Born: March 18, 1935 Entrance: August 11, 1956 Professed: May 3, 1959 Died: July 8, 2026
With complete trust, our Sister entrusted her earthly life to God and followed Him on the path to the new life, Sister M. Adelgera, née Maria Herzig, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Into your hands I entrust my spirit with complete trust. You have redeemed me, O faithful God.
(Psalm 31:6)
Our Sister, Maria Herzig, was born in Scheibe, in the Glatz region, the daughter of a farmer. In 1946, her family was expelled from Silesia and moved to Ostfriesland, where Maria spent her last years of schooling. She herself said that those years were the hardest of her life. Afterwards, she worked at Borromäus Hospital in Leer, first in the kitchen and later as a nurse, until she responded to God’s call by entering our Congregation. She was deeply grateful to her parents for their loving care and protection during their flight and as they settled into life in Ostfriesland.
Sister M. Adelgera also found this sense of security in God throughout her entire life; she served Him as a nun for seventy years, beginning in 1956.
Her love for her homeland never faded. She enthusiastically participated in the regular meetings of the Glatz Association in Telgte, where she drew much strength for her faith and her life. Until the very end, she maintained her bonds with the people of Silesia, especially with her fellow Silesian Sisters. A few days before her death, she received a visit from Sister M. Maximiliana, the Polish Provincial Superior, and from Sister M. Alexandra, who were in Münster for the International Archivists’ Conference. During their visit, she inquired about all the Sisters and asked them to convey her special greetings.
Sister M. Adelgera worked for many years in the intensive care unit at St. Bernhard Hospital in Kamp-Lintfort before being transferred to St. Heriburg House in Münster in 1994 to care for her elderly fellow Sisters, and look after the chapel. Now she has been able to return her life into God’s hands.
We bid Sister M. Adelgera a grateful farewell. We remember her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist, and remain united with her in sisterly love. On Monday, July 13, 2026, we will bid farewell to Sister M. Adelgera during the Holy Eucharistic celebration at 2p.m. in the Motherhouse Church and then accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery.
Born: November 27, 1943 Entrance: May 5, 1967 Professed: October 28, 1969 Died: July 1, 2026
After a long illness, God took our Sister by the hand and called her to be with Him in heaven, Sister M. Margrith, née Gerda van Beeck, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
God has written us in His hand, and God’s hands are good hands.
(Cardinal Höffner)
Sister M. Margrith was born in Heessen, which is now part of Hamm, and completed her home economics training with the Sisters of Providence. She joined our community at the age of 24 and completed her paediatric nursing training at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster.
She then moved to Lichtenvoorde in the Netherlands, where she worked on the paediatric ward. After returning to Germany, she undertook further training in community nursing at Arenberg near Koblenz, subsequently working in outpatient nursing in Friesoythe.
Subsequently, in Borghorst and Dorsten, she undertook housekeeping duties and cared for residential homes. She is particularly well-remembered for her organ and harmonium playing, with which she accompanied church services.
Following the dissolution of the convent in Dorsten, she became a resident of a retirement home. Initially, she lived at St. Heriburg-Haus in Münster, but due to renovations, she relocated to St. Franziskus-Haus in Nordwalde.
Sister M. Margrith returned her life to God late on the evening of the 182 anniversary of the foundation of our Congregation. She was the 7,228th Sister of the German Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and had made her perpetual vows 51 years ago. She now celebrates this feast in heaven with the Sisters who have gone before her.
We bid farewell to Sister M. Margrith with gratitude. Through prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist, we remain united with her in sisterly love. On Tuesday July 7, 2026 at 10 a.m., we will celebrate a Resurrection Mass for her at St. Franziskus-Haus in Nordwalde, after which we will bid her farewell at the parish cemetery, where she will be laid to rest. Afterwards, we can share our memories over coffee at St Franziskus-Haus
Born: March 8, 1940 Entrance: August 12, 1965 Professed: May 3, 1968 Died: June 19, 2026
In the early morning hours, the kind and merciful God called our Sister home to eternity, Sister M. Gerburgis, née Hedwig Ungruh, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
When morning came, Jesus was standing on the shore.
(John 21:4)
Sister M. Gerburgis was born in Hörstel-Ostenwalde and grew up there with her four siblings. At the age of twenty-five, she entered our congregation. She trained as a pediatric nurse and worked on pediatric wards in Ahlen and at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster. After qualifying as a nursing manager, she headed the ward for school-age children. She always maintained good contact with her former colleagues.
In 1991, she became the convent superior in Gladbeck and also took on pastoral duties at the hospital, for which she had qualified through training in Munich. Later, she moved to the hospital in Leer, and then to Ahaus. After the convent was dissolved, she returned to the Motherhouse, where she served at the reception desk there until her serious illness made that impossible.
From 2001 to 2006, she was a Provincial Councilor and shared responsibility for the German Sisters.
Some time ago, she required dialysis. As her illness progressed, she drew parallels between her own situation and that of her mother, who had also suffered from kidney disease; she therefore knew what lay ahead. She walked her path to the very end with full awareness and self-determination. On her final morning, she stated that she no longer wished to undergo dialysis and wanted to transition to palliative care. That evening, she asked for the Anointing of the Sick, a sacrament she participated in consciously. A few hours later, she passed away peacefully in the presence of the Indian Sisters who served at the Heriburg-Haus. To die so peacefully was the wish she had always expressed.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Gerburgis. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember her and remain united with her in sisterly love.
On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, we will celebrate the Resurrection Mass at 2 p.m., in the Motherhouse Church, after which we will accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery. Afterward, we can share our memories of her over coffee at the Motherhouse.
Münster, June 22, 2026.Dr. Heiner Wilmer is the new Bishop of Münster. The service marking his inauguration was celebrated on June 21 in the packed St. Paul’s Cathedral in Münster. This was followed by a celebration on Cathedral Square. Wilmer is the 77th Bishop of Münster and the 76th successor to the diocese’s founder, St. Liudger, who became the first Bishop of Münster in 805.
The installation ceremony began with the presentation of the papal letter of appointment to Cathedral Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen and its verification by the Cathedral Chapter. The document was then solemnly presented to all those present and read aloud in German translation.
Afterward, the Cathedral Provost addressed Bishop Heiner, saying:
We are pleased to confirm that you are the rightful Bishop of Münster.
Afterward, the bishop’s crozier from the statue of St. Liborius was presented to Bishop Emeritus Dr. Felix Genn, who passed it on to the 76th successor of St. Liudger with the words: “Receive the crozier of St. Liudger. Care for the Church of Münster; care for the entire flock of Christ. May the Holy Spirit, who has appointed you as bishop, help you to guide the People of God.” In accordance with a custom dating back to the 17th century, this staff was removed from the statue at the beginning of the sede vacante. It will be returned to the statue during the Pontifical Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, on June 29, 2026.
Equipped with the crosier, Bishop Heiner was led to the cathedra by the Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, and took his seat there.
Wilmer 1
Representatives of the clergy, religious orders, and various groups within the pastoral region expressed their willingness to collaborate with the new bishop. On behalf of all congregations in the Diocese of Münster, Sister M. Margarete Ulager, General Superior of the International Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, issued the following statement:
We religious take great joy in living and working in the Diocese of Münster. Today we ask for your trust. We look forward to a fruitful, fraternal collaboration with you in serving the people of our diocese.
In his homily, Bishop Dr. Wilmer—who has also served as chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference since February—reflected on the pilgrimage routes he had walked with various groups in the Diocese of Münster during the week leading up to his installation, linking this experience to the Gospel reading of the day, which recounts how Jesus sent out his disciples. In it, he tells them: “Whoever acknowledges me, the Father in heaven will also acknowledge.” Bishop Wilmer emphasized: “To acknowledge means to be in harmony with God—and to make that visible.” Especially in today’s turbulent times, he said, the question arises as to whom one belongs to and whom one acknowledges. “To profess means to orient oneself. To anchor oneself. Not to hide,” he said. “Living examples” have included “prophetic voices” from people who came from the Diocese of Münster, such as Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), Maria Droste zu Vischering (1863–1899), and Sister Maria Euthymia (1914–1955), who was beatified in 2001. “Sister Maria Euthymia embodies the resounding silence of the prophetic voice and courageous action,” Bishop Wilmer emphasized.
Greetings were delivered by the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst; the Mayor of Münster, Tilman Fuchs; the Vice Chair of the German Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Dr. Michael Gerber of Fulda; and Brigitte Lehmann and Ulrich Vollmer on behalf of the Diocesan Committee of Catholics in the Diocese of Münster. The service was accompanied by music from the Cathedral Music Choirs under the direction of Cathedral Music Director Alexander Lauer and Cathedral Cantor Verena Schürmann. Cathedral Organist Thomas Schmitz played the organ, accompanied by the STRINGent & Freunde orchestra.
With moving words and in many different languages, Bishop Dr. Heiner Wilmer thanked God and all those who had accompanied him on his journey thus far and who had welcomed him so joyfully in Münster. “I look forward to being with you!” he exclaimed in conclusion, ending his words of thanks with a Westphalian “Chut chaon!”
After the new bishop’s ceremonial procession, a large celebration took place on Cathedral Square.
Conclusion of the International Archives Conference
Münster, June 19, 2026.At the conclusion of the first International Archives Conference today, the diverse impressions and outcomes of the week were summarized, and the course was set for future archival work within the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis —both at the various locations and internationally.
The final day of the International Archives Conference began with a Mass celebrated by Prof. Father Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig, O.Carm., in both German and English. In his homily, Father Michael took up the theme of the Gospel and described gratitude as an important and highly relevant attitude, one that is also expressed in the words of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Gratitude enriches life.” He emphasized that the Congregation’s greatest treasure lies in the personal—in our relationship with God, in our Sisters and staff, and in the legacies of all the Sisters whose stories are preserved in the archives.
The spiritual reflection from the Indian Province consisted of a meditation in text and images on the theme of roots. Just as trees are held and nourished by invisible roots, so too can we humans experience a fulfilling, joyful life through strong roots. “Like St. Francis, our founder, Father Christoph Bernsmeyer, was convinced that the strength of consecrated life does not come from external success, but from hearts deeply rooted in Christ and the Gospel,” explained Sister M. Johncy, Provincial Superior of the Indian Province. “As members of our Congregation, we are called to connect ourselves to these strong roots.”
The main focus of the day’s work was to evaluate all the information and insights from the Archives Conference and to jointly develop a strategy for the future of archival work within the international Congregation. The participants unanimously reported that they had gained new perspectives on the great importance and complexity of archival work and were taking valuable theoretical and practical knowledge back to their respective home countries—along with many ideas on how archival work can be organized locally in the future. They also emphasized how valuable the in-person gathering and international networking were for them.
An important outcome of the conference is the joint decision to establish an international working group dedicated to shaping the future of archival work within the Congregation. “One goal will also be to develop binding common criteria for our archives,” said Superior General Sister M. Margarete. “At the same time, we must also ask: What is different at each location, and should remain that way?”
“My heart is filled with two great emotions,” said General Treasurer and Archivist Sister M. Beata Kapica, “gratitude toward God, and the courageous spirit of renewal needed to actively shape the upcoming challenges. Let us continue on this new path courageously and hand in hand.”
In closing, Sister M. Beata thanked the moderators, all contributors and participants, as well as everyone who worked behind the scenes to ensure the success of the first International Archives Conference—the interpreters, the team at Marienhaus, and the Generalate team.
Sister M. Johncy, Provincial Superior of the Indian Province, spoke on behalf of the international delegations, participants, and guests to express her heartfelt thanks to Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager, General Treasurer Sister M. Beata Kapica, and the team at the Generalate for organizing this informative and forward-looking conference. “This was a wonderful start to our continued work together,” she emphasized. “We look forward to the next steps.”
In addition to a wealth of information and inspiration, everybody also took home the latest issue of the Congregations international magazine, TauNews.
The Generalate Sisters and team bid a warm farewell to all participants of the first International Archives Conference and wish everyone a safe and blessed journey home, a restful weekend—and an inspiring read.
Münster, June 18, 2026. What considerations must be taken into account regarding digitization and data protection in archival work? This complex topic was the focus of today’s International Archival Conference hosted by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis.
The fourth day of the archival conference began with a keynote address from the Japanese Province. “The Lord’s mercy never ends”: With this central message, Provincial Superior Sister Maria Fidelis Furukawa referred to Psalm 136 and presented the participants with a video featuring meditative texts, photos, and music, which had been created by the Vietnamese Sisters of the Province.
In the morning, Lennart Metken, Deputy Director of the Diocesan Archives of Münster, spoke about the diverse digital challenges in archival work and presented options for organizing archives as well as for digitizing paper and photographic documents. Even simple measures, such as standardizing the naming conventions for photos and documents and ensuring they reflect their content, can significantly improve the discoverability of archival materials.
Frank Kunz, the Generalate’s Data Protection Officer, received a warm round of applause right at the start of his presentation when he welcomed all international participants in their respective languages—German, English, Polish, Japanese, and Hindi. He provided a comprehensive and clear explanation of the origins, purpose, and fundamental legal aspects of data protection. “People are at the heart of data protection,” he emphasized, noting that the churches play a pioneering role in data protection: “The history of data protection began with the seal of confession, which was established in 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council.” In principle, according to Frank Kunz, the disclosure of personal data is not permitted; however, there are exceptions, for example, in a professional context and also in archival work. He recommended building trust through transparency in data processing, and by data minimization.
Lennart MetkenFrank Kunz
A break in the presentations was used to honor several anniversaries: The participants congratulated Sister M. Maksymiliana Pilarska, Provincial Superior of the Polish Province, on her 25th anniversary of religious profession; Sister M. Marianne Kamlage, Provincial Vicaress of the German Province, on her 40th anniversary of religious profession; and Sister Maria Fidelis Furukawa, Provincial Superior of the Japanese Province, on her Golden Jubilee. Also honored were Brian Blasco, Director of Communications and Archivist of the U.S. Canonical House for 30 years of service to the Sisters in the U.S.A., and Rolf Lehmann, who has served as an interpreter for the international Congregation for 50 years.
Finally, General Councilor Sister M. Lima Arackal and General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager reported on the successful completion of the revision of the General Constitutions.
In the evening, amid midsummer temperatures, all participants in the archives conference were invited to a barbecue at the Motherhouse. Special guests included the chairpersons of the St. Franziskus Foundation as well as representatives from St. Franziskus Hospital and from the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Münster, June 17, 2026. The participants and guests of the International Archival Conference visited Gerleve Benedictine Abbey today and gained a wide range of insights into the life and work of the monks. Between the communal celebration of the Eucharist in the morning and midday prayer in the monastery church, the Benedictines guided the participants through the library and the archives, the bookbinding workshop, and the cloistered section of the monastery garden. Lunch at the monastery restaurant rounded out the visit before the group boarded the bus back to the motherhouse in Münster.
Shortly before nine o’clock, Abbot Andreas Werner, OSB, warmly welcomed the international guests from Münster and led them into the monastery church for the morning celebration of the Eucharist, which was presided over by the priests and accompanied by Latin chants. Afterward, the participants were divided into three groups and guided through the monastery and the surrounding park.
Father Bartholomäus Denz, OSB, gave the visitors from Münster a tour of the archives of the abbey, which was founded in 1899, and also explained his work in the bookbinding workshop. To mark the 100th anniversary of Gerleve Abbey, Father Bartholomäus personally compiled a chronicle of the abbey covering the years 1899–1998, and produced a print run of ten copies. A necrology containing the biographies of the deceased brothers, along with an accompanying volume with their photos also originated from his workshop.
Father Daniel Hörnemann, OSB, provided a glimpse into the monastery library, which contains some 250,000 books and journals, primarily on theology. The oldest fragment in the library dates back to the 9th century, and there are about 3,000 works from before 1800. The smallest book preserved there is smaller than a thumbnail and is kept, along with the necessary magnifying glass, in a lined casket measuring approximately four by four centimeters.
Brother Michael Brun, OSB—who joined the Order in 1984 and has been responsible for the green spaces on the abbey’s 64-hectare grounds since 1988—led the tour through the cloister garden, a 30-morgen parkland. The wonderful tree population dates back to Abbot Father Raphael, who was the first abbot in Gerleve from 1906 to 1948. At the time of his entry into the order, Brother Michael reported, there were also fruit and vegetable gardens where 20 monks worked at that time.
After taking all these impressions in, the participants had the opportunity to shop for cards, books, devotional items, and locally produced jams and pastries in the abbey’s visitor’s shop, and then enjoy lunch, coffee, and cake at the monastery restaurant. Everyone agreed: It was a very successful outing with many wonderful encounters and fascinating insights into the life and work of the monks. “We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the Benedictines of Gerleve and their wonderful team for their great hospitality and the many inspiring experiences,” said Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager on behalf of all participants at the International Archives Conference.
Münster, June 16, 2026. Today, the international archival conference of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis focused on technical aspects of archival work and collegial exchange. Dr. Heinz Mestrup, director of the Diocesan Archives of Münster, and representatives from AUGIAS-Data GmbH—whose archival software is used in the Generalate’s archives—were invited as guest speakers. Conference participants gained interesting insights into the work being done on-site through a visit to the Generalate archives at the Motherhouse, and a presentation by Generalate archivist Marie Brandl.
The day’s session began with an opening address by Sister M. Marianne Kammlage, Provincial Vicaress of the German Province. Sister M. Marianne referred to the motto of the last Provincial Chapter, “Pilgrims of Hope,” and reminded everyone that all the Sisters of the Congregation are pilgrims with a long shared history, in which every single Sister is important. “How we think and act today, in the here and now, determines what new memories we create for the future,” she said.
Dr. Heinz Mestrup, Director of the Diocesan Archives of Münster, explained the significance of Congregational archives for his institution. “The Diocesan Archives have already taken over the archives of several congregations,” he explained, noting that a regional connection to the religious community is important for such a takeover. Other aspects of his presentation included the necessary preparatory work and the legal framework for potential takeovers.
Henning Ruppel, M.Sc. in Physics, one of the managing directors of AUGIAS-Data GmbH in Senden, and his colleague Jürgen Markert, who works in consulting and product development, presented the archiving software “Augias Archiv X” and described product enhancements the company is currently working on. These included applications of AI and cloud solutions that are of interest to organizations with multiple locations.
In the afternoon, Marie Brandl, archivist at the Generalate’s archives, explained the core tasks of archival work and described numerous helpful measures for protecting archival materials—ranging from climate control in archive rooms to fire safety measures and protection against mold and insects.
Finally, the participants discussed the wide range of information and insights gained from the expert presentations and outlined the questions and tasks that will arise for their future work at their respective locations.
Some impressions of the day:
Morning address by Sister M. Marianne Kammlage, Provincial Vicar of the German ProvincePresentation by Dr. Heinz Mestrup, Director of the Diocesan Archives of MünsterVisiting the Generalate Archive in the MotherhouseThe Generalate’s archives team with the international delegations at the archives conferenceThe participants, guests, and interpreters at the archives conference
June 15, 2026. Today marked the opening of the first International Archives Conference of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis with a solemn Eucharistic celebration—a votive Mass to the Holy Spirit—in the Motherhouse Church, followed by the first day of sessions at the Marienhaus in Münster. The event highlighted not only the great importance of archival work for the international Congregation but also the wide range of topics and challenges facing the archives at the sisters’ locations around the world.
At the Marienhaus, the participants and guests of the archival conference were warmly welcomed by Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager and Sister M. Diethilde Bövingloh, Superior of the German Province. The conference is being moderated by Cathedral Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen and Prof. Dr. Margaret Nemann.
In her introductory lecture, Sister M. Margarete explained the great importance of archival work for the international Congregation, which is expressed in the conference’s motto: “Preserving yesterday for tomorrow today.” Among the conference’s objectives are to gather information on the status of archival work at the various international locations, to exchange views on local challenges, and to jointly decide how the Congregation’s heritage should be managed in the future. “To fulfill this great task, it is also helpful and important for all participants to get to know one another personally and build a vibrant network,” said Sister M. Margarete, thanking the international delegations for making the journey, some of which involved traveling great distances.
Prof. Fr. Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig, O.Carm., Spiritual Director of the international religious community, explained in his keynote address the spiritual dimension of archival work and the importance of a reflective and also critical culture of remembrance, to which archives make an important contribution.
Sister M. Beata Kapica, General Treasurer and Archivist of the Generalate, introduced the substantive work of the Archives Conference. “Archival work is a valuable service to the community’s memory,” she emphasized. “Together we safeguard the heritage entrusted to us—and together we want to give our history a future.”
In the afternoon, delegates and archivists from the international locations and the Generalate provided insights into their work. It became clear how varied the challenges are, resulting not only from historical developments but also from local cultural and climatic conditions.
Some impressions of the day:
Opening MassModerators and leadershipMorning welcome and keynote speechesReport from the Indian ProvinceReport from the Japan ProvinceThe interpreters in their boothsOur Sisters from PolandReports in the afternoonsTime for exchangeA view of the meeting room
Born: February 22, 1939 Entrance: February 3, 1962 Professed: October 28, 1964 Died: June 13, 2026
Our dear Sister was confident that Jesus is alive. She was also certain that she would live with him. She entrusted her life back into God’s hands, Sister M. Edelbertis, née Ludwine Gevers, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Jesus lives, and so do I! That is my confidence.
Ludwine Gevers was born the eleventh of thirteen children in Vreden-Dömern, near the Dutch border, into a devout Catholic family. Ludwine received her First Communion in the year that her elder sister, our fellow Sister M. Nicasia, entered our Congregation. In 1960, Sister M. Christhild also entered the Congregation, and Sister Friedburga joined the Sisters of St. Clement. Ludwine was the last to become a religious Sister and was given the name Sister M. Edelbertis.
After completing her nursing training, Sister M. Edelbertis fell seriously ill, an illness that would accompany and shape her life. Her superiors understood her situation and subsequently assigned her to administrative duties, the reception area, and in the desk of patient admissions.
She herself writes: “Through my long periods of absence and health limitations, I have been able to learn what it is like for people during such times of illness or other infirmities when they are received with understanding and kindness, especially in the hospital.”
In her free time, Sister M. Edelbertis enjoyed painting. Her nature paintings hang in the motherhouse, among other places, and delight those who view them. She said: “Even though I don’t see myself as a great artist, I find fulfillment and contentment in this as well.” Her recipe for a happy life was simple: “Keep the faith, don’t lose hope, pray for good health, and be thankful for everything that is experienced so far.”
We bid farewell to Sister M. Edelbert with gratitude. We keep her in our prayers and in our celebrations of the Eucharist, and we remain united with her in sisterly love.
On Wednesday, June 17, we will bid farewell to Sister M. Edelbertis. The Resurrection Mass wil be held at 2pm in the Motherhouse Church, after which we will accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery. Afterward, we can share our memories of her over coffee at the Motherhouse.
Münster, June 12, 2026. “Preserving yesterday for tomorrow, today”: This is the motto of the first International Archives Conference of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, which will take place in Münster from June 15–19, 2026, at the invitation of the General Administration of the international Congregation.
Among the approximately 50 participants are the superiors and heads of the archives at the Generalate and at the locations in Germany, Poland, the USA, Japan, and India. Today, the delegations from Poland and Japan were warmly welcomed at the Motherhouse in Münster; participants from the USA and India are expected tomorrow.
“Preserving our historical heritage is far more than a purely administrative task: it is a service to the memory of our community and the history of each country, as well as a testimony to our work in the world,” explains General Treasurer Sister M. Beata Kapitza, who is responsible for the Generalate Archives and is chairing the conference. “To fulfill this mission in a timely and professional manner, we would like to exchange ideas on current standards, challenges, and best-practice examples during this international conference.” In addition to reports from the various order archives, the program includes presentations by external experts as well as a tour of the archive at the Gerleve convent.
“The documentation of our international Congregation and the examination of our history demonstrate impressively how archival work can build bridges,” explains General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager. “We are very much looking forward to exchanging ideas on this important topic with our guests from all over the world.”
The international conference has been in preparation for several months by the Sisters and the Generalate team. The conference hall has now been fully equipped for the event—including the interpreter booths. All presentations will be available in German, English, Polish, and Japanese.
When I look at the path of my vocation I see that it was a process. When I was a teenager my grandfather, whom I loved and who was close to me, died. At the time I did not understand the meaning of the loss; rebellion arose and I stopped going to Church. This lasted for two years. On my path of life appeared a boy. I was delighted with his family, their authenticity and mutual love, which flowed from living participation in the life of the Church. One day he suggested that I go with him to a formation meeting of the World-Life Movement (Oasis), I resisted this internally, but after some time I agreed. I remember to this day from that meeting the radiant faces of those people and the incredible joy on their faces. Then I thought “I want to do that too…”. I went to my parish and in front of the image of Jesus the Merciful I said: “If you exist – prove it to me!” I was invited by the Oasis to a five day retreat, where I experienced the immense grace of hugging Jesus with love in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.
I undertook formation in Oasis, which influenced the development of my spiritual life. I began to participate daily in the Eucharist, to study the Word of God, to enter more deeply into a friendly relationship with Jesus. At one of the Oasis retreats there was a passage from the Gospel according to St. Mark to ponder, in which the words “Follow me…” stopped me hard and struck me these words worked very much in me and thoughts of joining a Congregation arose.
But I diligently rejected these thoughts, explaining to Jesus that, after all, I had a boyfriend. Another year passed, and this desire intensified to be exclusively there for Jesus. I was at another retreat, where in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament I heard in my heart “It is I who loves you…”, a stream of tears flowed from my eyes. But I continued to tell myself that I only imagined this vocation.
Over the next year, Jesus admonished gently in various ways. I felt in my heart that I wanted immensely to be there all for Him, but I didn’t know for sure if this came from Him. And so I decided to part ways with my boyfriend to discern the vocation for yet another year. During this time I found our congregation on the Internet. I went to Oldrzychowice Klodzkie, and being there I felt that this was it…
After many internal battles, I left a world in which I had close friends, family and Oasis with which I was strongly connected. I entrusted them all to the Lord and on October 4, 2017 I entered the pre-novitiate. It was difficult to leave my loved ones seeing their crying and despair, but the Lord gave me the strength and grace to go through it. Since the day I entered, my heart has been permeated with peace and happiness from experiencing a living relationship with the Lord Jesus and His Loving Heart. I am grateful to God for calling me and giving me the strength to answer His call.
Born: July 16, 1931 Entrance: August 9, 1952 Professed: May 3, 1955 Died: May 12, 2026
Our Sister has now been allowed to enter the great feast in heaven to praise God and thank Him for his deeds, Sister M. Norbertis, née Katharina Eggenwirth, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Enter the temple gates with song of thanksgiving,/ Enter the festive gates with songs of praise. Praise him, give thanks to him for his deeds.
(Psalm 100:4)
Sister M. Norbertis came to our Franciscan Congregation from Neuenkirchen near Wiedenbrück. After completing her nursing training at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster, she was assigned to St. Bonifatius Hospital in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. There she became a surgical and anesthesia nurse. She completed her specialized training there in the Dutch language. This language and her love for the Netherlands shaped her well into her old age.
In 1975, she returned to Germany, completed her training in outpatient care at Arenberg, and worked at the social service centers in Dortmund-Aplerbeck and Bösensell. From 2000, she lived at the convent in Stift Tilbeck, but continued to travel to Bösensell, where she took on responsibilities in the parish and in senior care. In 2015, she became a resident of St. Franziskus-Haus in Nordwalde. There, she was lovingly cared for by the lay sisters and staff until she passed away at the end of her long and fulfilling life.
We will remember Sister M. Norbertis’s radiant eyes; her openness to what was happening in the community, the Church, and politics; and her contentment. Most of all, we will remember the gratitude she expressed time and again.
We bid farewell to Sister M. Norbert with gratitude. We are united with her in sisterly love, both in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist.
On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 10.00 a.m., we will celebrate the Resurrection Mass for Sister M. Norbertis at St. Francis House in Nordwalde and then bid her farewell at the parish cemetery, where she will find her final resting place. Afterward, we can share our memories over coffee at St. Franziskus-Haus.
Born: February 3, 1933 Entrance: March 4, 1967 Professed: October 28, 1969 Died: April 21, 2026
On April 21, 2026, at the age of 93, the Lord called to Himself our dear Sister M. Casildis, née Marta Kokot, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, with songs of praise into His courts! Give thanks to him, praise his name.
(Psalm 100:4)
Sister M. Casildis was born on February 3, 1933, in Chróścice near Opole. She entered our Congregation on March 4, 1967. She made her First Profession on October 28, 1969.
Sister M. Casildis began her service in our Congregation already during her postulancy at the children’s home in Rückers (Glatz County). After her first profession, she worked primarily as a cook, and at the same time attended culinary school in Wrocław, where she earned a Masters Diploma in 1975. From then on, cooking became her passion and a means of bringing love to those to whom she was sent. The convent in Glatz-Scheibe was her final assignment. Here she cooked and prepared meals for the Sisters as long as her health permitted.
From these years of her faithful service to God, we remember Sister M. Casildis as a caring person who was devoted to those she served. She loved to joke and tell various stories from her life, which often brightened our Sisters’ gatherings. She also often spoke of her family, with whom she maintained close contact and who supported her with their love, their presence, and their prayers.
Sister M. Casildis was a great devotee of St. Anthony and St. Martha, her patron saint, whose spirit of service she embodied as a cook. In this way, she combined the attitudes of the Gospel figures Martha and Mary in her life by offering her work and her prayers to God.
In 2024, she moved to the convent of the Sisters in Groß Döbern, where the Sisters lovingly cared for her. She never parted with her rosary, for as she herself said, “it is my weapon.”
After the trials of earthly life, she was called by name and went to meet the Lord. We trust that she rejoices in His presence.
The funeral service will take place on Monday, April 27, 2026, at 11 a.m. at St. Roch’s Church in Dobrzeń Wielki. The Rosary will be prayed at 10.30 a.m.
At the Catholic Day (“Kirchentag”) in Würzburg from May 14–17, 2026, the international Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis will have a booth on the “Church Mile.”The team of Sisters from the Provinces in Germany, Poland, Japan, and India, as well as the international Generalate, will be supported by staff members from Münster.
“Our goal at the Catholic Day is to represent our international Congregation, and to engage in conversation with many people,” explain General Councilor Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker (back row, 2nd from left) and Sister M. Irmgardis Taphorn from the German Province (3rd from left), who will be reporting on the event on Instagram [@franziskanerinnenmuenster].
Anyone wishing to visit the Hospital Sisters in Würzburg will find them at booth FB-G-07 starting May 14, 2026. The motto of this year’s “Kirchentag” is “Have courage, get up!” Today, the first group of attendants received a blessing for their journey in front of the Motherhouse in Münster and set off for Würzburg.
“All our Sisters in Münster and around the world who are unable to travel to Würzburg will be with us in spirit,” the team emphasizes, “and some will also be there visually, on the two roll-up banners that will be on display at our booth.” For example, Sister M. Nichola Truong Thi Hoang Oanh from Vietnam, who has been serving as Provincial Vicaress of the Japanese Province since last October (left), as well as Sister M. Vincentia Hülskamp (with flowers), who joined the Hospital Sisters in 1963, and Sister M. Beatinis Thünemann, who recently celebrated the 65th anniversary of her profession in the Motherhouse.
Sister M. Beatinis (left) and Sister M. Vincentia are delighted that their photo will represent them – and all the Sisters who cannot travel to Würzburg – at the Catholic Day in Münster.
Born: March 13, 1938 Entrance: February 4, 1961 Professed: October 28, 1963 Died: April 25, 2026
St. Joseph, patron of the dying, accompanied our Sister on her journey to her eternal home, Sister M. Josefa, née Josefa von Wulfen, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
St. Joseph, we honor you, for God chose you to be the foster father of His Son.
(Prayer from the monastic tradition)
Sister M. Josefa came from Hollenstede in the Bersenbrück district to join our congregation. She grew up there on a farm with her siblings. Two of her siblings died in childhood, and her mother died suddenly of heart failure shortly before she entered the Congregation. Temporarily, Josefa had to take over the household. At the age of 23, she was able to enter our Congregation. She received the religious name Sister M. Ascelina at her investiture, which she later exchanged for her baptismal name, Josefa.
Sister M. Josefa trained as a nurse and housekeeper, working in several hospitals and the congregation’s own facilities. In 1998, she completed a course in pastoral care for the sick and elderly. This enabled her to expand her nursing ministry to incorporate the pastoral element.
As she herself said, Sister M. Josefa spent her happiest years, from 2007 onwards, in Lingen-Biene where she took on domestic duties in a small convent. The Sisters had grown close, forming a kind of small family unit. When the convent had to be dissolved in 2022, they returned to Münster together and moved into St. Heriburg House. Sister M. Josefa also had a good relationship with her family and always looked forward to their visits. Sister M. Josefa’s great passion was music. She played the trumpet, sang in the choir and led Breviary prayers, using her beautiful singing voice.
We bid Sister M. Josefa a grateful farewell. Like her mother, she, too, died suddenly of a heart disease. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember her and remain united with her in sisterly love.
Our special sympathy goes out to her family and to the surviving Sisters of the former convent in Lingen-Biene, Sister Angela Maria and Sister M. Emilianis. Sister M. Ancilla will be waiting for her in heaven.
On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, we will bid farewell to Sister M. Josefa at the Resurrection Mass at 2 p.m. in the Motherhouse Church and then accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery. Afterward, we can share our memories of her over coffee at the Motherhouse.
Born: March 1, 1943 Entrance: August 10, 1966 Professed: May 1, 1969 Died: April 13, 2026
Accompanied by her patron saint, Saint Joseph, our Sister journeyed to heavenly paradise in the presence of her fellow Sisters and family members, Sister M. Josefa, née Josefa Maria Thelink, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Saint Joseph, Patron saint of workers and of the dying, pray for us.
Josepha Theling was born in Schapen in the Emsland region, one of nine siblings. She grew up on her parents’ farm. One of her sisters became a Dominican nun. At the age of 23, Josefa joined our congregation. Her religious name was initially Sister M. Thekleta. Later, she resumed her baptismal name, Josefa. Saint Joseph was her faithful companion. He was close to her during her nursing training in Stadtlohn and afterward in Ramsdorf and Lohne.
Since 1977, Sister M. Josefa served as house mother to the Sisters in Seppenrade and at the Motherhouse. She was a quiet worker, just as we have learned from the tradition of Saint Joseph. She enjoyed collecting various texts that we could recite on holidays for everyone’s enjoyment. Unfortunately, due to her increasing hearing loss, she was often unable to participate in community life. This was not easy for her.
Maintaining a good relationship with her family was very important to her. She took interest in their lives and accompanied them all with her prayers.
Sister M. Josefa was delighted that the new Bishop of Münster, Heiner Wilmer, came from her hometown, Schapen. She followed his career with great pride, from his entry into the religious order to his appointment as chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference. Unfortunately, she is no longer able to attend his inauguration in Münster.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Josefa. We remember her in prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist and remain united with her in sisterly love.
On Monday, April 20, 2026, we will bid farewell to Sister M. Josefa at the Resurrection Mass at 2 p.m. in the Motherhouse Church and then accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery. Afterward, we can share our memories of her over coffee at the Motherhouse.
From Holy Thursday through Easter Vigil, Prof. Dr. Father Michael Plattig, O.Carm., celebrated the Holy Eucharist at the Motherhouse Church of the of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and has summarized for us some reflections from his homilies.
“This year, on October 4, we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. I would therefore like to draw on various texts from the saint’s Testament or the Life of St. Francis by Thomas of Celano during the services of Holy Week.
In Chapter 163 of the Life of St. Francis, Thomas of Celano writes regarding the saint’s death: “When the brothers wept bitterly and lamented inconsolably, the holy father had bread brought to him. He blessed it, broke it, and gave each one a small piece to eat. He also had the Gospel book brought and asked that the Gospel according to John be read to him from the passage where it says: ‘Before the Passover, etc.’ He recalled that most holy Last Supper which the Lord celebrated with his disciples for the last time. For in honor of that memory and as a sign of the deep love he had for his brothers, he did all this.”
As a comfort to his brothers, Francis celebrates a symbolic Last Supper, in which he breaks the bread and has the Gospel of Holy Thursday read, which we have just heard. In doing so, he enters into the Passion of Christ, which begins with the Last Supper. According to Celano, there were two reasons for this: the reverent remembrance of Christ’s Last Supper and the testimony of the love Francis had for his brothers.”
Thomas of Celano makes it clear that Francis understood the Eucharist as a meal from which a mission arises, namely to carry on the love revealed in it and to act according to Christ’s example.
In the Testament of St. Francis there is a prayer that became a daily prayer in the Franciscan tradition: “We adore you, Lord Jesus Christ, – even in all your churches throughout the world, – and we praise you, because through your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.”
Compassion for the Crucified One and for the suffering becomes a central theme of his life, until he ultimately becomes the first to bear the stigmata of Christ on his own body.
The message of the Cross is not an easy one, but it is necessary, especially in our time, so that the suffering are not put off, the victims are not forgotten, and our world does not lose all humanity.
As in the Canticle of the Sun, Francis welcomes death—which is terrible and hated by all—as his Sorrella Morte, Sister Death. He sees it as part of creation and at the same time as his companion into the new reality of the new heaven and the new earth, into God’s perfected creation, through death and the Resurrection.
The Easter Vigil liturgy, too, links creation with the message of the Resurrection.
God’s creation, for all that is praiseworthy and wonderful about it, is not the final reality.
Especially in light of the current state of the world, I find this to be a comforting message. This reality, marked by the selfish lust for power of some nations and their leaders, and therefore entangled in war and suffering, is not the final word; humanity does not have the final word; we have heard it: GOD created heaven and earth, and GOD reserves the final redemption of creation for Himself.
Through Christ’s Resurrection, into which we have been incorporated through Baptism, we have a head start on creation. When it rises from sin and death, we who have risen will glorify God with it.
The death of St. Francis points to this connection, which refers to the cosmic significance of the Resurrection, encompassing all of creation. The praise of the Creator in the Canticle of the Sun culminates, in the saint’s death, in the praise of the Risen One, in the praise of the eternal God, to whom creation will follow.”
Appointment announced in a festive ceremony at Münster Cathedral
March 26, 2026. Pope Leo XIV has appointed the current Bishop of Hildesheim, Dr. Heiner Wilmer SCJ, as the new Bishop of Münster. He succeeds Bishop Emeritus Dr. Felix Genn, who retired on March 9, 2025. The announcement at St. Paul’s Cathedral by Cathedral Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen took place today on the Solemnity of St. Ludger, who was the first Bishop of Münster since 805. The installation of Bishop Wilmer as the 77th Bishop of Münster will take place on Sunday, June 28, in the afternoon.
We warmly congratulate the new Bishop of Münster on his election and wish him all the best and God’s blessing for his ministry.
The Diocese of Münster informs in a press release that Heiner Wilmer was born on April 9, 1961, in Schapen in the Emsland region. In 1980, he entered the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and made his perpetual vows in 1985. He was ordained a priest in Freiburg in 1987. He then studied in Rome and Freiburg from 1987 to 1993. In 1991, he earned his doctorate in fundamental theology in Freiburg.
From 1993 to 2007, he worked in education, first as a student teacher in Meppen and, after passing his second state examination, from 1995 to 1997 as a teacher of religion, history, and politics, as well as a school chaplain at the Liebfrauenschule in Vechta. In 1997 and 1998, he taught German and history at Fordham Preparatory School (Jesuit High School) in New York (Bronx).
In 1998, Wilmer became principal of the Leoninum High School in Handrup. He held this position until 2007, before becoming Provincial of the German Province of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Bonn. In 2015, he became Superior General of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in Rome. On April 6, 2018, Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Hildesheim. Since September 2021, he has served as chairman of the Commission for Social and Societal Issues within the German Bishops’ Conference. From 2019 to 2024, he was chairman of the German Commission for Justice and Peace. In February of this year, Bishop Wilmer was elected chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference.
At the presentation of the new Bishop of Münster in the packed cathedral, in the absence of General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager, the Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis was represented by General Councilor Sister M. Lima Arackal and Sister M. Laetitia Matsunaga, member of the Japan Province.
My name is Sister Mary Peter Hiroko Kizawa. I was born in Tokyo on September 24, 1940. My family has been Catholic since my grandparents’ generation. My mother is a convert from Protestantism. I have six siblings. The eldest is my older brother, followed by four girls, and the youngest is my younger brother. I am the eldest daughter, born after my older brother. The church we attended was the Kita-Urawa Catholic Church, which was served by Franciscan priests.
My grandfather and my father were both physicians. Through the parish priests, my father was invited by Dr. Akizuki at St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki, where he performed surgeries for those who had been injured by the atomic bombing, as well as for patients suffering from tuberculosis and other lung disease. Even though many people were dying at that time, none of my father’s patients passed away thanks to his surgical methods. Among the patients he treated in Nagasaki were also priests. In Tokyo as well, among those who underwent lung surgery by my father were priests from the diocese. My father also had a connection with St. Francis Hospital.
After graduating from high school and working for three years, I was introduced by my father to St. Mary’s Hospital in Himeji, and that is how I came to Himeji. In prayer, I sought to discern whether God was calling me to married life or to the consecrated life, and I came to sense that His grace was gently leading me toward the religious vocation. Beginning in April, I worked at Maria Hospital as part of my preparation for religious life, and in September I was received into the community. In 1967, I professed my first vows.
Following my first profession, I lived in the Oblate residence in Shikoku while studying at a school for physical therapy. After receiving my national qualification, I served as a physical therapist at Himeji St. Maria Hospital. From in 1983, I was assigned as the director of Nagasaki St. Francis Hospital. Later, in 1992, I was appointed director of Himeji St. Maria Hospital, a position I held for five years. In the third year as hospital director, on the morning of January 17, 1995, as we were about to begin our morning prayer, we suddenly felt a powerful shaking. In Kobe, just an hour by car from Himeji, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake caused catastrophic destruction, leveling buildings and triggering massive fires throughout the city. Fortunately, St. Mary’s Hospital sustained no major damage. We therefore dispatched doctors, nurses, and other staff, and as a whole institution we devoted ourselves to the disaster area, striving to stand close to and save as many lives as possible. More than 6,000 people died in the earthquake.
There were not many Catholic believers among the patients at St. Mary’s Hospital, and only a small number believed in eternal life rather than seeing death as the end. So I began studying pastoral care and started visiting patients. Through my conversations with patients at their bedside, including those facing death, I witnessed people finding new meaning, and it made me realize how meaningful this work truly is. As I continued to deepen my work in pastoral care, I opened a palliative care ward (hospice) in 1996. This year marks its 30th anniversary. I sought to help patients recognize that Jesus values each person and that their own lives are profoundly precious. Trusting in God and praying to follow the path Jesus shows, I carried out my bedside visits. I began recording my patient visits and conversations so they could inform my future work. I then went on to work at a training center that helps develop and enhance clinical pastoral care.
In 2022, I moved from the Tokyo convent to the Himeji convent. In the community, I assist sisters with physical disabilities by helping them with their wheelchairs and walking alongside those who have difficulty walking, sometimes supporting them as we move together. I also devote myself to the apostolate of prayer, especially responding to those in particular need of prayer.
Born: June 13, 1934 Entrance: April 13, 1957 Professed: October 28, 1959 Died: March 6, 2026
After a long illness, yet unexpectedly, the God of life called to Himself our dear Sister M. Hildburg, née Gertrud Landwehr, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
“Sing to the Lord, all the peoples of the earth, Day after day proclaim His Glory.”
(GL Hymn No. 809)
Gertrud Landwehr came from Herzebrock in the Diocese of Paderborn to join our congregation in Münster. Her connection to her home diocese and the episcopal city of Paderborn, with its annual Libori Festival, remained vibrant throughout her life. She regularly read DOM (“Cathedral”), the Paderborn church newspaper.
During her investiture, the young woman received the name Sister M. Hildburg. Like all the Sisters, she completed her nursing training and worked in this profession until 1993 in Neuenkirchen near Rheine, in Löningen, and in Bremen. Sister M. Hildburg also possessed many other skills, which she contributed in Telgte and at the Motherhouse in Münster.
She was a very skilled and meticulous seamstress, sewing for the Sisters with great ingenuity and precision. She made the first face masks for the Motherhouse at the beginning of the Covid pandemic before we received the standardized masks. For many years, Sister M. Hildburg’s beautiful and clear voice led the liturgy in the convents, especially the Liturgy of the Hours, thus “proclaiming God’s glory day after day,” as the hymn says. As a painter of nature scenes, she was a true artist. Her paintings were often framed and displayed. Sister M. Hildburg had learned the old German handwriting script Sütterlin in school. Therefore, she was always in high demand when it came to deciphering old letters and transcribing them into standard German. She also processed many old documents for our archive, making them accessible to us today. In this way, Sister M. Hildburg will continue to live on among us.
She had been a resident of St. Francis House in Nordwalde since 2023, where she was lovingly cared for and returned her long life to God. We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Hildburg. We remain united to her in prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at 10.00 a.m., we will celebrate the Resurrection Mass for Sister M. Hildburg at St. Francis House in Nordwalde and then bid her farewell at the parish cemetery, where she will be laid to rest. Afterwards, we can share our memories over coffee at St. Francis House.
Born: August 31, 1930 Entrance: January 28, 1955 Professed: October 28, 1957 Died: March 5, 2026
For 95 years she praised God and served Him with great joy. Then the Lord of Heaven called to Himself our dear Sister M. Doloris, née Maria Jaske, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
“Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks, and serve Him with great humility.”
(The Canticle of the Sun)
Maria Jaske came to the Motherhouse in Münster from Brögbern, near Lingen. She followed her older sister, Sister M. Angelista, into the convent and took the religious name Sister M. Doloris.
After passing her nursing exam in 1958, she worked at the former Waldniel hospital for several years. Many of us know her as the ward nurse on the surgical ward for our Sisters. From 1973 to 1997, she cared for and lovingly looked after many of her fellow Sisters there, as well as introducing novices and young Sisters to the beautiful profession of nursing. She then moved to St. Anna-Stift in Kroge, where she cared for elderly Sisters and accompanied many of them until their death. She dedicated almost her entire religious life to serving her fellow Sisters who were ill and in need of care. She deserves our great thanks and respect for this.
Sister M. Doloris was a down-to-earth and pragmatic Sister for whom no task was too great and no distance too far when it came to caring for her fellow Sisters.
In recent years, as her strength got weaker, the sisters and staff at Kroge cared for her just as lovingly as she had cared for her fellow Sisters in the past. So now, in the presence of her fellow sisters, she was able to give her long life back to God.
We thankfully bid farewell to Sister M. Doloris. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember her with gratitude and remain sisterly connected to her.
On Monday, March 9, 2026, we will celebrate the Resurrection Mass for Sister M. Doloris at 2.30 p.m. in the convent church in Kroge. Afterwards, we will accompany her to her final resting place at the Kroger forest cemetery.
Born: June 19, 1930 Entrance: January 27, 1951 Professed: October 28, 1953 Died: February 20, 2026
After a long and fulfilling life, the good and merciful God called our fellow sister to Himself, Sister M. Isfrieda, née Frieda Keuter, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
“Now, Lord, you have kept your promise; and you may let your servant go in peace. With my own eyes I have seen your salvation.”
(Lk. 2, 29-30)
The Gospel of John reports: “When morning came, Jesus stood on the shore.” There he also welcomed our fellow Sister from St. Francis House, Nordwalde and took her with Him to heaven. Since 2014, she had been living as a senior citizen there. She quietly went her way, even though breathing became increasingly difficult and the path became more arduous. Until a week ago, she was still able to go to the chapel and participate in meals in the refectory.
Sister M. Isfrieda joined our Congregation from Lingen. She became a nurse and worked in nursing in Friesoythe, Bottrop, and Hückeswagen. After that, she was responsible at the reception at Gelsenkirchen-Horst, in Damme and Vreden, where she welcomed guests and visitors. In Wilhelmshaven, she looked after the library and took over the ministry until the convent was dissolved.
We knew Sister M. Isfrieda as a modest, lovable, and unassuming fellow Sister who faithfully followed her path as a great woman of prayer. Until the end, she had a good relationship with her family, who were always present in her thoughts.
We bid farewell to Sister M. Isfrieda with gratitude. We remain united with her in sisterly love through prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist.
We will celebrate the Resurrection Mass for Sister M. Isfrieda on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 10 a.m., at St. Francis House in Nordwalde, followed by her burial at the Sisters’ cemetery, where she will find her final resting place.
Born: August 24, 1940 Entrance: February 4, 1961 Professed: October 28, 1963 Died: February 19, 2026
Suddenly and unexpectedly for all of us, , God the Lord, in whose service she had devoted her life 63 years ago, called our fellow Sister to Himself, Sister M. Seraphinis, née Anna Offterheide, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
“My God and my all.”
(Psalm 31:17)
Sister M. Seraphinis was born in Kirchhellen in Germany, where she got to know our Congregation. After completing her general education and the home economics school, the young Anna worked with our Sisters at the local hospital until she entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in our Motherhouse in Münster.
Like all Sisters, Sister M. Seraphinis completed her nursing training. Later she took a one-year Hospital administration course at Cologne-Hohenlind. From 1966 to 1977, she worked as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Münster as well as in our hospitals in Cloppenburg, and in Lingen. Sister M. Seraphinis was then appointed Head of Nursing at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bremen, and later became convent superior as well. She was also able to contribute her great professional expertise and experience to the former supervisory board of our Congregation’s Hospitals in Germany from 1998 to 2004. Her openness, her positive approach to all people, and her straightforward attitude, which grew out of her Christian faith, shaped her ministry as a Franciscan.
In 2008, Sister M. Seraphinis was once again given an important task in the Province. She was appointed the superior at St. Anna-Stift in Lohne-Kroge, a residence for our elderly Sisters. She held this position until her death, lovingly caring for our elderly and infirm Sisters. During this time, St. Anna Stift was transferred to the Zerhusen, Blömer, and Bertels families. She actively participated in this major restructuring and always supported it.
Sister M. Seraphinis’ motto was: “Give the house a soul and thesoul a house.” Many people experienced this positively, and so she will remain in our fond memories. We bid her farewell with gratitude.
We remember her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist and remain united with her in our fellowship. We will celebrate the Resurrection Mass for Sister M. Seraphinis on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 2 p.m. in the Motherhouse Church in Münster. Afterwards, we will accompany her to her final resting place in the sisters’ cemetery.”
Second term of office for Provincial Superior Sister M. Johncy Kurisunkal
On Saturday, January 31, 2026, Sister M. Johncy Kurisunkal was elected as the Provincial Superior of the Indian Province of our international Congregation for a second term in office. We offer heartfelt congratulations to Sister M. Johncy and thank her for accepting again the office of Provincial Superior and the responsibility for the Province for the coming four years.
The new Provincial Leadership of the Indian Province, from left to right: Provincial Superior Sister M. Johncy, Provincial Vicaress Sister M. Riji, and Provincial Councilors Sister M. Stella and Sister M. Renita.
The Sisters of the newly elected leadership team serving on the Provincial Council are: Sister M. Riji Kannampuzha, Provincial Vicaress, Sister M. Stella Madathil, Provincial Councilor and Sister M. Renita Thenakarayil,Provincial Councilor. Sister M. Riji and Sister M. Stella are elected for a first term in office. Sister M. Renita is elected for a second term in office and served as Provincial Vicaress in her previous term. The determined number of the members of the provincial leadership at the Provincial Chapter of the Indian Province, is four Sisters.
Congratulations to the new Leadership team by General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager
We especially thank the newly elected Sisters for accepting the call to a ministry in provincial leadership at this extraordinary time in our world. To Sister M. Tessy and Sister M. Mercy former Provincial Councilors we extend our sincere gratitude for their faithful service in provincial leadership of the Indian Province during their terms in office. May God richly reward them for their dedicated ministry.
On January 23, 2026, the ‘Ordinary Provincial Chapter of Election’ of the Indian Province of our Congregation opened with the theme: “Eph’ phatha – Be Opened”.Historically, it is the eights chapter and the fourth Provincial Chapter of the Indian Province after the Region became a Province in 2013.
I was born in 1944 in Pokoj near Opole. Honestly, I owe my religious vocation partly to my beloved parents. During their wedding, they promised each other that they would accept as many children as God would give them, one of whom should be a priest (if there was a son) or a nun (if there was a daughter). God really has a sense of humor! We chose monastic life!
I joined the Congregation of the Hospital Franciscan Sisters, and my younger sister Elżbieta joined the Congregation of the Daughters of the Redeemer in Germany. We are both nurses. During my First Holy Communion, I promised the Lord Jesus that I would participate in the Eucharist every day and accept Him into my heart. It was a promise made by a little girl, but I really stuck to it.
When I was 16, I told my parents that I wanted to join a convent. I want to be a sister like our Franciscan Hospital sisters here from my town who work in the hospital. My father thought it would be good for me to work with them for a while and get to know this life, because I was still too young to make such a decision. I listened and went with Sister Camiliana (supervisor of the convent in Pokój) to Ołdrzychowice.
In Ołdrzychowice, I could freely talk to the provincial superior – Mother Ludwiga. I worked with the sisters in Ołdrzychowice for less than a year, observed their lives, and my desire to be one of them grew. I was accepted into the congregation on January 6, 1961. with the permission of the Superior General, because I was only 17 years old. And so my religious life began and continues. In the meantime, I completed a 2-year medical study and another dream of mine, working with children with special needs, came true.
Today marks the 60th anniversary of my religious vows and I am as happy as the day I joined the order. I only have one wish: that one day a song will be sung at my funeral Mass – “My Mother, My Order…”.
Born: April 8, 1921 Entry: September 8, 1944 Professed: September 24, 1947 Died: January 21, 2026
Our fellow Sister in the U.S. Canonical House, Sister Pacis Bao, OSF, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, was called home to the Lord, our God.
For I know well the plans I have in mind for you.
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Our Sister Pacis Bao, OSF (104), the last of the 35 Chinese Sisters and the 26 American missionaries who served in China, passed from this life on Wednesday, January 21 , 2026, at 6:25 a.m. at HSHS St. John’s Hospital.
While her early years were marked by loss, yet she chose to trust in God when the world had given her every reason to tum away. When faced with other disappointments, she persevered. God became her refuge and strength. Fittingly, her name was Latin for “peace,” given to her on October 17, 1945, at the time when the Double Tenth Agreement was signed in China. Peace was more than her name. Her peace was forged in sorrow and sustained by faith, and while her nursing hands healed bodies, her presence healed hearts.
Her most extraordinary testimony came in her ability to forglve. In 2000, through grace and prayer, she forgave those who had commited the unforgivable against her family. Her forgiveness stood as a testament—pmof that love can overcome hatred. She showed us that holiness lives quietly, expressed in endurance. She was a witness who brought forth miracles through her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Maty.
Sister Pacis, the fomer Catherine (Bao Yuan Ying), was bom In Fei Cheng Bao-kiatang-tze, Shan-Tung, China, on April 8, 1921 , the daughter of Bao Tsing Ben and Bao Chang Shih. In the following years, her parents moved her farther from their home to protect her. In 1932, she was enrolled in a school in Jinan, China, and Sister Clementia Dasenbrock, Superior of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Jinan, visited to discuss religious life and the hospital. Six years later, Peter, one of Sister Pacis’ brothers, took her to meet his friends at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where Sisters Clementia and Elise Waletzko welcomed her. Sister Pacis continued her education while living and working at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and the Spirit led her to a vocation. On September 8, 1944, she entered the House community and professed her first vows on September 24, 1947. On May 12, 1948, she and several other Hospital Sisters serving in Jinan sailed on the SS General Meigs to San Francisco, CA, and they arrived in Springfield on June 5, 1948. She continued her formation and education and was a 1963 graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing with service at St. John’s Hospital and St. Vincent Hospital. On August 8, 1968, she and four other Chinese Sisters began caring for the sick at the Star of the Sea Clinic, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Sister Pacis served there until August 2002, at which time she returned to Springfield.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by two sisters and four brothers and their families. She is survived by two great nephews and their families in China. The Visitation will be held at St. Francis Convent from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, January 22, 2026, with a Wake Service at 6 p.m. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Joseph Jiang, a relative of Sister Peter Damian Chiang, OSF, on Friday, January 23, 2026, at 11 a.m. in the St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel with burial in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery at St. Francis Convent.
Born: June 15, 1942 Entry: September 5, 1965 Professed: August 22, 1968 Died: January 8, 2026
Our fellow Sister in the U.S. Canonical House, Sister Sherrey Murphy, OSF, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, was called home to the Lord, our God.
Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you for wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.
(Ruth 1:18)
Our Sister Sherrey Murphy was called home to God unexpectedly at 8:20 am on Thursday, January 8, 2026, with several Sisters and employees at her side.
This daughter of 100 percent lrish heritage was a Sister of faith, compassion, courage, and a sense of humor who lived her life rooted in service, humility, and love. This girl from South Dakota became a world traveler from 1994 to 2018 in her service to the Sisters of your international congregation. Wherever she went, she embodied the Franciscan spirit – listening deeply, leading gently, and advocating tirelessly with an unshakeable trust in God’s providence. Sister Sherrey’s life was a testament to the blessing of a vocation lived fully. She mentored countless Sisters and strengthened ministries in Germany, Poland, the USA, Japan, and lndia. Her global vision never outshone her personal kindness; she remained attentive to each Sister, believing that everyone she encountered was a gift.
As a nurse, leader, General Councilor, and 10th General Superior, she was grounded in prayer, guided by discernment, and marked by humility. She led not for her own honor, but in obedience to the call of the Church and for the good of the congregation. She formed and encouraged generations of Sisters, reminding them that religious life is first and always a response to God’s love.
Sister Sherrey (age 83) was born in Mitchell, SD, on June 15, 1942, the daughter of Francis A. and Eileen A. (Dunn) Murphy. She entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on September 5, 1965, and professed her first vows on August 22, 1968.
Sister Sherrey’s religious life encompassed a variety of ministries. Most notably, she served the international congregation of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis in Muenster, Germany, as the General Superior from 2006-18 and as a General Councilor from 1994-2006. Before this, she held responsibilities in administration, vocations, and formation at St. Francis Convent, along with nursing and administration responsibilities at St. Vincent Hospital (Green Bay, WI), St. John’s Hospital (Springfield, IL), and St. Mary’s Hospital (Decatur, IL).
Sister Sherrey was a 1963 graduate of St. Joseph Mercy School of Nursing, Sioux City, IA. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marillac College in 1970 and a master’s degree in administration from the University of Notre Dame In 1988.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, James Murphy. She is survived by her sisters, Colleen Moerke and Peggy Fischer; her brothers, Patrick, Michael, and Daniel; several nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and greatnephews.
The Visitation will be held at St. Francis Convent from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday, January 11, 2026, with a Wake Service at 6 p.m. The Eucharistic Celebration and Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father Richard Chiola on Monday, January 12, 2026, in the St. Clare of Assisi Adoration Chapel with burial in Crucifixion Hill Cemetery at St. Francis Convent. Butler Funeral Home will oversee arrangements. Sister Sherrey’s life continues in the eternal embrace of the God she served so faithfully. May she rest in peace, may her example continue to guide and inspire all of us who follow the Franciscan path of service, compassion, and love, and may her lrish eyes always smile upon us.
General Councilor Sister M. Teresa Wawrowicz, a member of the Polish Province, spent Christmas and New Year‘s Eve with Sister M. Weronika Jerzewska in Kamyschenka. A report from the Polish mission of our Congregation in Kazakhstan.
The mission in Kazakhstan was opened in 2009 and began its work in Shchuchinsk. For a time, four of our Sisters worked there: Sr. M. Benita, Sr. M. Weronika, Sr. M. Rufina, and Sr. M. Arturis. Their presence was a true gift for the people of Kazakhstan. With great commitment and kindness, they shared the daily lives of the people and brought them help and the witness of faith. Their service was marked by many hardships, sacrifices, and challenges, which they accepted with love and fidelity to their vocation. We are deeply grateful for this.
In 2017, the Polish Province established a second mission in Kamyschenka; the mission in Shchuchinsk was closed in 2020. Sr. M. Arturis was the first to return to Poland, followed by Sr. M. Rufina. Unfortunately, Sr. M. Benita also had to return to Poland due to illness. Only Sr. M. Weronika remained in Kazakhstan and remains faithful to the mission entrusted to her to this day.
So that she would not be completely alone, the Sisters of the Polish Province took care of her and sent concrete support. Some of them agreed to visit her and spend some time with her, sharing her daily life and strengthening her through their presence. The Sisters of the Generalate also accompany Sr. M. Weronika continuously through their closeness, their interest, and their responsible care for the mission. It is our task to be there for our Sisters; therefore, Sr. M. Margarete asked me if I was willing to go to Kazakhstan.
There could hardly have been a better time to travel there and spend time together than the Christmas season. So, on December 15, 2025, I set off for Kazakhstan via Warsaw and arrived in Astana on the morning of December 16. Sr. M. Weronika and Father Tomasz were already waiting for me at the airport. Not only were their hugs warm, but they had also brought a thermos of hot coffee and delicious sandwiches. At that point, I didn‘t know how difficult the weather conditions were due to heavy snowfall and strong winds, and that many roads were already closed. We still had about two hours to drive to our destination. This was my first experience of the roads in Kazakhstan. At first, the visibility was comparable to flying through clouds. I thought it couldn‘t get any worse. But in the end, the drive took us over a frozen riverbed, through the steppe, and over packed snow full of ruts and snow drifts. I felt a bit like I was in an off-road rally.
When we arrived at the convent, we celebrated Holy Mass. Afterwards, Sr. M. Weronika invited us to lunch. The following days became increasingly intense. Preparations for Christmas were in full swing: the church was decorated, altar cloths for all the chapels were ironed, the nativity play was rehearsed with the children, and the convent was prepared. We also visited all the sick people. This took a lot of time, as the parish includes six villages that are many kilometers apart. We visit these places regularly because the people long to participate in the Eucharist.
Sister M. WeronikaSister M. Teresa
The people here are very devout and truly remarkable. Their hospitality, openness, and generosity touched me deeply. Some brought homemade provisions or pastries, and one woman even gave us a roast duck. In addition, the people who live here are characterized by their extraordinary resilience in the face of the hardships of life. Living conditions are very difficult. The extreme temperatures alone are a major challenge: in winter there is severe frost, and in summer it can get incredibly hot. People have learned to endure these conditions, and I saw farmers working in the fields at -25°C.
Missionary work here also requires extraordinary perseverance. I am full of admiration for the ministry of Father Tomasz and Sister M. Weronika, who often need the whole day to reach people living in remote areas and enable them to encounter Christ in the Eucharist. For me personally, the time spent here is a wonderful gift. It allows me to look intensively at the meaning of our charism, to bring the healing presence of Christ to people. I have paused here for a moment to look, listen, reflect, and delve deeper into the mystery of our Franciscan way of life.
Letter by Sister M. Margarete Ulager, General Superior of the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis
Muenster/ Germany, January 8, 2026.
Dear Sisters, Dear colleagues, Dear friends,
Today, January 8, 2026, we received the sad news from Sister Maureen O’Connor, Superior of the U.S. Canonical House, that our dear Sister Sherrey Murphy, OSF, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at 8:20 a.m. (American time).
Only two months ago, at the beginning of November, we met Sister Sherrey in good health during the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the presence of our Sisters in the USA, as shown above in the photograph of all the Superiors of our international Congregation.
It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to Sister Sherrey.
Sister Sherrey spent 24 years in Germany, 12 years as General Councilor and 12 years as General Superior.
We are deeply grateful for the time we spent together, and for all she has done in her life, and as General Superior of our Congregation – for each individual Sister, for our international Congregation, and far beyond. May God reward her for all her goodness. Now, hidden in the mystery of eternity and close to God, she is surely a great intercessor for us.
We extend our heartfelt and deep sympathy to Sister Sherrey’s family, Sister Maureen O’Connor, Superior, all the Sisters of the U.S. Canonical House and the staff. We are certain that Christ, our Lord, stood at the sea shore of her life when Sister Sherrey embarked on her final journey. There, He surely welcomed her with wide, open arms. May Sister M. Sherrey rest in peace!
With love and deepest gratitude,
Sister M. Rita, Sister M. Lima, Sister M. Hiltrud, Sister M. Teresa, Sister M. Beata, Sister Christa Maria, Sister M. Laetitia, Father Michael Plattig, all the staff at the Generalate, Hildegard Benölken (Sister Sherrey’s long-time secretary) and
Sister M. Margarete Ulager General Superior of the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis
In memoriam Sister Sherrey Murphy, OSF, 1942 – 2026, General Superior of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis from 2006 to 2018.
Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and “Wolltäterinnen” (“Wool Workers”) hand over donation
Muenster, January 7, 2026. From November 21-23, 2025, the traditional charity Christmas bazaar took place once again in the foyer of St. Francis Hospital in Muenster—a joint project of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and the creative group of employees at St. Francis Hospital, the “Wool Workers.” With popular classics such as hand-knitted socks, warm hats and scarves as well as Christmas decorations, the craftswomen raised a total of €7,600. In December, they donated the money to the “Babylotsen” (“Baby guides”) program based at St. Franziskus Hospital which helps babies and young families, and to the hospital’s pediatric clinic.
“Baby guide” Hjördis Bayer as well as Dr. Meike Franssen, head physician of the Clinic for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, and Dr. David Lewers, Commercial Director of the hospital, expressed their gratitude to the organizers of the bazaar. “We are very pleased about this wonderful donation, which will help us to support children, their mothers, and their families in difficult situations and to have a positive influence on their lives even after their stay in the hospital”, Dr. Lewers said.
More information on the Sisters who contribute to the bazaar can be found in last year’s report.
Born: June 8, 1934 Entrance: January 30, 1959 Professed: October 28, 1961 Died: January 4, 2026
Saint Joseph, her patron saint and the patron saint of the dying, accompanied our Sister on her journey to her eternal home in heaven, Sistesr Josefa Maria, née Josefa Meyer, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Saint Joseph, we praise you, for God has chosen you to be the foster father of his son.
(Prayer from the monastic tradition)
Sister Josefa Maria, who received the name Sister Dalmatia at her investiture, later changed it and resumed her baptismal name. Saint Joseph accompanied her throughout her life. She gladly entrusted herself to him and prayed to him.
Sister Josefa Maria was born in Emstek and joined our Congregation after meeting our Sisters at Cloppenburg Hospital. Under the guidance of Sister M. Landeline, she learnt “cooking and everything else she needed to know for life”, as stated in her certificate.
After her novitiate, she completed her nursing training at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster and subsequently worked on the women’s ward in Harsewinkel and Horstmar. Later, we encountered her in the “coffee room” on the retreat corridor of the Motherhouse, and from 2003 to 2013 in the Motherhouse library. After that, she performed small duties at St. Heriburg House while continuing to live at the Motherhouse. In 2021, she moved to St. Heriburg House as a resident and, in her final days, lived in the Clara Ward for Sisters with dementia. There, on the fourth evening of the new year 2026, she embarked on her journey to God, lovingly cared for by her fellow Sisters and staff.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister Josefa Maria. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember her and remain sisterly connected to her. Our deepest sympathy goes to Sister M. Ursula, who was able to visit her the day before her death.
On Thursday, January 8, 2026, we will bid farewell to Sister Josefa Maria at the Resurrection Mass at 2 p.m. in the Motherhouse Church and then accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery. Afterwards, we can share our memories of her over coffee at the Motherhouse.
My name is Sr. Marianna Shiraki. I was born in 1941 into a devout Buddhist family. I may have met Christians when I was 8 or 9 years old, or even younger. At Tatebayashi Station, I saw a man and a woman talking on the other side of the platform. This woman had a large silver cross hanging from a chain on her chest. When I saw it, I felt an indescribable emotion that made me want to cry but also made my heart leap with joy.
Also, when I was in upper grades of elementary school, I saw two Sisters and some children going on a field trip on a hot day. The Sisters were sweaty, their cheeks were hot and pink, they wore black habits and large black veils. The two of them talked earnestly, and their smiles gave a very gentle impression.
When I was 13 years old, I found an old photograph of the Holy Mother and Child behind a mirror. In the photograph, the Holy Mother was kissing the hand of the sleeping Jesus, and tears were falling from her eyes. This sacred painting became my only treasure. I didn’t know why I was so drawn to it. I wondered what it was that I was seeking.
I started studying Christianity by correspondence courses. It was Protestantism. There were two churches in Sano, one Catholic and one Protestant. There were cheerful people at the Catholic church, and it seemed like a fun place. The Protestant church was a solid black building, always quiet, with no sign of people.
When I was nineteen, I asked my foster parents if I could become a nun. What will the two younger brothers do? I was told that I might change my mind in the future, so I decided to think about it again. My next younger brother got married, and my youngest brother was 24 years old. I chose Christ with all my heart.
When I was twenty-five, there was talk of marriage several times. I was thinking deeply about how I really wanted to live my life. On Christmas night that year, if the church doors were closed and I could not enter, I would have to get married as recommended. The doors were open.
When I was twenty-six, I was baptized at the Catholic Sano Church. My baptismal name is Anna. I read a book about Nagasaki at church and wanted to visit Nagasaki. The priest who baptized me was a Franciscan priest, so he suggested that I go to Himeji to get used to the climate rather than going straight to Nagasaki. The priest introduced me to this Congregation, and I was taken in at the Himeji St. Mary’s Hospital. I wanted to work in a place where I could contact patients, so I wanted to do housekeeping. After working at dormitory of St. Mary’s Hospital for two years, I decided to go to Nagasaki, still wanting to become a nun. I stayed at the dormitory of our congregation in Nagasaki, worked at the hospital for half a day, attended nursing school for the other half of the day, and was able to obtain a nursing license.
In the meantime, my wish to join was fulfilled and I moved to Himeji to begin my religious life. I joined with Sr. De Deo, and in 1976, I took my first vows together with Sr. Zita Sugita and Sr. Maria Fidelis Furukawa. After taking my final vows, I was told that although there were nurses, nutritionists were needed for the Sisters, so I went to school again. I was able to obtain a certified nutritionist qualification.
As an apostolate, I worked as a nurse in the surgical ward at Himeji St. Mary’s Hospital and at Nagasaki St. Francis Hospital. As a nutritionist, I worked at Francisco Villa, East Village, and Maria Villa, where I managed meals as a nutritionist for 13 years.
When I started working in the apostolic ministry, I didn’t know anything, but the staff around me taught me everything in detail. I was happy to have an enjoyable time with the staff.
Every day is a blessing, and I will celebrate 50th anniversary of religious life next year. Now, I am engaged in the ministry of prayer, entrusting everything to God in prayer.
Born: February 14, 1939 Entrance: February 3, 1962 Professed: October 28, 1964 Died: December 31, 2025
On New Year’s Eve 2025, the good and merciful God took our Sister by the hand and ended the earthly life of Sister M. Pankratia, née Maria Strüwe, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
“My time is in your hands.”
(Psalm 31:17)
Maria Strüwe joined our Congregation in Münster from Bawinkel in Lower Saxony, about 100 kilometers to the north. Like all the Sisters, she passed her nursing exam. From 1967 to 1974, she worked in the infectious diseases ward of the newly founded St. Bernhard Hospital in Kamp-Lintfort. She then returned to the Motherhouse and found professional fulfillment as a seamstress, working in the Motherhouse sewing room for 51 years. During that time, she witnessed several changes, including alterations to our religious habit, a relocation from the old sewing room to the present place, and changes among her fellow Sisters and colleagues.
Sister M. Pankratia was a constant presence with her calm and proper manner, always available to everyone. Until her sudden death, she was responsible for the Sisters’ veils. Sadly, she was unable to complete her last orders and did not have the opportunity to hand over her workplace and say goodbye. We are very grateful to her for everything she did for us.
Sister M. Pankratia was constant and persistent in her prayers. She never missed community prayer, and she served as prayer leader for several years. However, she never made a big deal of this; she simply got on with it.
On the Sunday after Christmas, she had a bad fall in her room in the afternoon, suffering a brain hemorrhage from which she never recovered. Three days later, she passed away at Clemens Hospital in Münster.
Sister M. Pankratia has found the last few years increasingly difficult due to her declining hearing. This made her feel lonely. She also missed Sister M. Gerharda, with whom she shared a close bond through their work in the sewing room. We hope that the two Sisters will meet again in Heaven.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Pankratia. As we pray and celebrate the Eucharist, we keep her in our thoughts, united with her as companion Sisters. We will celebrate the Mass of Resurrection for Sister M. Pankratia on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 2 p.m. in the Motherhouse Church in Münster. After that, we will accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery.
During the Jubilee Year 2025, many of our international Congregation’s Sisters and staff traveled the world as “pilgrims of hope.” In Rome, they attended papal audiences (some with Pope Francis, others with Pope Leo XIV.) and passed through the Holy Doors; they made pilgrimages to various spiritual places in Rome, Subiaco, and Assisi, for example, as well as in Malta, China, and their respective home countries.
At the Generalate, we have selected some of the impressions and moving moments of these international pilgrimages and compiled them in a video that we would like to share with you at the end of this Jubilee Year. All the pilgrims shown here always carried in their hearts all those Sisters of our international Congregation who were unable to make the journey themselves.
The film is presented by General Councilor Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker, Claudia Berghorn (International Communication at the Generalate), and Dr. Ulrike Teßarek (Value Management at the St. Francis Foundation), who traveled to Rome together in June 2025.
All the Sisters and staff at the Generalate wish you a peaceful and blessed New Year! May God bless and protect you and all those who are dear to you.
PACE E BENE!
By the way: You can find this film and many further interesting videos in the media section of our website.
The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in December: Hope for Dignity
Human dignity is inviolable: how wonderful it would be if this sentence were not only enshrined in our German constitution, but were also a matter of course throughout the world. Yet even today, many people still have to fight for their dignity and suffer from exclusion, injustice, and hardship. Sometimes entire groups are affected because of their religion or because of wars and natural disasters; sometimes it is personal misfortunes or illnesses that push people to the margins of society. Especially in December, when we await the arrival of our Lord, I think about this particularly often. For as romantic as the birth in a stable is portrayed today, the Holy Family would certainly have preferred to make themselves comfortable at home.
Also, I think of the patron saint of our Congregation, St. Francis of Assisi, who dedicated his life to the sick and marginalized. One of his most formative and fateful encounters was that with a leper outside the gates of Assisi. At that time, people suffering from leprosy lived outside the city. But even today, leprosy still exists, as does this marginalization – for example in India, in Ramgarh in the state of Jharkhand. Since 1982, the Sisters of our international Congregation have been supporting people in a leprosy settlement there – both medically and by enabling their children to attend school. Health and education: two important aspects for a life of dignity.
Sister M. Stefania Gembalczyk (left) with Sisters from our Indian Province in the Ramgarh convent
The convent in Ramgarh was founded by Sister M. Vulmara Hannöver, who was the first Hospital Sister of St. Francis to go from Münster to India in 1973. From 1989 onwards, one of our Polish Sisters, Sister M. Stefania Gembalczyk, was particularly involved in Ramgarh. For more than 25 years, she cared for leprosy patients as a nurse; they called her “our Mother Theresa.”
In addition to health care, our Indian Sisters in Ramgarh are primarily involved in education. Two years ago, they opened a new English-language school, which now teaches 914 children.
During my visits there, I have seen for myself how important the work of our Sisters in Ramgarh is. Once, it was already dark when we reached the leprosy colony. Open fires lit up the narrow streets and cast a soft light on the people who lived there. They invited us into their poor huts – huts that resembled the depictions of the stable in Bethlehem. Later, we met an old man; he greeted us warmly by leaning forward and raising his hands to his forehead – or so we thought. Then we realized that he no longer had hands, only stumps.
He was very happy about our visit, but sad that we had come so late. And he asked us to come back during daylight hours so that he could see our faces. Although this old man was scantily clad in rags, he radiated great dignity. His invitation touched our hearts deeply. We felt small and ashamed—tears welled up in our eyes in the darkness.
In the light of the Holy Night, this memory has a special impact. God invites us into the poor huts of this world. He invites us into the poor stable in Bethlehem so that we can see Jesus Christ, who became man and already gives us “prestige” through the mystery of his love. He gives us his light and a dignity that can never be taken away from us. For “in him was life, and that life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness.”
Our faith is visible in the way we treat people, regardless of illness or social position. The child in the manger is the guarantee that human beings will never lose their royal dignity. Today more than ever, it is important for us Christians to bear personal witness to the healing presence of God. Let us pray for one another that our faith in the incarnation of God may deepen. Looking at Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born in a stable, we see all those people who have become homeless, poor, and sick, who are hungry and have to endure suffering; the list is long. Christmas invites us to listen anew to God’s word and to seek His will for us and for our Church at this moment in our history.
By Schwester M. Margarete Ulager and Claudia Berghorn
This article was published in German, online and in print, in the Diocese of Muenster’s magazine, “Kirche+Leben” (Church+Life), in December 2025.
Christmas letter of Sister M. Margarete Ulager, General Superiour of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis
Dear Sisters, dear colleagues, dear friends,
On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968, three US astronauts – Frank Borman, William Anders, and James Lovell – reached the moon aboard Apollo 8. From there, the astronauts sent back to Earth what were probably the most distant Christmas greetings in history. The three astronauts had set off on the first manned moon flight three days earlier, on December 21, 1968. The NASA mission was intended to photograph the lunar surface and find a suitable landing site for a future moon landing. But on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968, during the fourth of a total of ten planned orbits around the moon, something completely unexpected happened: the astronauts suddenly saw the far side of the moon, and the Earth “rise” above the moon’s horizon in the vast universe, in infinite silence, similar to how one sees the Moon rise on Earth. Amazed by this magnificent sight and by how small our Earth seemed in the vastness of space, astronaut Frank Borman became deeply aware of the presence of God and our humble human reality on Earth. To everyone’s surprise, he said a prayer:
Grant us, O God, the ability to see Your love in this world, despite our human failings.
Grant us the faith to trust in Your goodness despite our ignorance and weakness.
Grant us insight so that we may not cease to pray with an understanding heart.
And show us what each of us can do to bring peace to the world.
Frank Borman, US Astronaut, December 24, 1968
This historical review reminds us that the feast of the Incarnation of God is not a simple event on the calendar, not an event in the annual cycle, not a historical milestone in the course of the centuries. Rather, it is the ALMIGHTY WORD (John 1:14), born into our human being, when deepest silence enveloped the universe and night in its swift course was half spent (Wis 18:14), the fundament and source of all life.
We sincerely wish you and all those close to your heart a blessed, peaceful, and grace-filled Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Thank you very much your prayers and for all your support! May the Christmas Star shine gently or brightly upon us in 2026, just as we need it.
With heartfelt greetings and best wishes for the New Year from Father Michael Plattig O.Carm. and your Sisters: Sr. M. Rita, Sr. M. Lima, Sr. M. Hiltrud, Sr. M. Teresa, Sr. M. Beata, Sr. M. Laetitia, Sr. Christa Maria, as well as our team,
For around 2.5 billion Christians worldwide, Advent is a very special time in the Church year: a time full of anticipation and preparations for Christmas, the celebration of the incarnation of our Lord. A time of silence, reflection, and diverse traditions.
We wanted to take a closer look at these traditions and asked the members of our multinational and multicultural community how Advent is celebrated in their home countries. The result: there are many similarities! At all our locations, festive Advent services are celebrated, candles are lit on Advent wreaths, and the doors of Advent calendars are opened every day in December. The wait for Christmas is also used everywhere as a time of prayer and spiritual reflection. And light plays an important role: lights in dark times, the star on the horizon: for the Lord is coming. But there are also differences.
Advent with our international Sisters at the Motherhouse in Münster, from left to right: Sister M. Laetitia with a poinsettia, which is just as popular in Japan as it is in Germany. Sister M. Lima shows a “Stutenkerl” and Sister M. Benedikte a shoe that was filled by St. Nicholas. Sister M. Teresa presents homemade gingerbread from the Polish Province.
Germany
In Germany, on the eve of December 6, children place their nicely polished shoes or boots outside the front door – and in the morning, they find small gifts and sweets from St. Nicholas. The “Stutenkerl”, a traditional German pastry, is also said to represent this Saint. In the past, as a sign of blessing, the pastry was given to the sick or those who were unable to attend church.
The beginning of Advent is celebrated in the Motherhouse Church in Münster with a particularly solemn vespers service. During the service, a priest lights the first candle on the Advent wreath while the Sisters sing the song “Wir sagen Euch an den lieben Advent…” (We announce to you the beloved Advent…). For several years now, a festive charity concert with Christmas carols has also been held in the Motherhouse Church in aid of Johannes Hospice in Münster. 400 candles burned at the “Christmas Carols 2025” on December 7, 2025, with the Münster Concert Choir; many children also took part. The impressive light show and our organist Markus Schröder also contributed to the great success of the concert.
I remember a tradition from my elementary school days: during Advent, every child who had done a good deed placed a straw in the manger so that the divine child could be softly bedded at Christmas.
Sister M. Benedikte
What would Advent be without cookies? At our Motherhouse in Münster, our Vietnamese Sisters baked lots of cookies with Sister M. Vera and then decorated them with chocolate with Sister M. Rita in the Generalate kitchen. The Sisters also traveled to the convent in Kroge for an Advent visit.
Poland
In many areas of Poland, children symbolically bring light to people’s homes, and nativity scenes and Advent cribs are lovingly crafted in monasteries. The Sisters of our Polish Province offer spiritual and material assistance by organizing Christmas packages for the needy, and offering meetings and conversations with socially marginalized people.
One of the most characteristic features of Advent in Poland is the Rorate Mass – a liturgy celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the early hours of the morning, usually before sunrise. Participants bring candles or lanterns symbolizing the expectation of the coming “Light of the World” – Jesus Christ.
Sister M. Teresa
In Oldrzychowice in our Polish Province, Sister M. Franciska Wanat and several volunteers organized a visit from St. Nicholas for children affected by the flood disaster of September 2024. Fifty-two children took part in the event and spent a wonderful afternoon together.
USA
In the USA, Advent calendars have 25 doors because Christmas is not celebrated on Christmas Eve, but on Christmas Day, December 25.
I love to sing Advent songs to prepare for the coming of our Lord. I discovered Handel’s Messiah about 40 years ago and listen to it often. When I was a child the crib was very special in our home. In the Novitiate we practiced the spiritual building of the crib with special thoughts each day.
Japan
In our convent in Himeji, we have been using purple and pink candles for about 20 years, which we brought back from the Korean mission. Purple represents repentance, pink represents joy. As the colors of the candles change from three deep purple to three light purple and then to one pink candle, Christmas draws nearer.
Our community has adopted the tradition of the Missionaries of creating a “spiritual manger.” We prepare to welcome Christ by building this manger and laying “straw” in our hearts, gathering prayers, sacrifices, and good deeds.
Sister M. Laetitia
Indien
In some regions of India, rose cookies, kulkuls, and fruit bread are baked during Advent. Through social media and parish groups, many also take part in charity activities and outreach programs, making Advent a time not only for spiritual preparation but also for sharing love and joy with others.
In India, a land rich in prayer, color, and celebration, we understand deeply what it means to wait with expectation — for the monsoon rains, for the harvest, for light to overcome darkness. As we light the Advent candles, I am reminded of the diyas (lamp) we light during Diwali — both shining as symbols of hope and the triumph of light over darkness, of God’s presence in our lives.
To all my sisters around the world: may this Advent help us rediscover the beauty of waiting — not with anxiety, but with peace and trust. May our hearts become humble cradles of hope, ready to receive the Prince of Peace. And may our lives, wherever we are, shine like little lamps, spreading the warmth and light of Christ’s love to all we meet.
Sister M. Renita
We would like to thank the Sisters of our international Congregation who sent us information about Advent in their home countries: Sister M. Benedikte (Germany), Sister M. Teresa (Poland), Sister Janelle (USA), Sister M. Laetitia (Japan), and Sister M. Renita (India).
Born: July 27, 1932 Entrance: September 12, 1951 Professed: June 13, 1954 Died: December 5, 2025
Our fellow Sister in the U.S. Canonical House, Sister Mary Kelly, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, was called home to the Lord, our God.
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
(Matthew 13:43)
Similar to turning a page in a book, the earthly life of Sister Mary Kelly gently changed as God turned the page, and her eternal life began – the life she had waited for 93 years – on December 5 at 7:30 a.m. with Sister Josephine Vanitha, Lori Wright, and Rylie Ackman by her side. As she prepared for her passing in the previous days, Sister Mary was lovingly cared for by the Loretto Home employees. She was often visited by Sisters and employees who expressed their love and appreciation.
Sister Mary, the former Sister Masseo and the daughter of Clarence and Mary Rose (Ferrari) Kelly, was born in Kincaid, IL, on July 27, 1932, and was raised in Nokomis, IL. Following her 8th-grade school trip to the Motherhouse, she began to sense God’s calling to consider religious life and nursing, which deepened throughout high school. Upon enrolling in St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1949, she witnessed the spirit and example of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, and on January 1, 1951, at 3:45 p.m., before beginning her evening shift, in the chapel of St. John’s Hospital, she accepted God’s invitation. Four months later, she shared the decision with her mother, and on August 19, 1951, she wrote, “Happy Birthday, Dad…I’m entering the Convent.” She entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on September 12, 1951, and professed her first vows on June 13, 1954.
With Italian culture from her mother and Irish culture from her father, Sister Mary blended these cultures with kindness, empathy, a sense of humor, and a peaceful spirituality in her relationship with God. It might be said that the warmth of her spirit was enriched by her favorite pastime of spending time in the sun, often expressed because she was half Italian. Leadership abilities were enhanced through her trademark serene voice, which she often shared in Community prayer. Love was what motivated her – especially for her family, friends, and her Sisters.
Sister Mary was a 1955 graduate of St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marquette University in 1958 and a master’s degree in nursing service administration from The Catholic University of America in 1965. Her life of service included nursing leadership at HSHS hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin, nursing education at Marillac College, Provincial Vicaress, and Motherhouse Superior of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, the HSHS board of directors, and HSHS receptionist.
May she rest in peace in the warmth of Brother Sun.
The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in November: Hope for Respect
Another year is drawing to a close. Beginning with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, November is traditionally a month in which we look back on our own lives and on the lives of those who came before us. It is often a reflective time. Many people think about what has become of their plans of the year’s beginning, and what they have already achieved in their lives overall. And when we light candles on the graves of our deceased loved ones, this gesture is also an expression of respect for their lives, and their achievements. This is also the case with us Hospital Sisters of St Francis.
Our international Congregation’s 180-year history is marked by strong female leadership, pioneering spirit, and courage. In terms of their careers and their position in society, our Sisters were often ahead of their time. Women have always held leadership positions in the institutions founded by our Congregation. In their hospitals, not only was the care of patients entirely in the hands of the Sisters, but so was the overall management. For a long time, women in religious orders were able to realize their professional potential much more freely than women outside a convent: in Germany, for example, married women were not considered legally competent until 1969, and until 1977, if they wanted to get a job, they had to ask their husbands for permission. At that time, Sister M. Ambrosina Bettmer was in charge of St. Francis Hospital in Münster with a team of several hundred Sisters and civilian employees.
Traditionally, all the young women who joined our Congregation studied nursing – but depending on the positions and tasks that needed to be filled in the congregation, this training was often not the only one. This was the case for Sister M. Dietmara Ahlmann, born in 1937: when the order’s leadership decided in the early 1960s to provide dental care for the many Sisters in Münster “in-house,” Sister Dietmara was chosen for this task.
Dentist Sister M. Dietmara Ahlman in her practice at St. Francis Hospital
The trained nurse completed her high school diploma through adult education and, as the only woman in her year, studied dentistry at Münster University from 1968 onwards. As a dentist, she then cared for her fellow sisters for 35 years in a fully equipped practice in the basement of St. Francis Hospital. At the same time, she was active in the Provincial and General Administration from 1983 onwards and traveled to the Provinces and projects of our Congregation in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India, the USA, Haiti, Arizona, Poland, and Czechia.
General Councilor Sister M. Dietmara (2nd from the right) visiting the Medical Sisters of St. Francis in India
Our Sisters were also characterized by a pioneering spirit, setting out into the world for missionary projects, combined with courage drawn from the strength of their faith. One example is the young women who, 100 years ago, in September 1925, left the American Province of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis for Tsinan (now Jinan) in China to build a hospital there. Beforehand, there was an application process among the American Sisters for this mission, searching for volunteers “in good health and younger than 40”. It went without saying that they had to be trained nurses. Sixty-seven Sisters applied; five were ultimately selected. The youngest of them, 29-year-old Sister Evangelista Sanders, paid for her courage with her life: she died after only a year and a half of her service. However, the presence of the Hospital Sisters in China continued until the Sisters were expropriated and expelled by the Communist regime after World War II. Two of the Sisters fled to Shanghai, from where they were called to Japan in 1948 to take over a hospital in Nagasaki – the nucleus of today’s Japan Province.
Sister Engelberta Beyer and Sister Euphrosine Fischer in China, 1926
We remember all these Sisters with great respect. But our respect also extends to those of our fellow Sisters who had less eventful lives, and who served and continue to serve quietly and faithfully, whether in a hospital, a school, or a parish, whether in housekeeping or in contemplation and prayer. In keeping with the spirit of our patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, we actually look upon the life of every human being with the greatest respect: each and every one of us is placed in this world with individual abilities and hopes, with goals and challenges. On our journey through life, sometimes we succeed, sometimes we don’t. That, too, is deeply human. So as we look back now in November, we should always appreciate our efforts – with respect, and with the eyes of love.
By Schwester M. Rita Edakkoottathil and Claudia Berghorn
This article was published in German, online and in print, in the Diocese of Muenster’s magazine, “Kirche+Leben”(Church+Life), in November 2025.
Born: August 26, 1943 Entrance: August 12, 1965 Professed: May 3, 1968 Died: November 22, 2025
Our fellow sister, Sr. M. Waldemara, née Anna Koop, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, died after a serious illness at the University Hospital in Münster.
Jesus says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
(John 14:6)
Sister M. Waldemara was born on the Koop family farm in Altenberge, near Meppen, and grew up with her six siblings. Two years after her older sister, Sister M. Herlinde, joined our community, Sister M. Waldemara followed her example.
Sister M. Waldemara was a typical nurse who worked on the wards at St Franziskus Hospital in Münster, Ennigerloh, Waldniel, Dorsten and Haltern. She completed the ward manager course in Freiburg and later took part in the pastoral course for the care of the elderly and sick in Münster. From 2013 onwards, she lived in the parish of Ahaus-Wüllen, caring for the elderly and immobile by visiting them and bringing them Holy Communion. She was also the superior of the convent, welcoming many guests.
In mid-2025, Sister M. Waldemara requested to be relieved of her duties and transferred to St. Franziskus House in Nordwalde. Her strength was visibly declining. After a lengthy stay at St Franziskus Hospital in Münster, she went to Nordwalde to recuperate. Sadly, she was no longer well enough to say goodbye to the sisters in the convent and the people of Wüllen. A few days ago, she was taken to Münster University Hospital due to an acute illness, where she peacefully gave her life back into God’s hands.
Sister M. Waldemara drew strength in her life from the words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” She was familiar with this saying from the altarpiece in her parish church in Altenberge. When asked once whom she would like to meet in heaven, she replied, “Jesus and all my loved ones.” May she be granted just that.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Waldemara. We remember her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist and remain united to her as sisters.
The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in October: Hope for Future
“The Future of Thinking” — this was the recent cover story of the weekly newspaper Die Zeit. It featured a major interview with the American scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil (77), who has been fascinated by technology since childhood and has contributed to the development of artificial intelligence ever since he first encountered a computer in New York in 1960, at the age of twelve. Kurzweil is convinced that in just four years, by 2029, AI will be more intelligent than humans. It will then be possible, he says, to make that knowledge directly accessible to humans through implants in the brain. “Merging with AI is the only way not to be dominated by it,” says Kurzweil, without offering any ethical evaluation of this development.
What is possible — and what is right? Are we allowed to do everything that is possible? These questions have always occupied humanity, not only in science and technology, but also when it comes to our personal life paths. That was already true in the 13th century. Back then, the patron saint of our religious community, Francis of Assisi, the son of a wealthy merchant, could have chosen a life of luxury and comfort. Yet after personal, physical, and spiritual crises, he decided at the age of 25 to take the more difficult path, the one that was right and meaningful for him. Inspired by the Gospel, he gave away his worldly possessions to serve God and others. He could not have foreseen how profoundly his decision would shape the future: many people joined him, and to this day, the Franciscan orders and lay communitiescelebrate his life and work every year on the Feast of St. Francis in early October.
Predicting the future remains impossible, even with AI. We can only try our best to prepare for the challenges that new developments bring. And we can take a stand when it comes to the Christian and Franciscan values that guide us and will continue to shape our life and work in the future: to refuse to reduce people to their thinking and performance, and instead to see each person as a unique and precious creation of God — as a whole being of body, soul, and spirit.
Since the founding of our community in 1844, this holistic understanding has guided our commitment to people in sickness, old age, and need. It also shapes the education and formation through which we prepare the young members of our international order for their future. Of course, the young women in Poland, Japan, and India receive solid professional training — for example, to become nurses, doctors, teachers, social workers, pastoral assistants, auditors, lawyers, or theologians, and eventually to take on leadership roles within our community. The curriculum includes English as the common language of our congregation, as well as the traditions and customs of each culture — such as special dances or the tea ceremony. At the same time, we emphasize deep spiritual and emotional formation, enabling our sisters to bear witness through their service to God and humanity, and to live a human life in all its fullness — a life in which AI will surely play a role in the future, both on the curriculum and, hopefully, through medical progress that our sisters can use for the good of their patients.
Returning to Ray Kurzweil: he leaves no doubt that he considers some developments inevitable, saying, “The advancement of AI is a global competition — if we don’t take part, other countries will.”
Perhaps we Christians should claim the freedom to start a parallel competition for the future, a competition in humanity. Because if we don’t lead the way, who will?
New Provincial Leadership of the Japan Province Elected
Shortly after the conclusion of the Provincial Chapter of the German Province, the Provincial Chapter of the Japan Province began on October 10, 2025, in Himeji under the theme “God Is with Us – Burning Hearts, Stepping Feet.”
Election of the New Provincial Leadership
On October 13, 2025, Sister Maria Fidelis Furukawa was re-elected Provincial Superior of the Japan Province for a second term of office. As a Congregation, we extend our sincere congratulations and gratitude to Sister Maria Fidelis for her willingness to once again take up this important ministry.
Sister M. Nichola Truong Thi Hoang Oanh was elected Provincial Vicaress and First Provincial Councilor. We thank Sister M. Nichola wholeheartedly for accepting this service and for her readiness to serve the Japan Province in this new role. We ask everyone to remember the newly elected Provincial Superior and Vicaress in prayer – they rely on our support.
In the afternoon of the same day, the Capitulars continued the election process and chose the following Sisters as Provincial Councilors:
Sister M. Theodora Wakatsuki
Sister M. Philippa Sato
Sister M. Martina Du The Thanh
We warmly congratulate each Sister on her election and thank them for accepting the ministry of service in the Provincial Leadership.
On the evening of October 13, 2025, Sister Maria Fidelis and the newly elected Councilors were officially installed during Vespers. Father Prof. Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig bestowed his blessing upon them, saying:
“The foundation of all our actions is the conviction that God is always with us. May you walk in this faith and trust, guided by the Holy Spirit, with a listening and loving heart.”
Sister Maria Fidelis, Sister M. Nichola, Sister M. Theodora, Sister M. Philippa, Sister M. Martina
Gratitude for the Former Provincial Council
We express our heartfelt thanks to Sister M. Vianney Kawaguchi, Sister M. Pacis Kyonoku, and Sister M. Goretti Vien Tran Nha Quyen for their dedicated service as Provincial Councilors during the past term.
Born: October 18, 1962 Entrance: September 8, 1983 Professed: January 21, 1988 Died: October 27, 2025
Believing wholeheartedly on the words attributed to Saint Clare of Assisi on her deathbed, Sister M. Princy Vadakkadath, stepped into eternity this morning at 10:30, October 27, 2025.
…Blessed be You, O God, for having created me.
(St. Clare of Assisi)
Diagnosed with a malignant illness for more than a decade, she lived her earthly life in complete surrender to God’s will—following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom she deeply loved and faithfully imitated both in times of health and in suffering. Sr. M. Princy was born on October 18, 1962, in Poovathussery, Thrissur District, Kerala, to Mr. Varghese and late Mrs. Rosy. She was the eldest of five children, with three brothers and one sister.
After completing her high school education, she entered our Congregation on September 8, 1983. She made her First Profession on January 21, 1988, and her Final Profession on January 25, 1993. Sr. M. Princy was a sincere and dedicated religious who lived her life with steadfast endurance and love.
After her first profession, she underwent training in tailoring. From 1989 to 1991, she served as a seamstress at Anjali Niketan, Pithora. From 1992 to 2001, she was entrusted with the responsibility of the Tailoring School at the newly established St. Francis Convent, Valiaveli, Kerala. She later returned to Anjali Niketan, Pithora, where she once again assumed charge of the sewing room from2001 to 2003. During this period, she took the initiative to stitch uniforms for the students of Anjali Vidyalaya and Anjali Bal Niketan, Pithora. She also successfully completed a diploma course in embroidery and sewing at Wardha, Maharashtra.
Two years later, Sr. M. Princy was appointed teacher at Anjali Bal Niketan, Pithora. She fulfilled this responsibility with great love and dedication, caring deeply for the little children entrusted to her.
Her joy in teaching and her affection for children were evident in all she did. However, in 2012, she faced a severe trial when she was diagnosed with a malignant disease. During the following four years, she underwent treatment at the Regional Cancer Centre, Trivandrum, and at Sanjivani Hospital, Raipur. The treatment brought positive results, and her health gradually improved. In May 2016, Sr. M. Princy was transferred to St. Francis Vidya Bhawan, Kapa, where she faithfully served as the Sister-in-charge of the community for about four years.In October 2020, Sr. M. Princy was transferred to Anjali Niketan, Pithora. Gradually, her healthbegan to decline, and she required greater care and rest. Desiring to spend this period meaningfully and productively, she devoted herself to a work of love. A faithful devotee of the Blessed Mother, she began making rosaries by hand with deep devotion and dedication. With joy and contentment, she shared these rosaries with our sisters and well-wishers. On Mission Sundays, her handmade rosaries were placed in auctions to help raise funds for the missions.
A true Franciscan at heart, Sr. M. Princy was simple, hardworking, and cheerful. She showed great dedication and commitment to the growth of every ministry entrusted to her. Firm in her faith in God and her devotion to the Blessed Mother, she stood as a steadfast witness and a shining example, especially to the younger members of the Province.
We express our heartfelt condolences to Father Thomas Vadakadath, her paternal uncle, who guided and encouraged Sr. M. Princy to join our Congregation. We also stand in prayerful solidarity with her beloved father, brothers, sister, and all members of her family during this time of sorrow.
Dear Sisters, the passing away of Sr. M. Princy leaves us with a deep sense of loss and void. Her life of dedication, quiet service, and unwavering faith has touched each of us profoundly, and her absence will be felt in many ways.
We believe that Sister M. Princy now rejoices in the eternal presence of the Lord, in the loving company of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom she so ardently loved and imitated throughout her life.
The mortal remains of Sr. M. Princy will be laid to rest at 10:30 a.m. on October 29, 2025, in our cemetery at Anjali Niketan Campus.
Farewell, dear Sister M. Princy. In gratitude for the gift of your life, we commend you to God’s loving embrace, rejoicing that you now rest in the Lord you so faithfully praised and served. May you rest in the eternal peace of Christ, whom you served so faithfully.
Born: July 19, 1932 Entrance: August 4, 1951 Professed: May 3, 1954 Died: October 21, 2025
Christ, whom she trusted in her life, took our dear Sister M. Eufredis, née Helga Magdalena Scharnet, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, to Himself.
Christ, my Christ!
(Prayer by Sr. M. Eufredis)
Sister M. Eufredis was born in Marienburg in West Prussia, where she spent the first years of her childhood. Her father was transferred to Briesen as a police officer, where Helga was able to attend secondary school. As the Eastern Front drew closer, the family had to leave their home in 1944 and, after many detours, ended up in the Protestant city of Bremerhaven. At that time, it was common for Catholic families to be deliberately sent to Protestant areas. This difficult time had a profound effect on her. She talked about it repeatedly. To graduate from school, the girl attended elementary school and then business school.
At St. Joseph’s Hospital, she got to know the Franciscan sisters as an apprentice cook and was able to join them in Münster in 1951.
After passing her nursing exam, she worked in several hospitals in nursing and in the laboratory. Many of us know Sister M. Eufredis as the friendly sister with sparkling eyes at the gate in Kroge. She was then allowed to spend a few more years in Brake, overlooking Bremerhaven, her second home. In 2006, Sister M. Eufredis came to St. Heriburg House and took over the visiting service for her sisters for a long time. Since 2015, she had been a senior there and, for the past year, a resident of the St. Klara residential group, where she lovingly cared for until she passed away at 7:00 a.m.. Sister M. Eufredis was deeply affected by her experiences as a refugee, which never left her. Her anchor was always Christ, to whom she prayed: “Christ, my Christ!”
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Eufredis. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember her and remain united with her in sisterhood.
New Provincial Leadership of the German Province Elected
Shortly after the conclusion of the Provincial Chapter of the German Province, the Provincial Chapter of the JapUnder the motto “Pilgrims of Hope,” we were able to experience days of prayer, exchange, counsel, and decision-making.
Spiritual Opening
Father Michael Plattig opened the chapter with a Eucharistic celebration in which he invited us to trust in the Spirit of God—and at the same time to celebrate the chapter as a feast. A special sign was the lighting of the chapter candle by Sr. Leemary, a symbol of the light of the Holy Spirit that accompanied us.
Work and Spiritual Impulses
Sr. M. Margarete, in her reflection on the theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” provided a valuable foundation for exchange and shared reflection. Our days were marked by discussion groups, times of prayer, a daily bibliolog, and the sharing of personal stories of hope. In this way, a deep sense of connection and orientation toward the future grew.
Gratitude and Remembrance
During Vespers, we commemorated with reverence the 104 sisters who passed away over the past four years. Their witness remains alive in our community.
Election of the New Provincial Leadership
On September 13, the electoral chapter began under the chairmanship of our Superior General, Sr. M. Margarete, and moderator Sr. Ruth Pucher. We joyfully announce the newly elected provincial leadership:
Sr. M. DiethildeBövingloh
Sr. MarianneKamlage
Sr. LeemarySebastian
Sr. M. VeraLütkebohmert
We thank them for their willingness to take on this service and wish them God’s abundant blessing.
A festive evening, a shared pilgrimage to Telgte—our place of foundation—and the solemn signing of the closing document rounded off these days.
With great gratitude, we look back on the 2025 Provincial Chapter. Strengthened by shared prayer and carried by God’s encouragement, we continue our journey—as Pilgrims of Hope.
Sister Leemary, Sister M. Diethilde, Sister Marianne, Sister M. Vera
Gratitude for the Former Provincial Council
We express our heartfelt thanks to Sister M. Cäcilia for her dedicated service as Provincial Councilor during the past term.
Born: May 20,1942 Entrance: October 01, 1971 Professed: May 01, 1974 Died: October 02, 2025
The good and merciful God called our sister to him after a long period of illness, our dear Sister M. Lea, née Hilde Leusmann, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Now, Lord, you let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation.
(From the evening prayer of the Church)
Sister M. Lea was born the third child to the farming family of Leusmann in Greven. From an early age, she wanted to become a religious sister, but her parents had other plans for her. After finishing school, she was expected to stay at home and look after her grandparents, and later her parents. It was not until the age of 29 that Hilde was finally able to join our congregation.
After completing her nursing exam at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster, she later attended a ward manager course in Freiburg. Following this training, she worked at St. Josef’s Home in Bremen from 1983 to 1988, after which she moved to St. Rochus Hospital in Telgte. There, she cared for mentally ill women in the St. Michael protected ward. She then took over foot care of her fellow sisters and reception duties at the Maria Hilf House in Telgte.
In 2018, Sister M. Lea moved into the St. Franziskus House in Nordwalde as a resident, as her strength was steadily declining. For a long time, she was unable to leave her room. When people visited her, she was always open and friendly. She prayed a lot, read, and did needlework with Sister M. Marialdis. Now the Lord has allowed his servant Sister M. Lea to depart in peace, on the day after her 54th anniversary of joining the religious community.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Lea. We remain united to her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Born: December 30, 1936 Entrance: February 11, 1956 Professed: September 17, 1958 Died: October 3, 2025
On Friday, October 3rd, 2025, at 6:08 AM, our sister Sr. M. Johanna Hisako Kataoka, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, having completed her earthly mission, was called home to the Lord while being cared for by Sr. M. Vianney, leaving behind a peaceful, peaceful expression.
Lord, you are the light of my path, my all
(Ps. 119)
Sr. M. Johanna was born in Nagasaki and experienced the atomic bombing at age 9. Blessed with good health, she always seemed full of energy as she carried out her ministry. About a year and a half ago, during a routine checkup, her primary physician found an abnormal value in one test result. Further examination led to a diagnosis of “intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.” Sr. M. Johanna received detailed explanations from several specialist physicians regarding the options for medical or surgical treatment and the prognosis. After prayerful consideration, she chose “not to undergo active treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy, but to leave things to God’s will and follow nature’s course.” She expressed her wish to spend her final days in the palliative care unit (hospice). On September 3rd, the anniversary of the establishment of the Japanese Province, she was admitted to the palliative care ward, marking exactly one month of her battle with illness. Serving in her second term as Superior of the Himeji Convent, she poured her whole heart and soul into demonstrating her love for the sisters entrusted to her care, as well as for the international sisters, including the General Superior, faithfully fulfilling her sacred duties.
Sr. M. Johanna wrote a letter titled “Gratitude and Thanks” to us sisters this past July. In it, she reflected on her life and expressed her thoughts on the many graces she had received through the sisters in this congregation.
Born: June 15, 1943 Entrance: August 15, 1962 Professed: May 3,1965 Died: September 30, 2025
In this confidence, our dear Sister M. Aloysi, née Barbara Stroinski, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, gave her life back into the hands of God.
Into your hands I place with confidence my spirit
(Psalm 31:6)
Sister M. Aloysi was the last Provincial Superior of the former Rheinisch Province in Kamp-Lintfort, from 1993 until its dissolution in 1998. Before that, she was Provincial Vicaress there. She led the province with prudence and foresight and led it into the chapter in which the merger of the two German provinces was decided. We would like to thank Sister M. Aloysi most sincerely for her ministry.
Sister M. Aloysi was born in Cottbus in the former DDR. She later came to West Germany with her parents and got to know our community as a student at the nursing school in Datteln. It was there that the principal, Sister M. Ludowika, made a particular impression on the young woman.
After joining the religious community, she completed the school for social pedagogy and trained as a home manager. She then managed the student hostel in Datteln. She later became convent superior at the seminary in Bochum-Querenburg. After her time as provincial superior, she lived in a small convent in Krefeld and was involved in pastoral work there. She also did this in Billerbeck and Hamminkeln-Dingden.
In 2017, Sister M. Aloysi came to St. Heriburg House as a resident and took part in the convent and prayer life for as long as she was able. In recent times, she was completely dependent on the help of the staff and sisters, who were very happy to have her, as she accepted her numerous ailments, trusting that God always carried her and supported her even in the most difficult moments. This is what she told us in her personal will.
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Aloysi. We remember her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist and remain connected to her as sisters.
Born: December 22, 1926 Entrance: January 30, 1953 Professed: October 28, 1955 Died: September 26, 2025
In the early hours of the morning, Jesus Christ, to whom she had entrusted her life, called to himself our dear Sister M. Innozentia née Paula Vaske, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Jesus be Jesus to me!
(Nils Stensen)
Sister M. Innozentia was born the eighth child of the Vaske family in Diekhaus, near Emstek. She grew up in a sheltered environment on her parents’ farm. She spoke fondly of her happy childhood, which was shaped by the Catholic faith and a down-to-earth attitude. Two of her older sisters, Sister M. Bercharia and Sister M. Melita, joined our congregation. They were her great role models. At the age of 27, Paula followed them and also became a fellow sister in our congregation, taking the name Sister M. Innozentia.
Sister M. Innozentia served as superior and convent leader in Epe, Ibbenbüren-Püsselbüren and Epe again, for a total of 24 years. She then managed housekeeping at the seminary in Bochum and at the Bernsmeyer House in Telgte. In 2011, she returned to the mother house, moving to St. Heriburg House as a resident in 2021. In recent times, her strength had declined significantly, leaving her increasingly dependent on assistance. Sister M. Maris accompanied her on her journey for many years, supporting her and standing by her side until the final phase of her life. She gave her life back to God after 98 years, and prayed trustingly to him until the end, saying: ‘Jesus, be Jesus to me!’
We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Innozentia. We remain united with her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist. We offer our sympathy to her faithful companion, Sister M. Maris.
