IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1615 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth, and honoring the life 

and legacy, of Mother Teresa. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 

Mr. FORTENBERRY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth, and 

honoring the life and legacy, of Mother Teresa. 

Whereas Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on 

August 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia; 

Whereas Mother Teresa was baptized on August 27, the day 

she considered to be her ‘‘true birthday’’; 

Whereas Mother Teresa began her novitiate in Darjeeling, 

India, in 1929, and took her vows as a nun in 1931, 

choosing the name Teresa after The ́re`se de Lisieux, the 

patron saint of missionaries; 

Whereas Mother Teresa taught at the Loreto convent school 

in eastern Calcutta during the Bengal famine of 1943 

and the outbreak of Hindu and Muslim violence in 1946; 


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•HRES 1615 IH 

Whereas on September 10, 1946, while traveling from Calcutta, Mother Teresa received ‘‘the call within the call’’ 

to leave her convent and live and work among the poor; 

Whereas on October 7, 1950, Mother Teresa began the small 

13-member Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta to care 

for ‘‘the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, 

the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, 

unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have 

become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone,’’; 

Whereas the Missionaries of Charity has grown to more than 

4,000 nuns worldwide; 

Whereas in 1952 Mother Teresa opened a free hospice for the 

poor in Calcutta and a hospice for those suffering from 

leprosy, and in 1955, opened the Children’s Home of the 

Immaculate Heart for orphans and abandoned and homeless children, leading to the opening of similar hospices, 

orphanages, homes for poor expectant mothers, adoption 

centers, and homes for lepers around the world, including 

in the United States; 

Whereas Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Price 

in 1979 in ‘‘recognition of Mother Teresa’s work in 

bringing help to suffering humanity,’’ particularly ‘‘the 

plight of children and refugees, . . . for whom Mother 

Teresa has for many years worked so selflessly’’; 

Whereas during the Lebanon War in 1982, Mother Teresa 

brokered a temporary ceasefire between the Israeli army 

and Palestinian Liberation Organization to rescue 37 

children trapped in a hospital on the front lines and personally evacuated them; 


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•HRES 1615 IH 

Whereas in 1985, Mother Teresa opened the first hospice for 

AIDS victims in New York; 

Whereas Mother Teresa ministered to radiation victims following the disaster at Chernobyl, traveled to aid victims 

of famine in Ethiopia, brought assistance to earthquake 

victims in Armenia, and organized aid flights in floodstricken Bangladesh; 

Whereas Mother Teresa spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast sponsored by the U.S. Congress in 1994, urging, 

‘‘Let us make that one point—that no child will be unwanted, unloved, uncared for, or killed and thrown away. 

And give until it hurts—with a smile.’’; 

Whereas Mother Teresa died in Calcutta at the age of 87 on 

September 5, 1997; 

Whereas by the time of her death, Mother Teresa operated 

610 foundations in 123 countries; 

Whereas Mother Teresa was awarded the U.S. Presidential 

Medal of Freedom in 1985, granted honorary U.S. citizenship in 1996, and received the U.S. Congressional 

Gold Medal in 1997; 

Whereas on December 20, 2002, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of Mother Teresa’s Cause of Canonization; 

Whereas Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, 

as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta; and 

Whereas the year-long birth centenary celebration of Mother 

Teresa began on August 26, 2010; Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives com2 memorates the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s 

3 birth and her enduring legacy of humility and sacrifice, 


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•HRES 1615 IH 

1 exemplified by nearly 50 years of actively comforting the 

2 poor, the dying, and the unwanted across the globe. 

Æ 


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