Mother Teresa: a biography

THE FAMILY
One of the most ardent nationalists in Skopje was the independent
building contractor and wholesale importer of food named Nikola Bojax-
hiu. The son of a large and prosperous family that had long engaged in
various commercial enterprises, Bojaxhiu moved from Prizren to Skopje
because of its growing reputation as a trading center. An ambitious man,
Bojaxhiu quickly bought a house in Skopje and in a short time acquired a
number of additional properties. Among his first ventures was supplying
medicine to one of the leading doctors in town. He later went into part-
nership with an Italian businessman who traded in a wide variety of goods
including oil, sugar, cloth, and leather.
By all accounts, Bojaxhiu was a more-than-capable businessman; he
was fluent in five languages and had traveled extensively throughout Eu-
rope, the Near East, and North Africa. In addition, he was heavily in-
volved in local politics, serving on the town council, and his contracting
firm helped to build the first movie theater in Skopje. A patron of the arts,
Bojaxhiu was also a faithful member of the local Roman Catholic Church.
In time, Bojaxhiu took a wife, marrying Dranafile Bernai in Prizren, the
city in which the Albanian League was created and where Bojaxhiu had
once lived. The couple soon returned to Skopje, settling into a spacious
house with a large garden. Before long, Dranafile gave birth to three chil-
dren: a daughter, Aga, was born in 1904; a son, Lazar, followed in 1907.
On August 26, 1910, the couple welcomed their second daughter and last
child, Agnes Gonxha. A day later, on August 27, Gonxha, which means
“flower bud” in Albanian, was baptized at the local Catholic Church.
As an adult, Gonxha spoke little of her childhood, saying only that it
had been pleasant. What information there is about her early life comes
from her brother, Lazar, who, in describing their childhood together,
also remembered it as carefree and peaceful. Although a strict discipli-
narian, Nikola also took special delight in his children. Rarely did a day
pass when they did not eagerly await his return home, and he often
brought them trinkets as a token of his fatherly affection. Bojaxhiu also
entertained his children, for he had a talent for storytelling, and re-
counted for them the sights he had seen and the people he had met on
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his travels. Then, too, the Bojaxhiu household was often crowded with
the visitors who regularly stopped by to talk business or politics with
Nikola.
Drana Bojaxhiu, or Nana Loke (“Mother Soul”), as the children called
her, was a traditional Albanian housewife who looked after her husband
and children. During the day, she cooked, cleaned, and mended clothing.
As soon as Nikola returned home, though, all work stopped. Drana put on
a clean dress, combed her hair, and made sure the children were present-
able to greet their father.
Like her husband, Drana was a stern taskmaster and had little patience
with foolish behavior. One of the few stories that Gonxha told about her
early life illustrated her mother’s attitude toward what she considered fri-
volity. One evening as the children were chattering, their conversation
grew sillier. Drana listened but said nothing. At last she left the room and
turned off the main electric switch, plunging the house into darkness.
Gonxha concluded: “She told us that there was no use wasting electricity
so that such foolishness could go on.”
1
Drana passed this trait on to her
youngest daughter; as an adult, Mother Teresa objected to wasted time
and wasted words.
Agnes Gonxha resembled her mother in other ways. A bit plump like
Drana, Agnes also had her mother’s oval face and distinctive nose; she
was unmistakably her mother’s daughter. Her brother recalled that
Gonxha was also generous and helpful, even though her behavior some-
times got her into trouble. Gonxha, for instance, helped Lazar to scale the
cupboard and steal their mother’s jam or desserts. Needless to say, Drana
did not approve.