Jeff is the only one who chose to paint Mother as a young woman. He depicts her in the festival dress of her native Albania. Mother Teresa was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910 in Skopje (at the time a part of Albania, now North Macedonia). She was the youngest of three siblings. Her father died when Gonxha, as she was called, was only eight. Her family then experienced financial difficulties throughout her childhood. She was very involved in parish life as she grew and her mother often told her stories of missionaries, which influenced her greatly. She left her home in September 1928 at the age of 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. In December of 1929, she departed for her first trip to India, arriving in Calcutta, where she began to serve as a teacher in one of the order's schools.
About the artist:
Jeff Morrow was born in Dayton, Ohio. He spent 28 years as a commercial photographer and video producer, and then made the decision to use what he had learned in those careers toward a vocation in art. He is influenced by 19th century artists and paints both landscapes and portraits. He has been a full-time artist since 2006.
About the artist:
Jeff Morrow was born in Dayton, Ohio. He spent 28 years as a commercial photographer and video producer, and then made the decision to use what he had learned in those careers toward a vocation in art. He is influenced by 19th century artists and paints both landscapes and portraits. He has been a full-time artist since 2006.
Further information on Mother Teresa:
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu - (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), commonly known as Mother Teresa and honored in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian, Roman Catholic nun, and missionary. She was born in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia), then part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. After living in Skopje for eighteen years, she moved to Ireland, and then to India, where she lived for most of her life.
In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counselling programs, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow – to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor."
Teresa received a number of honors, including the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize and 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She was canonized on 4 September 2016, and the anniversary of her death (5 September) is her feast day.
A controversial figure during her life and after her death, Teresa was admired by many for her charitable work. She was praised and criticized on various counts, such as for her views on abortion and contraception, and was criticized for poor conditions in her houses for the dying. Her authorized biography was written by Navin Chawla and published in 1992, and she has been the subject of films and other books. On 6 September 2017, Teresa and St. Francis Xavier were named co-patrons of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta.
