Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, in St. Peter’s Square by Pope Saint John Paul II. This year marks the 20th anniversary of her beatification.  

Mother Teresa, née Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born in North Macedonia on August 26, 1910. As a nun, she chose the name Teresa to honor Saints Therese of Lisieux and Teresa of Avila. She joined the Sisters of Loreto at the age of 17 and began teaching in the congregation’s schools in Kolkata. She taught in those schools for more than two decades. During that time, she felt God’s call to serve in a different way. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity. A religious congregation focused on serving the poor, the dying, and the unwanted in society.  

The saint was also a vocal defender of the unborn and rallied against nuclear weapons. In a speech in Japan, she said, “The presence of nuclear weapons in the world has created fear and distrust among nations as it is one more weapon to destroy human lives, God’s beautiful presence in the world. Just as abortion is used to kill the unborn child, this new weapon will become a means to eliminate the poor of the world.”   

For her work, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. Mother Teresa was also a dear friend of Pope Saint John Paul II.   

She died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. She was beatified only six years after her death. Then, on September 4, 2016, she was canonized by Pope Francis and declared a saint. 

In that same speech in Japan, the saint expressed a prayer of love, saying, “My prayer for you is that you grow in the love of God and you grow in holiness, goodness by this love for one another. To make your family a home of love, peace, of joy. That you make your neighborhood a place of love, of peace, and joy. This is my prayer for you.”  
 

(Adapted by Jacob Stein)