Born in Macedonia on August 26, 1910, Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu was fascinated by the lives of missionaries from a young age. At age 18, she left home to join the Sisters of Loreto in Ireland. In 1929, she began her novitiate in Darjeeling, India. Her first religious vows took place on May 24, 1931, and she chose the name "Teresa" after St. Therese of Lisieux, who is the patron saint of missionaries. She continued to serve as a teacher with the Sisters of Loreto in Calcutta, India for almost twenty years. However, the extreme poverty that existed just outside of the convent walls continually tugged at Mother Teresa's heart, inviting her to a life of radical compassion. In 1948, she asked (and was granted) permission to begin working with the poorest of the poor in the Calcutta slums.
Mother Teresa received basic medical training to provide care for those who lived in the slums. She founded a school and shortly after, in 1950, founded the Missionaries of Charity, a new religious community seeking to love
