In our time, she probably needs no introduction. But there will come a time when her fame will be on a par with Peter Damien and John Bosco. Still famous, but not the household word she has been.
Although she is pictured on stamps from all over the world, these three have particular significance for me. The Albanian stamp (Europa '96) is there because she was born there in 1910 and named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. By age eighteen, she was convinced that she wanted to be a missionary to India, so she joined the Sisters of Loreto (Ireland) for instruction before reposting to Calcutta. Thus the stamps from Eire and India. The American stamp is included in an "us, too" spirit.
I won't dwell on the life of service to lepers and urban poor. If you want the Wikipedia version, punch the link. A full-length, highly acclaimed biography by Susan Conroy (SP Red Riot '83, Dartmouth '87) is available from Amazon. And a blistering attack on her reputation by Christopher Hitchens that was published on Slate is posted here. Whether it makes you think or just boils your blood, it is worth reading. Hitchens usually is.
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