Lesson 4: The beginning

It was Autumn. August 26, 1910. A little girl was born to an Albanian descent, rich
Catholic merchant’s family in a small town called Skopje, Macedonia. She was the
youngest of the three siblings and was named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. Who had
known that this tiny, little girl would one day become the servant of humanity-- love
and serve the poorest of the poor and become the mother of humanity. Yes, we are
talking about none other than Mother Teresa.
At the age of 12, she heard a voice from within her that urged her to spread the love
of Christ. She decided that she would be a missionary. At the age of 18 she left her
parental home. She then joined an Irish community of nuns called the Sisters of
Loreto, which had missions in India.
After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin,
Mother Teresa came to India. On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun.
From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography and catechism (religious
instruction) at St. Mary's High School in Kolkata (then Calcutta). However, the
prevailing poverty in Kolkata had a deep impact on Mother Teresa's mind, and in
Listenin text.
1948 she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent and devote
herself to work among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Kolkata.