
In Kosovo, a tormented country where Catholics are a minority, the celebrations for the centenary will bring a welcome contribution to the peace process. On December 10 of last year, to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the nun’s Nobel Peace Prize, the President of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, proclaimed 2010 the Year of Mother Teresa, thus awarding the Catholic Church a great opportunity in that war-torn region.
“It is our intent to offer a sign of peace, of coexistence, of brotherhood,” said Father Lush Gjergji, vicar general for the diocese, spiritual son of Mother Teresa, and author of various books on the Albanian religious.
For the anniversary of Mother Teresa’s death a cathedral dedicated to her will be inaugurated. The cathedral stands in the centre of Pristina, where the headquarters and prisons of the Serbian police used to stand. “In this way a place laden with suffering will become a place where hope can flourish again,” said Father Lush. “In Mother Teresa’s name we aspire to act as a Church that builds bridges among conflicting communities.”
In Kolkata, where Teresa is buried at the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, the centenary will be remembered with conferences, art exhibitions and various other events, including a film festival showing movies on her.
“There is enthusiasm and joy among the people of Kolkata, who are getting ready to celebrate the centennial birth of Blessed Mother Teresa. The city in which she worked for almost her entire life will host a series of initiatives to remember her and her teachings,” said Eugene Gonsalves, president of the Catholic Association of Bengal.
“We are praying and hoping wholeheartedly that the canonisation of Mother Teresa will be announced during this anniversary,” he added. To this end, from August 26, a novena will be recited in all parishes throughout the diocese.
Albania, however, has forestalled both Kosovo and Kolkata. On June 4 a conference on Mother Teresa was held in Tirana, and it is quite surprising that the event was actually organised by the State through the Ministry of Culture.
“This has never happened before in my country,” said the Albanian poet Anton Nikë Berisha. The poet added that, in his opinion, the conference is a sort of late apology from a State that, during the Communist dictatorship, had always barred its doors to Mother Teresa. The nun, in fact, was never again able to embrace her beloved mother and sister since she had left her country at the age of 18.
We too, at the Messenger of Saint Anthony decided to celebrate the extraordinary figure of Mother Teresa, the diminutive nun who dedicated her whole life to serving the poor and destitute. We therefore decided to donate the Blessed Mother Teresa Rosary to all our readers who will help us sustain the Living Water (Eau Vivante) project in Congo-Brazzaville. We are sure the Albanian nun would have approved our project because it aims to help the poorest of the poor.
Sustain our project, which is reiterated on the back cover of this issue. This is, in fact, one of the best ways of remembering and honouring Blessed Mother Teresa.
Updated on October 06 2016