MOTHER TERESA

The birth of Agnes was not an extraordinary event. but her death was. The world mourned her passing.

Mother Teresa, or St. Teresa of Calcutta, was born Anjezë (Agnes) Bojaxhiu, in northern Macedonia, thousands of kilometers away from the city she later came to love and be associated with. Her journey-out of her small European village and to the ailing world as a young Catholic nun-was paved with struggles, both internal and external.

She is known as one of the greatest humanitarians in recent history. By the time of her death in 1997, she had captured hearts of millions. Not everyone agreed she was worthy praise, though. Criticisms of her work and motivations continued throughout her life and after her death. However neither her critics nor her supporters knew that she had experienced a spiritual struggle for decades.

Regardless of criticism, wherever she went, she offered fervent prayers for peace and encouraged joy amidst suffering. Read all about the revered saint's trials and tribulations in these pages.

LAURA K. MURRAY is the author of more than 80 published or forthcoming educational books. Her creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry have appeared in The Talking Stick, River Valley Woman, Vita.mn and elsewhere. She lives in Minnesota.