A series of programmes are being held across the country today to mark the formal beginning of the year-long birth centenary celebrations of Mother Teresa.Mother was born on this day in 1910 in Macedonia. A special prayer meeting was held at the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata this morning to commemorate the day. Mother Teresa won Noble Peace Prize in 1979 and was given various prestigious awards for her outstanding contribution to serve poorest of the poor. The Railway Minster Miss Mamata Banerjee will open an exhibition train 'Mother Express' at Sealdah station in Kolkata this afternoon. The train showcases the life and the philanthropic deeds of mother. It will travel to different stations of the country over the next six months.The Lok Sabha has paid homage to Mother Teresa on her birth centenary today. The Speaker, Mrs. Meira Kumar described her as great humanitarian and noble soul, who served the poor, sick and orphan for four and half a decade. Mother Teresa was honoured with Nobel Peace prize in 1979 and Bharat Ratna in 1980. A book on Mother Teresa written by the former Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla was presented to the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan on her Birth Centenary today. The book has been released in English and Malayalam. Both the versions of the book were presented to Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil. Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI has described Mother Teresa as an inestimable gift. In a message to Missionaries of Charity, MoC, superior-general Sr Prema, the Pope exhorted the MoC to draw inspiration from her in serving the poor, the sick, the lonely and the abandoned.The message was read out by Archbishop of Kolkata Lucas Sirkar at the Mass offered this morning at the chapel of the MoC headquartersin Kolkata.