Sister M. Sophia Pulliyadan

I, Sister M. Sophia was born in 1963, in the district of Ernakulum, Kerala. I am the second daughter of my parents. We are five siblings, four sisters and a brother. One sister and family live in UK, others are living in Kerala. I lost my father in April 2023 and my mother is at home with my brother. I had a loving grandfather with whom I lived for 18 years.

I was raised on a farm; my family earned its livelihood by cultivating rice, vegetables, bananas, spices, coconuts and alike. My parents were very hardworking; my siblings and I helped them.

I studied in a convent school with the Franciscan Sisters until class five. I was very much impressed with their way of life. From then a desire was in me to become a religious. While I was in the higher secondary school, I took part in vocation camps a few times. I used to read catholic Magazines such as Satyadeepam, a weekly magazine from my diocese Ernakulam. I read and reflected the advertisement regarding “divine vocations calling you”. From Satyadeepam, I got the address of our congregation. I sent a letter to our community in Pithora, also at the same time to few other congregations. The first response that came was from our congregation. Then I shared with my parents my wish to become a religious. It was a big surprise for them.

Within few weeks, all travel arrangements were finished. Sister M. Lilly and myself along with our fathers left home and arrived in Anjali Niketan, Pithora. Our fathers returned to Kerala on the following day. I experienced God’s grace and divine inspiration which kept me going. I made professed my first vows on November 22 ,1986 and my Final Profession on January 25, 1992.

By training, I am a General Nurse. As a nurse, I have worked in our dispensaries in different places.

In 2001, Sister  Mary Ann Minor came to India for visitation. At that time, I was working in Kurkuria. Sister Mary Ann asked me “Would you like to go to Haiti to work as a missionary?”. She explained to me about Haiti. I had never heard about that country. She gave me time to make my decision. I reflected about it and said my decision to my regional superior and I said my yes to the superiors.

In October of 2001, I left for Haiti from Raipur. On my way, I visited our Motherhouse in Germany, before leaving for Haiti. One of our Sisters from Germany joined me. We both travelled to Springfield to the Provincial Motherhouse. For one year, we had special studies for the mission. I worked in Haiti from 2002 to 2008. I realized how poor were the people of Haiti. These were the best years of my religious life.

Since 2009, I have been serving in our communities at Pithora, Ramgarh and Trivandrum. Presently I am at St. Francis Hostel, Nagpur, serving as the hostel warden.

I thank all my superiors and formators who helped me in many ways in my life journey.

Looking back, I tell the Lord, thank you for your accompaniment in my life. Thank you for being present with me and bringing me to this phase of my life.   

Sister M. Edelbertis Gevers

On February 22, 1939, I was born as Ludwine Gevers in Vreden-Dömern, municipality of Winterswijk, on the Dutch border – the eleventh of thirteen children, ten girls and three boys. We had a very happy and varied childhood with our mother. We always remember this time fondly. Our father, in addition to working on the farm and in the garden, worked at the Vreden post office and also as a “meat inspector” (inspecting slaughtered animals), but was always there for us children in the evenings.

All of us children learned a trade. Four of my siblings worked at the post office. I trained for two years in a canteen kitchen in Lüdinghausen, as my father always thought thet this basic training was important for a woman. My eldest brother served as a soldier from 1943 to 1944. In 1947, the year of my First Communion, my eldest sister Mathilde joined the Hospital Sisters of Münster St. Mauritz, followed by my sister Juliane in 1960, while my sister Elfriede joined the Clemens Sisters in 1958.

During my housekeeping year, I got to know Sister Acharis, a Franciscan Hospital Sister, who was head of the canteen kitchen. I really appreciated this Sister. Until then, I was still unsure whether a life as a Sister could be right for me. This Sister made me realize that I was also called to religious life. In 1962, I decided to join the Hospital Sisters. After my formation, I first made my temporary profession and then my perpetual profession in 1970.

My professional path now began in the Congregation. I completed my training in nursing with my exams in 1965. I then fell seriously ill and was employed in the administration of the St. Rochus Hospital in Telgte a year later, after my recovery. Two older sisters worked there – Sister M. Blasia and Sister M. Edmunda – as well as a younger one – Sister M. Adelharda. All of them accompanied me very well and also supported my recovery with understanding. I gradually got well again. Their example of a life in the Congregation also greatly strengthened me in my vocation. When I started working in the administration, I only knew how to type on a typewriter. Then I was given some time to practise and was also allowed to take a course in shorthand. With good support, I then learned the 10-finger system on the typewriter. This was a great joy for me.

Our Congregation has chosen nursing care as its apostolate. Due to my illnesses, I never worked in nursing. I found a great deal of understanding from the Congregation’s leadership, at that time General Superior Sister Odilia.

From 1972 onwards, I was able to work in various hospitals of our Congregation at the receptin and in patient admission, including Bremen, Lohne and Lingen. From 1983 to 1987, I worked as a Provincial Secretary under the direction of the Provincial Superior, Sister M. Plauta.

Due to my health problems, I was only able to take on tasks for limited periods of time. This was not easy for me, but thanks to good support and understanding fellow Sisters, I was able to get through this time well. I was happy to take on small periods of temporary help or assistance in certain areas and was also able to accept my limitations.

From 1991 to 1995, I was assigned to the reception area in Damme. I then had to end my assignment because I became seriously ill with Hodgkin’s disease. That was not easy for me to bear. How much I would have liked to continue working in the job I loved. I received good support from the leadership of our Congregation and from many of my fellow Sisters in the form of encouragement and prayer. They always believed with me that I would be able to get through this time of illness well. And so it came to pass.

In 1997, I had recovered from my illness and was able to work in the patient admission department at St. Franziskus Hospital in Muenster. It was a great pleasure for me to be in touch with people and to offer them help, especially in times of illness. Due to my own health limitations, I knew how people feel in such times of illness or other infirmities when they are received with understanding and goodwill, especially in hospital.

In 2012, after 15 years at the reception of St. Francis Hospital, I was happy and grateful that I was asked to work at the reception of the motherhouse. Here, I was happy to help visitors and fellow Sisters and carry out small tasks. I was also able to use my personal time a little more for prayer, walks, painting, etc. I still enjoy painting nature pictures and other motifs. Even though I don’t see myself as a great “artist”, it gives me fulfillment and satisfaction.

In the meantime, I have taken on fulfilling tasks in the motherhouse convent and I am grateful to God that I am allowed to follow in his footsteps. In times of silence and prayer, I think again and again that I now have the time, even on this last stretch of my path, to reach the goal that I repeatedly promised myself at the beginning of my religious life. Rainer Maria Rilke compares life to a “tree and life in growing rings”. Through my illnesses, I have repeatedly experienced other “rings”, and I hope that I can still experience the last one with His strength.

?!My recipe for a happy person: Keep your faith! Don't lose hope! Pray for healthy days! Give thanks for everything you have experienced so far! 

Sister M. Pauly Chiraparambil

On October 17^th, 1961, I was born into a traditional Catholic Christian family at  Mylacomb, a village in the Idukki district of Kerala, as the 5^th of the eight children – four boys and four girls.. When I was three months old we moved to Pooyamkutty, an interior village of the Ernakulam district, Kerala. My father was a farmer and mother a housewife. In addition to the agricultural work, my father did some small businesses and had a small shop, and we lived on this.

My parents were very God-fearing, and they taught us to kneel before God in all the ups and downs of life. It was compulsory for us to attend daily Mass. Growing up with my siblings, there was lot of joy and warmth in the family. Holy mass in the morning, evening family prayers, the life of my parents and the moral values they taught us – all of that helped us to grow in faith.

My house was very close to the convent and parish. As children we were very much involved in all the activities of the parish. We were very closely associated with the Sisters, and their way of life always attracted me. When I finished 7^th class, we had no high school nearby. So my two sisters and I were sent to a distant place to stay in the hostel and study. The Sisters who owned the boarding had their formation house there. The junior Sisters lived there after their first profession. Looking at their life, I always wished to be a religious. The young Sisters dressed in white; to me they were like angels. I was inspired by their very life.

After finishing school, I attended a vocation camp during which I decided to become a religious. Many Sisters came and introduced their congregations. I joined the Augustinian Sisters but did not succeed. During the formation period I decided to return home and continue with my studies. Then I got a little job and started working. 

Though I left, some of the Sisters kept encouraging me to become a religious. One Sister, Sister Jacobine, introduced me to our Congregation through her brother Fr. Joseph Pullankav, a priest of the Raipur Diocese. I contacted the Sisters and I received a welcome letter from Sister M.Gerburg. I came to Pithora with some of our Sisters on December 30^th, 1986. During the formation I was guided by Sister M. Gerburg and Sister M. Hedwig. I made my first profession of vows on January 25^th, 1991 and my Final Profession on October 30^th, 1999.

As junior Sister, I did my training in nursing and continue to work in this field till today.

Today as I look at my committed life I thank God for His marvellous blessings upon me. He in His great love not only called me but kept me in His love. “You did not choose me; I chose you” (Jn 15:16). Today it is with great awareness that I pen these words of St. John. Even when I turned and walked away from this life, God brought me back and placed me where He wanted. As I look at the years gone by, the words “I will be with you; I will not fail you nor forsake you” (Josh 1:5)” come to my mind. My life has been a life of God’s faithfulness to me. My God has kept His promise. I have failed Him so often. But He has always been with me. In the midst of roaring storms and raging waves, He has been in my little boat showing me the way and giving me the courage to walk along. I thank my God, my Congregation, my parents, my brothers and Sisters, teachers, spiritual guides and all who have been a support on my journey with Jesus. May the good Lord bless them all.

Schwester M. Herbertis Lubek

The present political situation reminds me strongly of my family’s history and how I was shaped by it. I was born during the Second World War. My father was at the front. My mother lived with my brother, who was six years older, in Krappitz /Oberchlesien. My maternal grandparents and aunts lived in Opole/ Silesia (now Poland).

I was born there on October 29, 1944, in the women’s clinic where our sisters worked, and was baptized in the Peter Paul Church in Opole in the the name of Jutta.

In February 1945, my uncle took us to his relatives in Wallisfurth/County of Glatz to protect our family, especially the women, from the attacks of the invading allied soldiers. Later we were housed with other refugee families in the castle in Altheide/County Glatz, where a doctor also took care of us. My grandparents, who spoke what was called “water Polish”, were a great help and protection for the women, who were also no longer safe there and had to hide repeatedly with their children.

In the spring of 1946, we had to leave and were “loaded” into a freight train with nobody knowing whether we were going into “forced labor” or to “freedom”. In March 1946, we arrived in a small town in northern Germany, near the North Sea. All of us „displaced persons“ were distributed among the villages, and we were lucky that our family stayed together. My mother was assigned one room in a family home with us children. We had it good; they were nice people. Our family stuck together and we helped each other. And even though I know many things only because they were recounted to me, they still left a strong impression on me: caring for each other, sharing, being able to do without, being content with what little there was, and enjoying small comforts and gifts.

I loved to hear my grandparents praying together and singing church songs .They had such a pleasant everyday piety, which I was able to grow into. Since we came from Silesia, which was mainly Catholic, to the North German diaspora, we experienced the church services as a great gift, especially when „native“ songs and prayers found space in the services. That also touched me very much.

I don’t remember my father’s return from French captivity, but I do remember that our living space – we now had a two-room apartment – was too small for all of us. My father had found a job and wanted to build a future for us in Germany while my mother hoped to return to her Silesian homeland. In 1950, with the help of my mother, my father was able to start his own business as a merchant in a neighboring village, and my brother and I were involved in the tasks that had to be done. This was quite natural for us.

Our maternal grandparents remained the center of our family: Our kind, understanding grandmother and our somewhat cantankerous grandfather, both my role models regarding prayer and faith. My father’s family had been separated from us by the war. They lived behind the “iron curtain” in what was to become East Germany. Despite our support through regular food parcels and contact by mail, they remained strangers to us.

This is the background on which my religious life developed: my grandmother’s simple, convincingly lived faith; her heartfelt prayers; my grandparents’ praying the rosary together, and the religious songs they sang with all their heart. All of this opened my heart to God’s love and call. My grandmother understood wonderfully how to bring my religious desires to a normal, healthy level, and to keep awake my longing for the good. My mother, too, although she did not have much time for us, guided me to a good combination of commitment to school, work and church. She helped me to deal with injustices in the church context, and to find orientation from God rather than his “ground staff“. This still works for me today.

Preparing for the celebration of my First Communion strengthened my love for God even further. The older I became, the more consciously I experienced God’s work in my life, and I bound myself ever more firmly to HIM. The beginning of my religious life on February 11, 1964 was the grateful answer to God, who loved me first and has not let me down in HIS love until today. So I am grateful for 59 years of life in our Congregation, for all the good things as well as the difficult things that have made me mature in the various ministries in our community, together with the Sisters with whom I was allowed to live and work. Also, I am grateful for all those with whom I am united by our Franciscan spirituality and our prayer life. I thank God for the journey of my life, for all that I have experienced in my life. I thank God for my life’s journey, for all the good I have been able to do for others. I trust that HE will continue to guide me until one day, I will be able to see HIM face to face, and meet again all my dear companions in heaven.

May we always carry our goal of glorifying and proclaiming God in our hearts and realize it in our lives.

Sister M. Herbertis Lubeck

Sister M. DeDeo Sueko Usuzaka

Born on March 1940 in the Shimane prefecture, I am the eighth of nine children and grew up with four older brothers, three older sisters and one younger sister.

One of my teachers asked me if I would like to study nursing while working. I had never imagined myself becoming a nurse until then, but I decided to go that way. After graduating from nursing school, I worked at Matsue Japanese Red Cross Hospital (JRC) where I wore a cap with the Red Cross. It was like a dream come true to start my nursing career.

A few years later, while working, I started learning flower arrangement, cooking, Western-style dressmaking, tea ceremony, etc. as my training for homemaking, preparing to be a housewife. Also, my mother spun thread from silkworms and wove kimonos, so when I asked to be introduced to someone who could teach me Japanese dressmaking, a senior nurse at the JRC immediately helped me. She was a Catholic. The church was located in the middle of our staff dormitory (JRCA) where we lived, and the hospital was 500 meters away. The people who gathered at the church were most cheerful, open, and friendly people I had ever met. I was recommended to learn the Catechism, and a year later, six of us were baptized together on Easter. I was baptized without telling my family.

The joy of encountering God by learning Japanese dressmaking changed me greatly.

Participating in church more and more, I met people who had joined religious life and young people of the Congregation. I developed a longing for the religious. When I was advised to further my nursing studies in order to better be able to serve, I decided to apply for a national nursing school and started studying there. Before graduation, I went for an interview at Himeji, St. Mary’s Hospital through a priest’s introduction and was allowed to work there.

I could not go quietly because I was leaving my hometown far away to go to Himeji. My parents were Buddhists, so I told them I was going to improve myself for a year. I told my parents a painful lie. My sisters were vaguely aware of it but kept quiet so as not to grieve our elderly parents.

I was very happy to receive a loving letter of Sr. Josepha Yamashita, the nursing director at that time, and I strongly felt God’s call. I worked as a nurse under Sr. Benedicta Nakaie and learned a lot.

I joined our Congregation in March 1970, and the day after becoming novice I took the bullet train to the Tokyo convent. Convent superior Sister Marysia from Poland, Sister Cecilia Hisamastu, Sister Teresita Miyake, Sister Christella Watanabe and Sister Beatrice Maeda welcomed me. The convent’s grounds were endless, wide and covered in deep grass all around, with only the cave of Lourdes visible. I was grateful for God’s providence, knowing that sewing and mending kimonos was going to become a way to mend and heal the wounds in the heart of many people.

One day, our superior asked me if I would like to study to be a midwife. I said yes and prepared for the exam while making vows. I professed my first vows on March 17, 1974. I was deeply grateful for the divine plan and guidance for my acceptance. After few days, I entered Seibo Midwife Academy in Tokyo. The school was a boarding school, and I shared a bunk bed with Sister Christina Nagata. We had a good time, sometimes returning to the Tokyo convent to attend seminars. After graduating and qualifying, I worked in the maternity ward of St. Mary’s Hospital, where I began my life as a midwife with Sister Bernardine Shirota. As a Catholic, my service here was fraught with anguish and conflict over the dignity of fetal life and ethical issues.

After serving there for 10 years, I turned to pastoral care. I felt this service to be the best apostolate for me. Visiting the sick bed empty-handed and listening. Listening with my whole being…. From there, an idea came to me. The nightly broadcast began with the words, “Everyone in the hospital, let us pray together before going to bed.” The reason we have been able to do this for so long is because our patients have been waiting for this time.

At the time, two sisters were already in Korea preparing for missions. I was told that a third person would be needed as the construction of a nursing home was about to begin, so I was asked to go on a mission to Korea. It was October 1996, and I was 56 years old. If God is with me, and two of our sisters are already giving their best, I can do it too, I thought. So I said yes and went to Seoul to begin studying the Hangul language. Our nursing home, Francis House, had only been open for eight years. According to facility evaluations, it was the best facility in Korea. Since its opening, it was attractive due to its high quality, and gradually more and more people visited who desired to learn nursing care. At the request of the facility director, I started to teach nursing care education for the application. Also, I was able to get a driver’s license at the age of 60, so I drove two hours one way to the Franciscan institution for leprosy to teach nursing care education there every month for half a year. Everything was supported by the warm love of the Korean people. I served in Korea until  March 2008, and I learned a lot during these 12 years.

After returning from Korea, I took a sabbatical for one year and worked at the Catholic Nibuno Villa. In April 2012, I transferred to the Tokyo convent to work at Francisco Villa. I was impressed by the quiet appearance of the villa on the vast grounds that were widely covered with grass. The most memorable thing in my 12 years there was spending time with the residents. Above all, I was able to participate in the end-of-life care of those who were called to heaven from there.

It was a great blessing for me to be able to say goodbye one by one quietly, taking time, and being able to say goodbye in a presence that beyond words. The Lord was with me, it was all done. Thanks be to God.

Sister Annice McClure, OSF

As the fifth of 15 children born to Norman and Anna (Turan) McClure, I born on April 2, 1932, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. My mother was 100 percent Slavic and Roman Catholic and my father, who was Scottish-Irish and Baptist, converted to Catholicism.

I graduated from St. Patrick Grade School and St. Joseph Academy in Green Bay. During high school, I worked at St. Vincent Hospital to earn money for my tuition and to learn if nursing was to be my profession.

While attending Catholic schools and being taught by religious Sisters, I witnessed the example of the Sisters, which led to my consideration of religious life. The consideration was confirmed when one evening when I was watching my younger siblings, I encouraged them to say their bedtime prayers. It was at this moment that I sensed that God was leading me to the next chapter of my life.

Having met the Hospital Sisters at St. Vincent Hospital, I entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on February 2, 1951, and I professed my first vows on October 4, 1953. In 1957, I earned a diploma from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing (Springfield, Illinois) and two years later a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Fontbonne College (St. Louis, Missouri). In addition, I completed an internship in dietetics in 1960 at Saint Mary’s Hospital (Rochester, Minnesota) and I earned a master’s degree in Community Health Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, Illinois) in 1978. I am grateful to have received an education that assisted me in my ministries in nursing, dietetics, home nursing, hospice nursing, parish ministry, organizational development, and as a missionary in Haiti. For many years, I have been active in programs on the issues of peace and justice and continue to do so.

Since 2001, I have resided in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and I currently volunteer at the Green Bay hospitals of HSHS St. Vincent Hospital, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, along with HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital (Sheboygan, Wisconsin), and HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital (Oconto Falls, Wisconsin). I am pleased to witness the ways in which our colleagues continue the mission in their care for patients, families, and each other. The future of our healthcare ministry is in good hands.

Since July 2024, I reside with the Sisters at St.Francis Convent, Springfield, Illinois.

Sister M. Bernwardis Kolberg

My story of life

In September 1939, the beginning of World War II, I was born in Hamm in Westphalia. I was the sixth child. My brothers and sisters, two girls and three boys, were loyal companions to me; for they always knew what was good for their little sister.

Due to the turmoil of war during the time of National Socialism, my father lost his job in Dortmund. My uncle in Stuttgart got him an adequate job as a master electrician and found a home for our family. After a few months, my mother died of an insidious illness. How could things go on?

My father’s friend told him about a widow in Gladbeck, who had lost her husband and two sons in the war and who now lived alone in a timbered house. The house had a garden and a wonderful environment. A year after my mother’s death, they married. We got a wonderful home and so I experienced a carefree childhood despite the years of war. However, there were frightening moments, such as the alarm siren, often as full alarm, which meant that we all had to spend the next few hours and sometimes days in the bunker.

The day of my First Holy Communion is a special memory for me. As a gift, I got a book about the life of the little St. Theresa. The content of this book touched me deeply. Even today, I remember looking for a quiet hiding place in the garden to read it. At that time the wish arose: I would like to enter a convent one day.

After my educational years, the question of a professional training arose. For us young women, there were only 3 professions to choose from: Hairdressing, office and sales. I decided to pursue an apprenticeship as a saleswoman. Soon I realized that this probably did not align with my inclinations.

My mother decided, I should first acquire knowledge in housekeeping. I began a 3-year education in Oberhausen at a private housekeeping school run by the Arenberg Dominican Sisters. It was a good time, during which my desire to become a religious sister became stronger and stronger. After this time, I completed a practical training in preparation for an apprenticeship as a housekeeper. This education at the Hildegardis School in Münster was a final point in finding a profession; for I had found a profession that gave me joy.

Having lived away from my parents’ home for five years, I found myself searching for a job in Gladbeck. The opportunity arose when I applied for a position in the diet kitchen at St. Barbara Hospital, a facility with approximately 500 beds and numerous specialized departments. To my delight, I was accepted.

This hospital was unique not only for its size but also for the presence of 50 “Mauritzer” Franciscan Sisters who dedicated themselves primarily to nursing care.

This job was a perfect fit for me at the time. It allowed me to be close to my parents while I was searching for my path toward a fulfilling future.

Entrance into the Congregation

After 3 years I decided to enter the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Münster in 1962. The postulancy and novitiate period was a carefree and beautiful time. As it was customary in our Congregation, we learned the practice of nursing after our first profession of vows. After completing my nursing exam, I pursued my education as a dietician.

In 1968, the time of probation in my professional life began. For 4 months I worked at St. Bernhard Hospital in Kamp-Lintfort.

Afterwards, I moved to St. Josefs-Hospital in Bremerhaven. Both the life with 35 Sisters in the convent, and the work as a dietician aligned completely with my ideas. In June 1969, I got a new assignment in Münster in the dietician school.

In 1970, I professed my perpetual vows. A few months later the General Chapter took place in the Motherhouse. At this Chapter, Sr. M. Barthola, the Director of the Dietetic School at that time, was elected General Superior. This made my world collaps, since the direction of the school was entrusted to me from now on.

For about 10 years I asked myself: How can I get out of here? In a retreat, the words of the Gospel according to John touched me deeply: “Because without me you can do nothing!” My heart widened. I went back to my ministry with renewed energy.

A new phase of my life began in 1997 when I was elected to the Provincial Council during the Provincial Chapter. This marked the start of a new journey, one that called me to explore a different path.

Up until that point, my work had primarily focused on engaging with younger people – a role that brought both joy and growth. However, this new chapter shifted my focus to walking alongside the Sisters, supporting and growing with them in their ministry.

Adapting to this new role was a gradual process, but step by step, I grew into the responsibilities it entailed.

In 2010, at the age of 70, after my time in the provincial leadership, I was given the ministry as Motherhouse Superior. During this time, I became more and more aware that listening, really listening, is more important than giving all kinds of advice.

In 2016, I experienced a wonderfully unwinding period at St. Joseph’s House in Seppenrade, which, however, ended in 2017 with a new request to go to the Convent Maria-Hilf-St. Rochus as Superior. Telgte was very unfamiliar to me, since I originally belonged to the Rhineland-Westphalian Province. After the death of Sister M. Theovita, a secular director had already been appointed. I was responsible for the spiritual guidance of the Sisters. I gave my “YES” to this. In the beginning the convent numbered 41 Sisters. Since we were not a nursing home, gradually many Sisters moved to a nursing home for the elderly because they needed care. At present, 16 Sisters live in our convent.

Now I am facing the day of great expectation. What will it be like when I face the Lord? I trust that my lifelong search has a final destination. I conclude these thoughts with a word from Eduard Mörike:

In Him all beginning
who reigns, ever spinning,
the moons’, suns’ and planets’
celestial parade.
You, Father, you counsel!
Be guide and defence!
Lord, into Thy hands
beginning and end,
the whole world be laid.

Sister M. Respicia Heitkamp

Geschichte von Schwester M. Respicia Heidkamp, erzählt im Interwiew anlässlich ihres 75. Professjubiläums im 100. Jahr ihres Lebens:

„Dass kaum jemand weiß, was ein Kronjuwelenjubiläum bedeutet, hat seinen Grund: Fast niemand erreicht es. Es setzt 75 Jahre tiefe Verbundenheit voraus. So wie bei Schwester M. Respicia. Die Mauritzer Franziskanerin hat alles erlebt – strenge Regeln, Heimweh, Krieg. Und noch viel mehr dies: einen Glauben, den nichts erschüttert.

Tage wie diese. Sie müssten erfunden werden, wenn es sie nicht gäbe. Zunächst der Sonntag. Schwester M. Respicia hat die Prozession der 44 Jubilarinnen der Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen angeführt. An der Seite der Provinzoberin schritt die 99-Jährige kaum merklich auf ihren Rollator gestützt durch den Mittelgang in die Klosterkirche. „Es war so erfüllend“, sagt sie. Ein Tag im Hier und Jetzt und gleichzeitig auf einer langen Zeitreise. Erinnerungen strahlten wie Blitzlichter auf. Die Kindheit in Osterfeine. Ihre Mutter im Gipsbett. Bombennächte in Cloppenburg. Mörtel von Steinen im fast zerstörten Mutterhaus klopfen und gleichzeitig für die Krankenpflege-Prüfung lernen. Stationen in Marl, in Seppenrade. Und immer wieder er, Gott, bei dem sie sich aufgehoben fühlt wie nirgends sonst.

„Das Leben ist wie ein Film an mir vorbeigezogen“, sagt sie. Schwester M. Respicia (das M. steht bei allen Ordensfrauen für Maria) hat drei Tage nach dem Jubiläum am Tisch eines Wohnzimmers des Altenheims der Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen Platz genommen. Das Fest ist noch nicht vorbei. In zwei Stunden erwartet sie Besuch von ihrer Nichte aus München. Einen Tag später kommen alle anderen Nichten und Neffen ihrer Familie, um mit einer Frau zu feiern, die in ihrem Leben viele Menschen beeindruckt hat. Christiane Schlemmer kennt sie seit mehr als 20 Jahren. „Ich bin nie einem anderen Menschen begegnet, der so positiv denkt wie Schwester Respicia. Keinem, der nie aufgehört hat, sich zu bilden und weiter zu gehen“, sagt die sogenannte Betreuungskraft. 99 außerordentliche Jahre.

Sie beginnen für Maria Heidkamp in Osterfeine. Ihr Vater ist Dachdecker, die Mutter kümmert sich um Kinder, Haushalt und kleine Landwirtschaft. Sie ist liebevoll – und schwer krank. Ein halbes Jahr lang muss sie im Gipsbett liegen. Maria unterbricht die Schule und übernimmt die Aufgaben der Mutter. Sie hat fünf Geschwister, der jüngste Bruder ist zwei Jahre und sie selbst 13 Jahre alt. „Ich habe das nicht als Belastung empfunden. Es hat mir Freude gemacht“, sagt sie. Seine Zukunft malt sich das junge Mädchen mit einer großen Familie aus. Viele Kinder, am besten gleich ein Dutzend – das ist es, wovon sie träumt.

Vier Jahre später schiebt sich immer hartnäckiger ein anderes Bild vor ihren Zukunftstraum. Ein Leben in einer Ordensgemeinschaft, ein Leben mit Gott, für Gott. „Der Gedanke kam zunächst zwischendurch und dann immer häufiger“, erzählt sie. Und schließlich verdrängt er den anderen. Sprechen kann sie mit niemandem darüber, erst recht nicht mit der Mutter, die sie braucht und die sie nicht enttäuschen will. Die Sehnsucht jedoch nach einem Leben im Kloster ist größer.

Maria Heidkamp kommt der Entscheidung auf der Suche nach dem Orden, der zu ihr passt, näher. Sie ist Auszubildende in der Küche eines Krankenhauses der Franziskanerinnen in Cloppenburg. Die Bombennächte sind kurz und erfüllt von Angst. Die Patienten liegen Bett an Bett geschoben im Keller. Maria Heidkamp teilt einen winzigen Kellerraum mit den anderen Auszubildenden. Die einen liegen auf Matratzen auf dem Tisch, der das Zimmer fast vollständig ausfüllt, die anderen darunter.

Die Entscheidung ist getroffen. Maria Heidkamp ist Novizin der Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen und legt 1948 ihre Profess ab. Anfangs schläft sie mit 68 anderen Frauen in einem Saal, später – nach dem Wiederaufbau des Mutterhauses – teilt sie ein Zimmer mit zwei anderen Ordensmitgliedern. Sie heißt nun Schwester M. Respicia, ist glücklich, doch das Heimweh zerrt an ihr. Die Regeln sind streng: „Ich durfte mein Elternhaus nie wieder betreten.“ 1949 unternimmt sie ihren ersten Urlaub. Ihr Ziel ist das Erholungsheim des Ordens in Kroge. „In Osnabrück gab es eine Durchsage im Zug. Ich sollte herauskommen“, erzählt sie und lächelt in der Erinnerung an ihren zwei Jahre älteren Bruder, der auf dem Bahnsteig stand, verschwörerisch lachte und sie zu einem Auto führte. „Ich fahre dich“, sagt er. Kurze Zeit später hält er unerwartet vor ihrem Elternhaus. Schwester M. Respicia ist glücklich – und verzweifelt. Es ist ihr doch verboten, das Haus zu betreten. Die Familie findet eine Lösung. Die junge Frau bleibt im Auto, kurbelt das Fenster herunter und saugt die Gespräche und den Anblick ihrer Familie in sich auf. Doch erst nach dem Tod ihrer Mutter endet das Heimweh.
Die Regeln lockern sich. Familienbesuche werden möglich, das Ordenskleid und der Schleier bequemer. Anfangs ist er weiß, bedeckt Stirn und straff gespannt Teile der Wangen. Der Orden diskutiert, die Meinungen sind gespalten, die Mehrheit jedoch begrüßt den Wechsel zum ins Haar gezogenen Schleier.

Schwester M. Respicia arbeitet lange und gern. Mit 90 Jahren tritt sie in den Ruhestand – nach Jahrzehnten, in denen sie Einrichtungen des Ordens als Krankenpflegerin, Erzieherin und Betreuerin in einem Erholungshaus der Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen zur Verfügung stand. „Ich kann gar nicht dankbar genug sein“, sagt sie. „Ich lebe gern und genieße die Natur. Und ich freue mich, wenn ich das Leben abbreche und ganz bei Gott bin.““