Which saint was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979?

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

Born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in Skopje in 1910, she joined the Sisters of Loreto and later founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta in 1950. Her order established homes for people who were dying, orphaned, homeless, or otherwise neglected, making her one of the best-known humanitarian figures of the 20th century.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized her “work for bringing help to suffering humanity.” She accepted the prize in Oslo on December 10, 1979, and directed attention toward poverty, compassion, and the moral responsibility to care for vulnerable people. The prize was the Nobel Peace Prize, not the Nobel Prize in Literature or a religious honor.

A common mix-up is confusing Mother Teresa with Pope John Paul II, who was never a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Mother Teresa was canonized by the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016, long after receiving the prize.