Thirteen years after Mother Teresa’s death and few days after her 100th birthday, the US Postal Service has decided to issue a postage stamp on September 5 to commemorate the remarkable life of the nun from Calcutta.
Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta in 1950. For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries.
Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and given the title Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. She died in Calcutta on September 5, 1997, and is buried there.
“The US Postal Service will pay tribute to Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work,” the USPS said in a statement.
“Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary US citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years,” it said.
“Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to work on behalf of the world’s poorest populations,” USPS had said in a statement in December last year.
The stamp features a portrait of Mother Teresa. The stamp was designed and painted by acclaimed artist Thomas Blackshear II. The 44-cent stamp featuring the Blessed Mother Teresa will go on sale after September 5 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
“The Postal Service decided to go with a smiling image that has been seen everywhere. This portrays her as a happy person who loved life,” Thomas was quoted as saying.
“The Postal Service sent me a number of photos, and I created pencil drawings based on three of these photos. One drawing showed her as somewhat somber. Another one was more pensive. After the smiling image was chosen, I created the final 5- by-7[-inch] image by using water colors. I kept building up the layers over three or four days until I got the look I wanted,” he added
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