By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Journalist As part of is 2010 stamp program, the U.S. Postal Service will recognize the humanitarian work of Mother Teresa with her own stamp. “With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes Mother Teresa,” said the U.S. Post News. “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. 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.” This is just one of many honors conferred upon Mother Teresa before and after her death in Calcutta on Sept. 5, 1997. She received the Nobel Peace prize in 1979 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 from President Ronald Reagan. In 1996, she was granted an honorary U.S. citizenship by President Bill Clinton, an honor given to only five others, most notably William and Hannah Penn in 1984 and the Marquis de Lafayette in 2002. A year later, the President and Congress awarded her a Congressional Gold Medal for her “outstanding and enduring contributions through humanitarian and charitable activities.” She was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II on Oct. 20, 2003. The new stamp features a portrait of Mother Teresa painted by award-winning artist Thomas Blackshear II of Colorado Springs, CO and can be viewed here: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_118.htm#teresa © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace®  http://www.womenofgrace.com