Mother Teresa Honored on U.S. Postal Stamp
With a 44-cent stamp, the U.S. Postal Service has recognized Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work.
The stamp was issued during a special ceremony held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in the U.S. capital, informed U.S. Postal Service Sunday, September 5.
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Noted for her compassion toward the poor and suffering, Mother Teresa, a diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years.
“Often, stamps are referred to as a nation’s ‘calling cards’ because they reach a national, and even an international audience,” said Postmaster General John Potter in dedicating the stamp.
When Mother Teresa accepted the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize — one of her numerous honors and distinctions — she did so “in the name of the poor, the hungry, the sick and the lonely,” and convinced the organizers to donate to the needy the money normally used to fund the awards banquet.
Well respected worldwide, she successfully urged many of the world’s business and political leaders to give their time and resources to help those in need.
President Ronald Reagan presented Mother Teresa with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985, the same year she began work on behalf of AIDS sufferers in the U.S. and other countries.
In 1997, Congress awarded Mother Teresa the Congressional Gold Medal for her “outstanding and enduring contributions through humanitarian and charitable activities.”
In 1996, President Bill Clinton and the U.S. Congress awarded Mother Teresa honorary U.S. citizenship.
Mother Teresa died in Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), India, on Sept. 5, 1997, and is buried there. She was a citizen of India since 1948.
The stamp features a portrait of Mother Teresa painted by artist Thomas Blackshear II of Colorado Springs, CO.
