[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 121 (Friday, September 5, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1704]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MOTHER TERESA

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                           HON. CLIFF STEARNS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 4, 2003

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, Mother Teresa, winner of the Nobel Peace 
Prize, was born on August 27, 1910 and died in 1997 after a lifetime of 
devotion to the poor. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, 
Yugoslavia, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in 1928. She took the name 
``Teresa'' after St. Teresa of Lesiux, patroness of the Missionaries.
  In 1948, she encountered a half-dead woman lying in front of a 
Calcutta hospital. She stayed with the woman on the street until her 
death. From that point on, she dedicated the majority of her life to 
helping the poorest of the poor in India, thus gaining her the name 
``Saint of the Gutters.'' She founded an order of nuns called the 
Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, dedicated to serving the 
poor. Almost 50 years later, the Missionaries of Charity have grown 
from 12 sisters in India to over 3,000 in 517 missions throughout 100 
countries worldwide.
  In 1952, she founded the Nirmal Hriday Home for the Dying in a former 
temple in Calcutta. It was there that she cared for the dying Indians 
that were found on the streets. Mother Teresa showed the love of Christ 
to all she met. Whether they were dying of AIDS or Leprosy, she wanted 
them to die in peace and with dignity. For over 50 years, she worked 
selflessly in service to the poor. That devotion to the needy won her 
respect throughout the world and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
  For many years, Mother Teresa labored in loving dedication to the 
sick and dying in India. Her compassion for the suffering knew no 
boundaries and has served as an inspiration to the world. Mother Teresa 
was a living saint and since her death has been greatly missed.

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