CTS Biographies - Ignatius Press

E ARLY Y EARS AND F AMILY L IFE 11children, particularly her eldest, Agnes’s big sister Age, towhom she even temporarily entrusted the keys of the house.Hardworking MotherBut Drana also now had to support her family, nine yearoldAgnes and Lazar and Age. She was a hardworkingwoman and one of entrepreneurial spirit. She set up abusiness of handcrafted embroidery, moving on also tosell different types of cloth. The business furtherexpanded to include locally crafted carpets. Her sonLazar accompanied her to the textile factories and in laterlife remembered how impressed he had been when themanagers would seek her advice about which materialsand designs to use to increase their sales.The family home continued to be filled with thefriends of the Bojaxhiu children. As they were growingup the girls took a full part in school and parish life. BothAgnes and her elder sister sang in the church choir andwere also members of the Albanian Catholic Choir ofSkopje, which gave benefit concerts. Agnes had a finesoprano voice and was often called on to sing solo.Active TeenagerFamily and friends noticed that young Agnes neverwasted time. When she was not helping with housework,studying, or even tutoring her friends who needed helpwith their studies, enjoying social activities with friends