The 116th birth anniversary of Mother Teresa was observed on Aug 26, with tributes celebrating her lifelong service to the poor and vulnerable.
At the Missionaries of Charity’s Mother House in Kolkata, nuns and devotees attended a special Mass, offered flowers, lit candles and sang hymns around her tomb. Free meals were also distributed to poor and homeless people.
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje on Aug 26, 1910, Mother Teresa established the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata in 1950.
Her humanitarian work earned her the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace in 1962, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980.
Mother Teresa died on Sept 5, 1997. She was canonised as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis in 2016.
