Few know her by her birth name Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, given to her by her Albanian family, whom she left, never to see again, at the age of 18, for a convent and missionary work. Most everyone knows Mother Teresa, the woman who dedicated her entire adult life to ministering for the poor, the downtrodden, the helpless on the streets of Calcutta. More than just a woman, she became an institution unto herself, founding what grew to be a network of 4,000 oprhanages and charities carrying on her work.

On this day, October 17, in 1979, in recognition of her work to help what she called “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.”

It was not easy at first for her on the streets of Calcutta: with no income, no means of getting around save walking, and no food, she frequently had to beg for food and walk until exhaustion. It was a small crisis of faith, but a steadying one, as Mother Teresa explained in her acceptance speech. She learned what it was like to be impoverished, which only increased her desire to help those in need.