Residents and persons inspired or touched by the life and work of Mother Teresa are invited this weekend to honor her legacy during the dedication of Mother Teresa Way.
On Sunday, August 30, Councilmember Jimmy Vacca, joined by local elected officials, and representatives of the Albanian American community and Pelham Parkway residents, will unveil an honorary street sign marked ‘St. Teresa Way.’
The dedication was unanimously approved by City Council on Thursday, April 2, and supported by Community Board 11, in order to pay tribute to the life of the extraordinary Nobel Peace Prize recipient who dedicated her life to servicing those in need.
“Mother Teresa way was one of the requests we were thrilled about,” said John Fratta, district manager of CB11. “She was a fantastic lady and a great humanitarian, whose presence was felt all over the world.”
Born Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910, Mother Teresa had spent her life helping those that most others would turn away, including the poor, hungry, ill, orphaned and disabled.
An ethnic Albanian, Mother Teresa grew up in Skopje, Macedonia before leaving home at 18 to become a missionary and spending much of her adult life in Calcutta, India.
In 1991, Mother Teresa formed a Missionaries of Charity center in Tirana, Albania. Her missionaries remain active today throughout the word, running schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, and hospices for people living with HIV/AIDS, leprosy, and tuberculosis.
“As a spiritual leader and as the very personification of charity, Mother Teresa has been an inspirational figure for so many of us for decades,” said Vacca. “When this street sign is raised, men, women, and children walking down Lydig Avenue will be able to look up and be reminded of the wonderful example Mother Teresa set for all of us.”
According to Esad Rizai, founder of the Bronx-based Albanian American Society Foundation, this will be a very proud moment for the strong Albanian community in the Lydig area.
“She was an amazing woman who dedicate her life to the needy and never wanted anything for herself. She will always be in everyone’s hearts, especially the Albanian community that cherishes her,” said Rizai. “This dedication is really for everybody because Mother Teresa represented all people, and we are happy to have this here.”
The sign will be hoisted into place on the corner of Lydig and Holland Avenues at noon; all are invited to attend.
