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| Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Mother Teresa : The Angel of Mercy
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in the Albania/Macedonia region, Mother Teresa was the youngest of three children. In her teens, Agnes became a member of a youth group in her local parish, called Sodality. Through her involvement with their activities guided by a Jesuit priest, Agnes became interested in missionaries. At age 17, she responded to her first call of a vocation as a Catholic missionary nun. She joined an Irish order, the Sisters of Loretto, a community known for their missionary work in India. When she took vows as a Sister of Loretto, she chose the name Teresa. In Calcutta, Sister Teresa taught geography and cathechism at St. Mary's High School. In 1944, she became the principal of St. Mary's. There she contracted tuberculosis. She was unable to continue teaching and was sent to Darjeeling for rest and recuperation. It was on the train to Darjeeling that she received her second call "the call within the call". Mother Teresa recalled later: "I was to leave the convent and work with the poor, living among them. It was an order. I knew where I belonged, but I did not know how to get there". In 1948, the Vatican granted Sister Teresa permission to leave the Sisters of Loretto, and pursue her calling under the Archbishop of Calcutta. Mother Teresa started with a school in the slums, to teach the children of the poor. She also learned basic medicine and went into the homes of the sick to treat them. In 1949, some of her former pupils joined her. They found men, women, and children who were rejected by local hospitals, dying on the streets. The group rented a room so they could care for these helpless people. In 1950, the group was established by the Church as a Diocesan Congregation of the Calcutta Diocese. It was known as the Missionaries of Charity. In 1952, the first Home for the Dying was opened in a location made available by the City of Calcutta. Over the years, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity grew from twelve to thousands, serving the "poorest of the poor" in 450 centres around the world. Mother Teresa created many homes for the dying and the unwanted, from Calcutta to New York to Albania. She was one of the pioneers of establishing homes for AIDS victims. For more than 45 years, Mother Teresa comforted the poor, the dying, and the unwanted, around the world. Mother Teresa gained worldwide acclaim with her tireless efforts for world peace. Her work brought her numerous humanitarian awards, including the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In receiving this award, Mother Teresa revolutionized the award ceremony. She insisted on a departure from the ceremonial banquet and asked that the funds, $6,000, be donated to the poor in Calcutta. This money would enable her to feed hundreds of poor for a year. To receive the Nobel Peace Prize, she wore her trademark one dollor saree. She is stated to have said that earthly rewards were important only if they enabled her to help the world's needy. Mother Teresa was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian award. In 1991, she returned for the first time, to her native Albania and opened a home in Tirana. By this year, there were 168 homes in India. She travelled to help the hungry in Ethiopia, the radiation victims in Chernobyl, and the earthquake victims in Armenia. Her zeal and mercy knew no boundaries. In November 1996, she received honorary U.S. citizenship. She was only the fourth person in the world to receive an honorary U.S. citizenship.Today Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity has 570 missions all over the world. The whole world mourned on September 5, 1997, when Mother Teresa, the "Angel of Mercy" died at age 87. On October 19, 2003, Pope John Paul II conducted the beatification of Mother Teresa, the most admired Catholic of the 20th Century, due to her heroic work on behalf of the poorest of the poor. ########### Man of many talents
Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy. His father was Ser Piero and mother, Caterina. When he was about 15, his father sent him as a trainee to the renowned workshop of Andrea del Verrochio in Florence. Even as a beginner, Leonardo showed talent. For example, one of his first big breaks was to paint an angel in Verrochio's 'Baptism of Christ', and Leonardo was so much better than his master, that Verrochio allegedly resolved never to paint again. Leonardo stayed with the workshop until 1477 when he set up a place for himself. In search of new challenges and big money, he entered the service of the Duke of Milan in 1482, abandoning his first assignment in Florence 'The Adoration of the Magi'. He spent 17 years in Milan, leaving only after Duke Ludovico Sforza's fall from power in 1499. It was during these years that Leonardo reached new heights of scientific and artistic achievement. The Duke kept Leonardo busy; painting, sculpting and designing elaborate court festivals, but he also put Leonardo to work designing weapons, buildings and machinery. From 1485 to 1490, Leonardo produced studies on many subjects, including nature, flying machines, geometry, mechanics, municipal construction, canals and architecture (designing everything from churches to fortresses). Leonardo's interests were so broad, and he was so often attracted by new subjects, that he usually failed to finish what he started. This lack of continuity resulted in his completing only about six works in these 17 years, including 'The Last Supper' and 'The Virgin on the Rocks', while he left dozens of paintings and projects unfinished or unrealised. He spent most of his time studying science. Between 1490 and 1495, he developed the habit of recording his studies in meticulously illustrated notebooks. His work covered four main themes: painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics and human anatomy. These studies and sketches were collected into various documents and manuscripts, which are now collected by museums and individuals. After the invasion of Italy by the French, and Ludovico Sforza's fall from power in 1499, Leonardo was left to search for a new patron. Over the next 16 years, Leonardo worked for a number of employers. and travelled throughout Italy. Around 1503, Leonardo reportedly began work on the 'Mona Lisa'. On July 9, 1504, he received notice of the death of his father, Ser Piero. Leonardo was deprived of any inheritance by his meddling half brothers and sisters. From 1513 to 1516, he worked in Rome, maintaining a workshop and undertaking a variety of projects for the Pope. He continued his studies of human anatomy and physiology. Following the death of his patron Giuliano de' Medici in March of 1516, he was offered the title of 'Premier Painter, Engineer and Architect of the King' by Francis I in France. His last and perhaps most generous patron, Francis I provided Leonardo with a cushy job, including a salary and a manor house near the royal chateau at Amboise. Although suffering from paralysis of the right hand, Leonardo was still able to draw and teach, and produced several studies on various topics. Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux, France. Legend has it that King Francis was cradling Leonardo's head in his arms at the latter's death bed. |
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Mother Teresa was known throughout the world for her selfless humanity.
A champion of the poor and the downtrodden, her whole life was dedicated
to serving the poor of the world.
Painter, sculptor, scientist, engineer... there was no limit to
Leonardo da Vinci's talents. The creator of Mona Lisa, undoubtedly the
most famous painting in the world, da Vinci however didn't let himself be
confined to one field.
