- Mother Teresa
In 1938, 18-year-old Agnes Bojxhiu left her home in Macedonia to enter the Sisters of Loretto teaching order. As she was leaving, her mother told her, "You go, put your hand in Jesus' hand, and walk along with him."
Agnes took the name Sr. Teresa. The young novice was sent to India and worked as a teacher. In 1946, Indian Muslims demanded a separate Muslim nation - a move which led to violence between Hindus and Muslims, leaving 5,000 people dead and thousands injured.
Sr. Teresa was deeply affected by the death and destruction. Less than three weeks later, she took the train to Darjeeling for her annual retreat. "It was on that train that I heard the call to give up all and follow (Jesus) into the slums - to serve him in the poorest of the poor," she later recalled. "The message was quite clear. I was to leave the convent and work with the poor while living among them. It was an order."
Mother Teresa eventually left the Sisters of Loretto and founded the Missionaries of Charity, serving orphans, the poor and the dying in India and throughout the world.
Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003. Following the ceremony, more than 2,000 poor people attended a special lunch in her honor.
- Little Burgundy Book, Diocese of Saginaw