Nikola may have passed on to his children a sense of ethnic identity
and nationalist pride; however, it was Drana who nurtured the children’s
spiritual growth.
Almost every evening, the Bojaxhiu family gathered in
the living room to recite the rosary. Drana also oversaw the children’s
evening prayers. A devout Catholic who went to Mass almost every day,
Drana not only made sure her children practiced their religion but also in-
corporated it into their everyday lives. This was easier said than done.
The Roman Catholic community in Albania was small; fewer than 10
percent of the population declared themselves Roman Catholic. Al-
though few in number, the Roman Catholic community in Skopje and
throughout Albania was close-knit.
Not only did Drana practice religious devotion, she also believed
deeply in the spiritual value of good works. She was always available to
help those in need.
In this practice, her husband supported her and
Gonxha aided her. On any given day, Nikola left with Drana enough
money to help the poor children or adults who came to the house. Com-
monly, the less fortunate not only received a hand out from the Bojaxhiu
family, but also took meals with them, reminding the children that the
needy were also part of their larger human family. “Some of them are our
relations,” Drana once told her children, “but all of them are our people.”
2
One of the strongest of Lazar’s memories
is of his mother taking in a
woman stricken with a tumor and nursing her back to health. Besides tak-
ing strangers into her home, Drana visited the poor in theirs, taking them
food, money, and medicine. On these occasions, Gonxha often accompa-
nied her mother, helping her as she made her way from family to family of-
fering both spiritual and material comfort. Drana’s
Christian charity
offered a powerful example, helping to mold Gonxha’s spiritual life and to
shape her destiny.
When the time came for the children to begin school, they attended
classes held in Sacred Heart Church. For four years, the Bojaxhiu children
studied in the Albanian language. At the fifth year, they began to learn in
Serbo-Croatian.
Upon leaving the church school, the children went to
public schools where all the instruction was given in Serbo-Croatian.
Early on, Gonxha distinguished herself as a gifted and disciplined student.
TRAGEDY
Nikola’s participation in Albanian politics continued even after inde-
pendence. When, in 1919, Albanian leaders tried to acquire Kosovo,
Nikola traveled to a political gathering in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. While at-
tending a banquet, Nikola fell seriously ill. Alarmed at her husband’s con-
6
M O T H E R T E R E S A
dition, Drana sent Gonxha to find the parish priest. He was not at home.
Growing more desperate and not knowing what to do, Gonxha went to
the Skopje railway station hoping to find a priest. Luck was with her. She
did locate a priest who agreed to see her father. The situation was grave.
Nikola was dying. The priest arrived at his bedside
in time to administer
Extreme Unction, today known as the Sacrament of the Sick, which
Catholics receive when they are expected to die. Just as the priest finished
performing the rite, Nikola began to hemorrhage (bleed internally) and
was rushed to the hospital. Emergency surgery failed to save him.
Gonxha’s robust and outgoing father was dead at the age of 45. The doc-
tors and family were convinced that his political enemies had poisoned
him, though no conclusive evidence ever emerged to prove the allega-
tion.
Overnight, life in the Bojaxhiu household changed. Following Nikola’s
death, his partner took over the business and left nothing for the family.
In addition, even though Drana had the right to estates that her family
owned, she had no
documents to prove her claim, nor did she have the
time, inclination, energy, or money to pursue the matter through the
courts. Only the family home remained.
Nikola’s death devastated his wife; Drana fell into deep, prolonged, and
often incapacitating grief. Responsibility for the younger children fell in-
creasingly on the shoulders of the oldest, Aga.
After several months,
Drana began to emerge from her mourning. At least the family had a place
to live, though Drana wondered how, with her husband’s resources gone,
she could provide for her children.
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