Sister M. Elsy

I was born in 1968 in the village of Purapuzha in the Idukki district of Kerala. My parents are Mrs. Mariyam and the late Mr. Devassy. I am the third child among six siblings (two boys and four girls). My father was a farmer, and my mother is a homemaker.

Initially, I lived with my grandparents in Ramapuram. Seeing their deep prayer life, the seed of faith began to grow in me. They encouraged me to learn all the prayers and took me along with them to church.

Later, my parents moved from Purapuzha to Upuzha in the Thrissur district, and since then, I stayed with them and my siblings. I gratefully remember and cherish the wonderful time we shared as a family. I always thank God for my parents, who were role models in both physical and spiritual growth.

I studied at St. Anne’s Girls High School and stayed in the hostel run by the Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC Sisters). There, I had the opportunity to take part in the Holy Eucharist every day, which helped me realize the importance of being close to God. The Sisters organized various spiritual and cultural programmes to guide and inspire us to choose the right path in life. Looking back, I had no intention of becoming a religious sister during my early school years, even though the CMC Sisters often spoke about vocations to religious life.

Sometimes, God speaks to us through friends, family members, people of faith, and even through life’s circumstances. These moments of insight can awaken thoughts we never had before. When I was in 9^th standard, a priest who worked in North India visited our school and shared his missionary experiences. I was deeply inspired by his service and felt that Jesus was calling me too.

I am especially grateful to Sr. Baylon of the CMC sisters, who encouraged me to attend vocation camps. These helped me discern my calling to religious life. When I expressed my desire to her, she invited me to join their congregation. However, I felt a strong desire to be a missionary in North India.

I shared this with my elder sister, who was in Indore at that time. She connected me with the Medical Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in Pithora. Later, Sister M. Gerburg contacted me through Father Thomas Vadakekary, the then parish priest of Pithora, who was on home holidays. Everything that followed felt like a miracle in my life.

Two other girls from Kerala joined me to travel with Father Thomas. We reached Pithora on December 7, 1985.

During my candidacy, I was sent to Tatibandh for my Higher Secondary studies at an English medium school run by the Sisters of the Congregation of Jesus Mary Joseph (JMJ). After completing this two years’ curriculum, I went through the various stages of formation that helped me discern and commit myself to Jesus Christ.

I made my First Profession on January 25,1992 and my Final Vows on December 9, 1997. I celebrated my Silver Jubilee in 2017.

“What shall I render to the Lord for all His goodness to me?”
(Psalm 116:12)

Over the years, I have lived in different communities. At present, I am serving as a Lab Technician in the hospital at Anjali Niketan, Pithora. I am happy and content in my religious life and ever grateful to God for His countless blessings. I thank God for His mighty hand upon me throughout these years.

Lord, I thank You for choosing me and using me for Your mission. Direct and guide me as I continue this journey with You.

Sister Gertrude O’Connor, OSF

I was born in a rural area near O’Fallon, Illinois, on January 4, 1939, and the oldest of nine children in a family with Irish, German, French, and Italian heritage. As a child, I would visit the Motherhouse in Springfield, Illinois where Sister Joyce Gerardi, my aunt, lived.

When the time came to choose where I would attend high school, my parents gave me permission to leave home and enroll at St. Francis High School at the Motherhouse. After completing three years of education, I also sensed that my call in life was to be a member of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. On September 8, 1956, I entered the Community. I completed my education as a postulant while beginning formation. Soon after earning my diploma, I became a novice and focused my attention on learning about religious life.

Following my first profession of vows in 1959, I enrolled at St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Springfield, and it was during my surgery rotation that I felt most at home. I have served in surgical nursing at our hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin, as a faculty member at St. John’s School of Nursing, the supervisor of Loretto Home at St. Francis Convent, and as a clinical nurse specialist for surgery at St. John’s Hospital (Springfield). In addition, I have served in community leadership and on the board of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS).

In 1971, I earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marillac College (St. Louis, Missouri). I also earned a master’s degree in nursing education from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois) in 1979 and a master’s degree in nursing from Rush University (Chicago, Illinois) in 1988.

My 66 years of religious life have been filled with many blessings. Each day, I have prayerfully journeyed with the Spirit who has led me along a beautiful path. I give thanks to God for this wonderful life.

Schwester M. Camilis Zysk

Im Jahr 1939, am 26. August wurde ich  in  Gladbeck, geboren. Meine Eltern, die Mutter, Helene geb. Hartmann und mein Vater, Anton Zysk, waren gut katholisch. Mein Vater, der Bergmann warm, wurde einige Tage vor meiner Geburt schon einberufen, so dass er mich nicht mehr kennen lernte. Und so wurde ich mitten im Ruhrgebiet groß. Ich besuchte die Kath Volksschule am Rosenhügel. Nach dem 8. Schuljahr wurde ich entlassen. Wir lebten in ganz normalen Verhältnissen, wie sie nach dem Krieg eben waren. Reich waren wir nicht, aber meine Eltern haben uns eine gute glückliche Kindheit geschenkt. In unserem Drei-Mädel–Haus  hatten wir alle von einem bestimmten Alter an unser kleinen Aufgaben mit zu erledigen. Da meine Mutter krank war, und ich die Älteste, fielen mir schon früh viele Aufgaben zu.

Bei uns gingen oft die Schwestern von der Familienpflege durch die Straße. Schon sehr früh, ich kann mich nicht genau erinnern wann, habe ich zu meiner Mutter gesagt, so will ich auch werden. Doch wie das so ist, dieses Hingezogen sein verlor sich später bis hin zu dem Tag, der für mich die Entscheidung brachte.

In der Rückschau auf mein Leben, fallen mir besonders einige Ereignisse ein, die zwar klein sind, aber für mich weg- und lebensweisend sind. In meinem Elternhaus wurde  das Tischgebet immer gut gepflegt und uns Kindern wurde das Beten auch gelehrt. Für meine Mutter war die Kriegszeit eine sehr schwierige Zeit, da wir immer mal wieder in eine andere Gegend evakuiert  wurden. Aber meine Mutter hielt im Glauben stand und führte auch uns Kinder dorthin.

Dann bekamen wir auf einmal Post aus Amerika und  meine Großtante, Schwester M. Camilla, geb. Klara Achtermann  meldete sich.  Sie war Mauritzer Franziskanerinn und schon als Postulantin nach Amerika  gekommen. Dadurch entspann sich nun nach dem Krieg ein reger Briefwechsel. Ich durfte dann immer die Briefe schreiben und aus unserem Alltag berichten.

Nach meiner Schulentlassung fand ich Arbeit im Horster Krankenhaus, zunächst an der Pforte und später im Labor. Ich begann die Schwestern zu beobachten, ihre Art mit den Menschen und auch mit den Mitarbeitern umzugehen. Etwas wurde in mir wach, was ich nicht zu deuten wusste Da ich jung war, ging ich auch oft mit einigen Arbeitskloleginnen zum Tanz, doch manchmal  hatte ich das Gefühl, da nicht hin zugehören und die Lust am Tanz verging mir.

An einem Sonntagnachmittag war ich in der Kapelle. Dann kamen die Schwestern und als  Ruhe eingekehrt war, gab es ein Klopfzeichen und alle Schwestern erhoben auf einmal die Hände zum Gebet. Das war für mich ein erschütterndes Erlebnis, das mich sehr lange beschäftigte. Einmal sprach ich mit Schwester M. Gilduina darüber und sie erklärte mir das. Ich glaube, dass dieses Erlebnis den Ausschlag gegeben hat meinem inneren  Anruf zu folgen. 1959 fand ich Aufnahme bei den Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen. Meine erste Profess legt ich 1962 ab und 1967 die ewige Profess.

Die Ausbildung zur Krankenschwester fand im Franziskus Hospital statt. Nach dem Krankenpflegeexamen fand ich meinen ersten Einsatz in Havixbeck , einem kleinen Krankenhaus auf dem Land. Einige Zeit später in Emsdetten im Labor und Röntgen Nachdem ich dann  9 Jahre in Haselünne meinen Dienst tat, sollte ich eine andere Aufgabe übernehmen. Über die Diözese Münster machte ich ein Bonn beim Borromäusverein eine Ausbildung zur Büchereiassistentin. In dieser Aufgabe  war ich viele Jahre tätig  und habe vier Büchereien in den Krankenhäusern in Emsdetten, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven und Leer eingerichtet. 2002 begann ich ein Fernstudium zur Leiterin von Wort Gottes Feiern an Sonn-und Feiertagen über das theologische Institut Trier, welches ich dann 2004 mit Erfolg abschloss. Dankbar war ich meiner Oberin, dass sie mir dieses Studium erlaubte.

Viele Wort Gottes-Feiern habe ich für die Gemeinde und im Krankenaus gehalten. Diese Aufgabe habe ich mit viel Herzblut getan. Nun heißt es Abschied nehmen aus Alters- und Gesundheitsgründen. Ich weiß, dass viele Schwestern, auch in den USA, meinen Weg mit ihrem Gebet begleitet haben. Viele davon sind schon lange heimgeholt zu Gott, aber ich denke noch immer an sie. Ein besonderer Dank gilt aber meinen Eltern, die mir Vorbild und Beispiel waren und uns gelehrt haben was wichtig ist im Leben.

Sister M. Celina

We know that God makes all things work together
for the good of those who have been called according to his decree.
(Rom. 8:28)

In 1941, I was born in Tottori, the second of four children.  When I was 20 years old, I received the gift of Baptism.  In Nursing School, a classmate invited me to go with her to see the church.  Both of us had just entered nursing school and were not acquainted with the area.  One day, we found a small church. Timidly we opened the door and found a sign: “Little Flower Kindergarten” and “CATHOLIC KURAYOSHI CHURCH”.  On the first floor was the kindergarten, and on the second was the chapel.  The kindergarten teacher introduced us to the pastor, who was a young Jesuit priest.  Then my friend and I started instructions on the Catholic teachings from this priest.  I told the priest: “I would like to hear the teachings, but I will not receive the Catholic baptism”. At that time, I was afraid that if become a Catholic, I would be tied up by restrictions, and loose my freedom. 

We came regularly to listen to the priest.  However, I noticed that my friend who invited me to go with her, had quit coming after a while. I was alone to receive the instructions.  Father used romaji script, and was not fluent in Japanese, but with all his heart talked about the Scriptures.  This little church community was like a family, and the Christians were very friendly and kind.  After the Mass on Sundays we mixed familiarly in the conference room and spent precious times.

During a period of two year experience, I joined the activities of the Legion of Mary, visiting the sick in the apartment next to the Church and in the surrounding area. During that time, I began to realize that I would not become as restricted as I thought.I received the grace of baptism at the age of 20.

Thinking of my past experiences, I had become familiar with the words of Scripture at the age of 16. About the time we graduated from Middle School, as classmates we exchanged messages in a notebook which we passed around.  When my notebook was passed back to me, the message that caught my eye was: “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.  But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is narrow, and there are few people who find it.” (Matthew 7:13).  When I looked at who signed the message, it was that of our music directress, and I felt a whole new impulse.  However, at that time, I did not search for the Scripture at the church.

In a certain book I read an article:  “In that person ‘the Word of God’ may be found fermenting as yeast. It takes time for the yeast to ferment within me, and it may be guiding me…” 

When I was thinking of religious life, Father Van de Vijver (CICM) was the pastor.  As I went to speak to Father about it, he said, “I only know of communities in Himeji”, and referred me to this Community.  I had worked at St. Mary’s Hospital for a while from April, 1965, as a nurse, and knew it was an Order which came from America, and from which Sister Ruth came, and Japanese Sisters belonged.

In September 1965, I entered the Community with two other candidates, and pronounced First Vows in 1968. I studied the Sophia University Religious course two years in Osaka; then I was sent to St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki, where I worked as a nurse. For me, it was a great grace from God that I could meet with the people of Nagasaki, who had a history of deep faith. In October, 1973, I pronounced my Final Vows.

In 1986 I was appointed as the religious formation director for the junior sisters for four years.  After which, I was sent again to St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki.

From January, 2000, I went to the American Province to study English. From September 2000 to July, 2001, I took the ETU Religious Formation Course in Chicago.  This was a very interesting opportunity and afforded me precious experiences in meeting these international students.

In October 2001, as the beginners’ formation directress, I stayed for a short time in the Formation House of our Province in Seoul (of which Sister Laetitia was the responsible person).  I lived with the Korean Candidates, and was able to get a feeling for the Korean culture.

In the autumn of 2004, at the invitation of a Conventual Franciscan Father, I participated in a vocation activity in which five Religious Communities of Sisters visited Ho Chi Minh, Phan Thiet, Nha Trang Provinces.  This was an incentive for which we have been gifted with new energy and membership.

 Dear God, please renew daily my heart, wanting to live always according to your will!

Schwester Pacis Bao

Am 8. April 1921 wurde ich in Shan-Tung, China geboren. Mir wurde der Name Yuan Ying (Catherine) gegeben. Ich war das jüngste Kind von vier Mädchen und drei Jungen. Meine Eltern, antichinesische Landbesitzer, waren angesichts der zunehmenden Präsenz der Japaner, die gegen die römisch-katholische Kirche eingestellt waren, sehr um meine Sicherheit besorgt. Deswegen brachten sie mich im Jahr 1925 in ein Waisenhaus mit Schule im nahe gelegenen Ping Yin. 1932 wechselte ich zu einer weiter entfernten Schule in Jinan, China. Dort lernte ich die Krankenschwestern des hl. Franziskus kennen. Schwester Clementia, zusammen mit anderen Schwestern, besuchte uns mehrfach und sprach über das Ordensleben und die Arbeit im St. Joseph’s Hospital in Jinan. Ich war sehr beeindruckt von ihnen und beschloss, mich ihnen nach Abschluss meiner Ausbildung anzuschließen.

Am 8. September 1944 trat ich in die Gemeinschaft ein. Es war die Zeit des Zweiten Weltkrieges und die Schwestern kümmerten sich um die verletzten Soldaten. Am 17. Oktober 1945 wurde ich eingekleidet und erhielt wegen des gerade unterzeichneten Friedensvertrages den Namen Pacis, der „Frieden“ bedeutet.

Am 24. September 1947 legte ich meine erste Profess ab. Aufgrund der zunehmend instabiler werdenden politischen Situation in China mussten die Schwestern gehen, und so segelten einige von uns am 12. Mai 1948 auf dem Passagierschiff „SS General Meigs“ Richtung USA. Nach unserer Ankunft in San Francisco, Kalifornien, fuhren wir mit dem Zug nach Springfield, Illinois, und kamen dort am 5. Juni 1948 an. Der Plan war, drei Jahre zu bleiben und dann nach China zurückzukehren. Da sich die Bedingungen in China jedoch nicht verbesserten, kehrten wir nicht zurück und hatten über 30 Jahre auch nur sehr begrenzten Kontakt mit unseren Familien.Leider waren viele Mitglieder meiner Familie getötet worden.

Ich bin Absolventin der St. John’s Krankenpflegeschule in Springfield, Illinois (1963). Ungefähr fünf Jahre lang war ich als Krankenschwester im St. John’s Hospital in Springfield und im St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin, tätig. Im Jahr 1968 verbesserte sich die politische Situation in Taiwan und die Schwestern beschlossen, eine Mission zu eröffnen. Drei chinesische Schwestern und ich meldeten uns freiwillig, um den Armen in Kaohsiung in der „Star of the Sea-Klinik“ zu dienen.

Im Jahr 2000 besuchte ich einen Gebetsgottesdienst über Vergebung in Kaohsiung. Ich wusste, dass ich denen vergeben musste, die meine Familie getötet hatten, dass ich den Hass loslassen musste, den ich seit fast 50 Jahren hatte. Es waren über 5.000 Menschen im Gottesdienst und der Heilige Geist kam zu mir und berührte meine Seele. Ich war endlich in Frieden und vergab ihnen. Nach 34 Jahren in Taiwan kehrte ich 2002 nach Springfield zurück und bin seither aktiv geblieben. Heute, halte ich täglich meine Gebetszeit und ich verehre weiterhin in besonderer Weise die Gottesmutter.

Schwester M. Gudrun Konert

Ich wurde am 28. April 1958 als Gisela Konert in Holtwick, einem Ortsteil der Gemeinde Rosendahl im Kreis Coesfeld geboren. Aufgewachsen bin ich mit 6 Geschwister auf einem Bauernhof mit allen Tieren und was sonst noch so zu einem Münsterländer Hof dazugehört. Da alle Geschwister zwischen 1958 und 1967 geboren sind, herrschte immer „Leben in der Hütte“. Meine Mutter versorgte den großen Haushalt, neben den 7 Kindern gehörten noch die Eltern und einige Geschwister meines Vaters dazu. Mein Vater war Holzschuhmacher, arbeitete als Landwirt und Schreiner.

Nach meinem Schulbesuch absolvierte ich im St. Anna Stift in Stadtlohn eine 3-jährige Ausbildung als Hauswirtschafterin und später als Wirtschafterin.

Mit der Entscheidung für ein Leben im Kloster haben meine Eltern schon beinahe gerechnet. Eine Großtante und Tante, Schwester meines Vaters, lebten in der Gemeinschaft der Hiltruper Missionsschwestern, so ist diese Lebensform bereits Bestandteil der Familie. Als junge Frau auf der Suche nach dem richtigen Weg, waren Empfindungen und Gefühle wichtige Entscheidungsträger. Die Besinnungswochenenden bei den Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen brachte die Erleuchtung: „Das ist es!“ Ich fühlte mich wohl und aufgenommen in dieser Gemeinschaft.  Die Spiritualität des Hl. Franziskus, sein Leben und Wirken ist meine Berufung.

Im Rückblick auf meinen Lebensweg war die Entscheidung gut so. Ich würde mich heute wieder so entscheiden, denn ich betrachte mein Leben als eine Berufung. Nach der Entscheidung für das Ordensleben, trat ich dann am 27. April 1983 in die Gemeinschaft der Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen ein. Die Zeit des Postulates diente als Einführungszeit. Mit der Aufnahme ins Noviziat am 27. November1983 erfolgte die zweijährige Noviziats Ausbildung. Inhalte dieser Zeit waren das persönliche und gemeinschaftliche Gebet und das Leben in der Gemeinschaft, vertieft und geprägt vom Geist des Evangeliums und der franziskanischen Tradition. Nach dieser Zeit legte ich am 27. Oktober 1985 die erste Profess und am 1. Juli 1990 meine ewige Profess ab, in der ich mich für immer an Gott und die Gemeinschaft gebunden habe.

Gemeinschaft ist ein großes Geschenk, das ich nicht alleine auf dem Weg bin, das immer einer da ist, der mich trägt: Psalm 23 Vers 1+3:“DerHerr ist mein Hirte, nichts wird mir fehlen, er stillt mein Verlangen, er leitet mich auf rechten Pfaden, treu seinem Namen!“

Mein Hobby ist das Backen. Ich backe gerne und konnte dieses in verschiedenen Häusern unserer Gemeinschaft ausführen, Konvente im Rheinland und Münsterland, sowie 15 Jahre im Kapuzinerkloster in Münster und 6 Jahre im Konvent in Werne. Seit Ende Mai 2020 lebe ich in der St. Antonius von Padua Gruppe im neuen Haus des Mutterhauses in Münster. Ich lebe hier mit 4 Mitschwestern und sorge für die vielfältigen Aufgaben im Haus. Ich lebe gerne hier und bin meiner Berufung dankbar. Mit Blick auf mein Ordensleben möchte ich schließen mit Franziskus: Das ist es was ich will, das ist es was ich suche, danach verlange ich aus meinem Herzen!

Sister M. Rosa, Yuriko Tsutsumi

My name is Sister Rosa, Yuriko Tsutsumi. I was raised in a devout catholic family. I was born in Wakayama, which is south of Osaka, and I have seven siblings: three older brothers, two older sisters, and a younger sister.

I was baptized on the third day after I was born. My father had come up with a spiritual name for me, after the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph). My baptismal name is Mary. Joseph holds Jesus and a staff with lilies in bloom, so my Japanese name is Yuriko. ‘Yuri’ means lilies in Japanese. My father was a catechist who was mainly an interpreter for French missionaries. He was born in Hirado, Nagasaki, the first place where St. Francis Xavier landed in Japan.

I learned about the Religious life when I entered the mission school “Osaka Shin-Ai Jogakuin High School”.

I came to know about our Congregation through my father’s hospitalization at St. Francis Hospital, Nagasaki. I felt God’s grace as my father recovered from his near-death condition and was able to leave the hospital. When I was 23 years old, I got a job at St. Francis Hospital.

The following year, as I was watching Sister Fridolin and Sister Barbara at work, I began to think, “I want to be a part of this.” That’s what good medical nursing looked like, from serving patients and taking care of their meals to cleaning.

However, I felt I couldn’t follow the Latin prayers coming from the convent’s chapel which is connected to the hospital. After the Vatican Council, Sister Asumputa and I attended a religious study group once a week, and gradually my heart changed. As if carried by a wave, I was led into the Congregation.

Looking back on it now, I feel that I really wanted to become a Sister for a while, because I saw my two brothers going to seminary and trying to become a priest. I prayed for them. One of my two brothers received ordination to the priesthood and I was thinking of becoming a Sister. The other brother started working at an orphanage in the diocese of Osaka. At that time I forgot that I want to become a religious Sister.

At the age of 27, after giving my mother a hard time – she was the one who most desired to see me as a Religious – it gradually became clear to me, that Jesus is the one I want to marry.

The following year, 1967, at the age of 28, I joined the Congregation, and made my first vows on September 3, 1970. I professed my final vows on September 3, 1977, the year we became a Province. I worked as a nurse at St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki, St. Mary’s Hospital in Himeji and Easter Village in Ashikaga.

In 1990, I went to Korea as a foreign missionary. I worked hard to learn the Korean culture. In Korea, I cared for the elderly and served the poor, and in 2008, after finishing my time in Korea, I returned to Japan. Even today I have a missionary zeal for Korea.

In 2020, I celebrated my 50th anniversary of religious life. I look back in gratitude. Everything happened by God’s grace.

Sister M. Dietmara Ahlmann

My story of life

Being asked about my age, I gladly reply:
“I am two months younger than our Pope Francis.” I really appreciate him. His positive attitude towards life, his outgoing personality and his love of freedom repeatedly opens up pathways, according to the scripture:  “You set me free in the open.” For this I thank the Lord and the people who walk the way with me.“

Childhood, youth and education

My family home is located directly on the church square in Lüdinghausen, a small town in the Münsterland. So our family, church and community life were a natural unity. I grew up with four siblings and a large number of cousins. Our kindergarten and later the high school were run by Franciscan nuns and one of my aunts was a Franciscan, too. Four cousins felt called to the priesthood, so I was very close to the church and the religious orders. I also felt the call to become a Religious Sister.

After my graduation from the school of nursing it seemed natural, that I felt drawn to the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, especially since I went on a pilgrimage to Rome / Assisi together with my mother, on which I got to know St. Francis in a very new way.

And the certainty grew, that in a special way, I want to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis according to the gospel. A Franciscan, a Sister, a nurse. Yes, that’s what I wanted to be.

Entrance in Community

In 1962, I joined the Congregation, at that time together with 27 like-minded young women. It was a blessed, a wonderful and a carefree time.

But then everything turned out differently: Shortly after my first profession, I was called to the former General Superior, Mother Odilia. She told me: “In the future, we need a dentist with exam for the community” and she added: “We thought about it and we want you, to go for study.”

Of course I was very scared and also disappointed. It saddened me to stop working as a nurse in the future. And I also expressed my doubts whether at all I can complete such a long course successfully.

After a period of reflection, I said with a heavy heart: “YES, I will try it.” I had just recently professed my first vows, and as it says i n our vows, “I place myself completely at the disposition of this community for the service of the church.”

With God’s help and the invaluable support of my Sisters I passed the state examination and earned a doctorate.  I am particularly grateful to my Sisters, who worked for years in the dental practice with great dedication and who supported me with advice, practical help and prayer.

Working as a dentist became my new profession and gave me a lot o joy. The environment grew. In addition to the Sisters’ treatment, I assumed emergency services in the hospital and beyond. Especially the work with children/people with disabilities in ‘Stift Tilbeck’ was challenging. As a Sister, however, I had a special advantage, because our Sisters in Stift Tilbeck were persons of trust to the patients, and that’s where I belonged.

In many other situations, I experienced help and encouragement from people by my side, and especially from my Sisters.

And all in all, I feel that God is on my side. I do not know situations like God-forsakenness or threatening danger. Maybe I have worries, but in everything, again and again, I experienced what Jesus promises to us “I am with you every day”.
For me, this promise has become an encouraging word from the Holy Scripture.

Due to my profession, the motherhouse remained my permanent residence for almost 60 years. Sisters were jokingly saying, that I became a so-called ‘motherhouse pillar’.

The terms in office in the General- and Provincial Leadership are very precious to me. In this time my “mother house horizon” grew worldwide, for which I am very grateful. It is important in everyday life, to support and to shape the tasks and the aims of the community.

Now, at my age, my life is getting shorter and the thoughts of the end of life or of eternal life are coming more often. What will happen and how will it be? For me, heaven is a symbol for eternal home with God, a symbol for security, peace and joy and that is what I wish for all who were or are still with me on the way here.

For the many shortcomings or difficulties in everyday life, I always like to take St. Francis as a model. He loved the church despite all weaknesses and shortcomings. Through his life he gave the church a new face and he said:

“Lord, let it begin with me.”

Sister M. Gifty Njarackavelil

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born,
I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5

I was born as the elder daughter to my parents on February 04, 1992 in Cherthala, Alappuzha District, Kerala, India.

God thoughtfully selected my parents who have very strong catholic faith. I firmly believe; God had a wonderful plan even from the time of my conception. One of the events that I heard from my parents is:  my parents took me to the church for my baptism. Holy Mass was being celebrated on the other side altar of the church and it was the time for offertory. The priest who gave baptism for me told to my parents: “This child is baptised at the time of offertory and she will be for the Lord forever”. And it became true.

As the years passed, I had a desire to become a nun. I was interested in reading books; therefore, the religious sisters in our parish gave me many books of saints.  This helped me to create an intense desire to live and die for Jesus. During these years, I happened to read a book about St. Francis. Thus, my desire became strong to be a Franciscan nun. My aunt Sister M. Archana is in our Franciscan congregation.  I consulted her for her opinion of my desire to be a Franciscan religious.   She asked me to complete my higher secondary education. 

As I completed the higher secondary, my father was not willing to send me to a far place to become a religious; as state of Chhattisgarh is 1,300 kilometres away from Kerala.  This was very challenging for me. Every day from morning till night, my tears were rolling down my cheeks. Finally, father agreed with my decision. My parents and aunt helped me to prepare myself to respond to God’s call.

Fulfilling God’s plan, on August 01, 2009 I joined our Congregation.  After five years of initial formation, I professed on May 07, 2014. At present I am studying for Chartered Accountant in Trivandrum, Kerala.

The main focus of my religious vocation is to possess Jesus completely and to proclaim Him through my life. I say with St. Paul; I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ.  Philippians 3:8.I wish to glorify God in all the little things assigned to me in my religious life.

Sister M. Marieta Stohldreier

I was born on February 20, 1934 in Ochtrup, Westmünsterland. My parents – Heinrich and Amalia, the former Amalia Ostendorf – gave me the name Martha. I grew up on my parents’ farm with seven siblings. I experienced the time of the Second World War. Soon, three of my brothers were sent to the front.

A brother, 19 years old, was wounded in Russia and died from the injuries. The other two brothers came back from the war severely ill. As the youngest in the family, I was 14 years old, I had to assist my mother in the household and to help with field work. My sister was not interested in agriculture; she left the house when she was 20 years old. My father died in 1945 from the consequences of a robbery and the following turmoil.

I left the school in 1948 and continued to help with various tasks on the farm. During the war many beggars from the Ruhr area came and knocked at our door. Sometimes they were 20 – 30 women, often mothers, who had saved a few remainings out of the ruins, to exchange it for food. Sometimes, my mother said “no”. Then I saw the sad eyes of the mothers.

I secretly went to the chicken house, took out eggs and ran after the women. It was probably the social conscience, that I inherited from my father.  My heart was always devoted to the poor. When I was 16 years old, I came to a decision: I wanted to be there for many people. The desire urged me more and more to become a religious.

At the age of 20, I entered our Congregation against the resistance of my mother, my sister and my brothers. First, I did a six-month internship in the hospital.

After I learned nursing, my path led more and more into the work for the homeless in Münster. Later I worked for a soup kitchen in the former “German Democratic Republic” for 10 years. After the closure of the convent, I lived with two other sisters in a small town. There I visited old and sick people and I was actively rooted in the parish.

Today I live in the Motherhouse and as far as I can I visit old people in our adjacent home for the elderly. I am grateful for my vocation to serve in the healing ministry.

Schwester M. Maris

Am 16. Juni 1943 wurde ich, Maria Elisabeth Keller, als Zweitjüngstes von 11 Kindern meiner Eltern Maria und Franz Keller in Ibbenbüren geboren. Mit fünf älteren Brüdern und fünf Schwestern verlebte ich meine Kindheit, vertraut mit Tieren und Landarbeit, die Basis war für unsere christlich religiöse Großfamilie.

Da mein Vater im Hauptberuf auf der Zeche unter Tage beschäftigt war, mussten besonders die Brüder und auch die älteren Schwestern bei der Landwirtschaft helfen. Alle waren neben ihrer Berufsarbeit – ob im Büro, bei der Post, als Schneider oder in der Fabrik – täglich im häuslichen Betrieb eingespannt. Alle packten nach Kräften mit an. Auch wir Jüngsten waren nach dem Unterricht in der Schule bei der Feldarbeit eingeteilt. Mir machte die Arbeit schon im Kindesalter viel Freude, besonders wenn ich die großen Flächen der Felder mit unserem Pferd Flora pflügen oder eggen durfte. So wuchs wohl die Hoffnung meines Vaters, ich würde später die Landwirtschaft übernehmen.

Bei mir aber reifte der Wunsch, nach der Schulzeit (acht Jahre Volksschule) einen kaufmännischen Beruf zu erlernen, den ich auch einige Jahre zur großen Enttäuschung meines Vaters ausgeübt habe. Doch meine „innere Stimme“ regte sich vermehrt immer häufiger, einen religiösen Beruf ergreifen zu wollen, aber da war mein ganz persönliches Empfinden mir im Weg, nämlich eine Furcht vor Krankenhausbesuchen.

Um dem entgegen zu treten, ließ ich mich zur Malteser Hilfs-Schwesternhelferin ausbilden, zu dem auch eine Praktikumszeit im Krankenhaus gehörte. Durch diese Konfrontation im Krankenhaus wuchs meine Begeisterung zu diesem Einsatz und ich verpflichtete mich –  neben meiner beruflichen Tätigkeit als Verkäuferin im großen Kaufhaus – zum 14-tägigen Wochenenddienst im St. Elisabeth-Hospital in Ibbenbüren bei den Schwestern vom Heiligen Franziskus. Jetzt war ich nach meiner dreijährigen kaufmännischen Lehre nebenbei meinem inneren Wunsch, „für andere da zu sein“, sehr viel nähergekommen.

Nach einigen Jahren wurde der Wunsch nach einem geistlichen Beruf in mir immer stärker, wohl auch durch meine Aufgabe als Gruppenleitung in der CAJ, wo sich doch meine „Unruhe des Herzens“ immer wieder meldete. So machte ich eine Ausbildung als Caritas-Krankenschwester im Jahre 1964 in Ibbenbüren. Diese Aufgabe machte mir sehr schnell deutlich, dass hier meine Stärken lag Menschen helfen zu können, und die mich ganz ausfüllte. Hier fühlte ich mich am Arbeitsplatz, im Krankenhaus und im Kontakt zu den Ordensschwestern ganz zu Hause. Doch ich war noch immer nicht am Ziel meines Weges, „was will ER noch von mir“ beschäftigte mein Herz und meine Gedanken über etliche Jahre im Beruf. Im Juni hörte ich die Predigt eines Franziskanerpaters zum Thema „Nachfolge“, da zündete endlich bei mir das Wort „Folge mir“ wie ein Funke. Noch am gleichen Tag rief ich im Mutterhaus in Münster an und bat um einen Vorstellungstermin bei der Noviziatsleiterin.

Endlich hatte ich mein Ziel vor Augen, kündigte meine Anstellung zum 1. Oktober und trat am 2. Oktober 1969 in den Orden der Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen in Münster ein. Ich war inzwischen 26 Jahre alt. Für meine Eltern war es sehr schwer, da die Weiterführung der Landwirtschaft nun nicht mehr gegeben war. Keiner meiner Geschwister hatte sich für diesen Beruf entschieden und somit wurde unser Landbestand zu Bauland erklärt und auch so genutzt. Unter Tränen haben meine Eltern aber meine Entscheidung akzeptiert, meine Geschwister dagegen reagierten mit Unverständnis.

In der mir noch unbekannten Atmosphäre eines Klosters durchlief ich mit zwei weiteren Postulantinnen die vorgegebene Postulats–, Noviziats- und Junioratszeit. Beim Arbeitseinsatz in der Krankenpflege waren meine Kenntnisse nicht relevant, eher hinderlich, denn wir hatten überall zu dienen und zu fragen.

Nach der zeitlichen Profess 1972 schlossen sich Einsätze auf den Stationen im Hospital an, die mich auch ganz forderten, beruflich wie auch im Ordensleben. Doch dies war die Zeit, wo wir gebraucht wurden und die meinem Ideal entsprach, ganz für Gott und die Menschen da sein zu wollen. Meine ewige Profess legte ich im Jahre 1976 ab.

Von 1984 – 1985 absolvierte ich die Ausbildung zur Pflegedienstleitung und Lehrtätigkeit an Krankenpflegeschulen.

Nach einigen Einsätzen in verschiedenen Hospitälern war ich fast 13 Jahre im Stift Tilbeck, einer Einrichtung für geistig Behinderte und akut psychiatrisch erkrankte Personen. 1986 wurde ich zur Provinzratsschwester der Rheinischen Provinz Christkönig gewählt; diese Aufgabe habe ich neben meiner Tätigkeit bis 1989 ausgeübt.

Während meiner Zeit im Stift Tilbeck durfte ich aktiv mitarbeiten im Vorstand des Katholischen Verbandes für Behinderte auf Bundesebene, Fachverband des Deutschen Caritasverbandes Freiburg. Es gab mir Kraft und Weitblick, in diesem Gremium aller Leiter von Katholischen Behinderteneinrichtungen sechs Jahre als gewähltes Mitglied als einzige Ordensfrau mitzuarbeiten zum Wohl der Behinderten.

Aus gesundheitlichen Gründen beendete ich 2001 die Tätigkeit im Stift Tilbeck. Nach einer Auszeit übernahm ich im Elisabeth-Haus (Seniorenheim) in Emsbüren die Seelsorge und Betreuung der Bewohner für zehn Jahre. Es war eine sehr interessante und vielseitige Aufgabe, die ich gern ausgeführt habe in enger Zusammenarbeit mit der Leitung und den Mitarbeitern des Hauses, wie auch mit den Dorfbewohnern und der Kirche.

2011 erbat der Bischof von Osnabrück eine Schwester für die Seelsorge im Gefängnis in Bremen. Ich habe diese Aufgabe gern angenommen und fast vier Jahre durchgeführt. In vielen Glaubensgesprächen und Schuldbekenntnissen der Gefangenen konnte ich oft nur zuhören, aber auch den Betroffenen Hoffnung auf einen Neuanfang vermitteln.

Nebenbei war ich in der Schule St. Josef in Oslebshausen in der Betreuung der Kinder beim Mittagstisch und bei Aufsicht der Schulaufgaben eingesetzt. Der interreligiösen Kontaktgruppe der Gemeinde mit den muslimischen Frauen war ich sehr verbunden und habe regelmäßig an den Treffen und dem Austausch teilgenommen. Gemeinsam haben wir durch intensive Gespräche erörtert, was uns verbindet und trägt.

2014 übernahm ich für zwei Jahre eine Aufgabe im Pfortendienst in Telgte im Haus Maria-Hilf. Anschließend hatte ich einen Einsatz in der Seelsorge mit Sterbebegleitung und Betreuung der Kapelle im St. Marien-Hospital Vreden. Diese intensive Aufgabe forderte mich sehr stark.

Seit Oktober 2019 lebe ich nun wieder im Mutterhaus in Münster im Konvent. Für mich ist es nach vielen unterschiedlichen Tätigkeiten und Einsätzen wie ein Zurückkommen nach Hause, wofür ich dankbar bin und hier anfallende Arbeiten gern übernehme. Um unseren gemeinsamen Auftrag „Christi heilende Gegenwart“ zu vermitteln, bin ich wöchentlich im Münsterschen Kirchenfoyer anwesend und aufnahmebereit für viele Begegnungen. Ich hoffe, noch viele Jahre unserer Gemeinschaft, den Mauritzer Franziskanerinnen, dienen zu können, zum Zeugnis der Kirche in dieser Welt.

Sister M. Marlene Schmidt

“I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, Do not fear, I will help you.” 
 (Isaiah 41:13)

This quote from the Book of Isaiah has deeply influenced my life in the community and was especially significant at the beginning of my religious journey.

I was born on September 24, 1951, in Friesoythe-Neuscharrel, a small town in the Oldenburg region, within the district of Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony. My parents, Anna and Bernhard Schmidt, were farmers. I grew up with two brothers and two sisters in a multigenerational household that also included our grandmother, two aunts, and a cousin. From an early age, I experienced the richness of community in this setting, which gave me a sense of security and belonging. However, living in such a household also meant contributing to the family’s farm, household chores, and fieldwork, which I particularly enjoyed.

The Christian faith was an integral part of my family’s life. The Sunday church service, attendance at weekday church services, the communal prayer of the rosary in October, and the May devotions in the family — all these were the most natural parts of life and were never questioned; they simply belonged to my life. My brothers and sisters and I were actively involved in the church. For my brothers it was the ministry as altar servers; for my sisters and for me it were the lector ministry, the parish council,the girls’ groups, charity collections, and library work. My parents always encouraged us in these activities.

I attended elementary school in my hometown of Neuscharrel for nine years and then the intermediate commercial school in Friesoythe. After graduating from commercial school, I worked in the office of a slaughterhouse for 17 years. The serious phase of life began.

The year 1974 was a very difficult year for my family. At the age of 55, my father died of a brain tumor. This was a very serious blow of fate for my family and me. My youngest sister was just 11 years old. During this time I got to know the Mauritzer Franciscan Sisters. After my father’s death, I volunteered there on Sundays for 12 years and got to know sisters who helped me a lot with my grief for my father. In 1978, my mother died at the age of 59. During this time I experienced not only grief, but also learned what it meant to have a family where untity is a priority. I also completed additional training as a teacher and taught shorthand and typing to young people at various educational institutions.

During that time, I often asked myself if that is all there is. I did not really want to enter a religious community. In my free time I had many contacts with Religious.  A Sister once asked me, when I was going to enter the Congregation, and I replied, “When Easter and Christmas will fall on the same day.” To prove to myself that I didn’t want to do that, I indeed built a house, although I never moved in. For a long time, I reflected on whether God was calling me to follow Him. I participated in weekends of reflection in the Motherhouse, I talked with sisters from different communities. The decisive factor in my decision to join a Franciscan community was the Catholics’ Convention in Aachen in 1986. A sermon given by Bishop Hemmerle on the theme “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord” touched me, spoke to me, and brought a restlessness to me. Just at that time, the company where I worked was dissolved and I had to look for a new job. At that time I made a ‘deal’ with the dear Lord. I prayed to find a new job. I didn’t want to enter because of not having a job, because then I would have thought that the religious life was an emergency solution. But suddenly I had the opportunity to get several jobs at once. And so I was able to decide freely to accept God’s call.

In 1987, I entered the religious community of the Mauritzer Franciscan Sisters in Münster. The beginning was not easy, and in a crisis, when I wanted to leave the Congregation, God gave me the Bible verse from the Book of Isaiah. This was a promise of God to me personally. In 1989, I professed my first vows. In the retreat before the day of first profession, I had doubts and God gave me another Bible verse from the Gospel of Luke: Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God. For me, this was both; a mission and a mandate. In 1997, I professed my perpetual vows.

During the years of Juniorate, I often worked in the patient reception and in this time I also graduated as an office clerk. But at the same time, I felt the desire to work in the pastoral care, in the parish.

My wish was fulfilled in 1992/1994, when I attended a further qualification measure in pastoral care,  in the work with the elderly. Following this, I worked in various facilities and parishes. From 2000 to 2003, I completed a further training in hospital pastoral care in the Diocese of Münster. After my certification I got a job in Recklinghausen as a hospital pastoral care worker, but with the assignment in the pastoral care of the elderly. I am still there today and have been working for 18 years in two homes for the elderly and in a large parish. During this time I was able to complete additional studies in palliative care and grief counseling. Since the Bible is important to me and my life, I also had the opportunity to be trained as a bibliologist in the Diocese of Münster. I am very grateful to my community for my training and further education.  I really enjoy working with the elderly and working in the parish of St. Peter in Recklinghausen.

Looking back, I can say: God goes with me on all paths and the Good News is the direction for my life. Because the promise of Jesus: I am with you always is a very personal promise for me. That is why I look to the future with confidence, because I am on the way in the name of the Lord.

Schwester M. Annette Ferneding

Es war im Vorkriegsjahr 1936, als ich in die Familie Ludwig und Anna Ferneding am 10. September in Nikolausdorf geboren und auf den Namen Elisabeth getauft wurde. In der Geschwisterreihe von 7 Kindern war ich die 5, mit 4 Brüdern und 2 Schwestern. Zur Familie gehörten auch die Großeltern. Ich erlebte das friedliche Sterben meiner Großmutter und einer Schwester, bald nach ihrer Geburt. In einer gläubigen Familie fühlte ich mich geborgen und bin froh aufgewachsen.

Eines Tages verbrannte ich beine Beine mit heißem Wasser. Zum Verbinden meiner Brandwunden kam an jedem Tag Schwester Nacalis mit dem Fahrrad angefahren. Ich habe mich schon gefreut, wenn ich sie ankommen sah – mit wehendem Schleier und lachendem Gesicht. War sie die Erste, durch die der Berufungs-Gedanke in mein Kinderherz gelegt wurde?

In meiner Schulzeit erlebte ich den 2. Weltkrieg und besonders 1945 harte Angriffe zwischen den Fronten. Viele Tage verbrachte ich mit einem entzündeten Bein im Bunker, bis ich durch eine Sondererlaubnis in das St. Josefs-Hospital Cloppenburg kam und gerade noch rechtzeitig operiert wurde. Während der langen Zeit im Hospital erfuhr ich die 2. liebevolle Pflege der Franziskanerinnen.

Nach dem Krieg erlebte ich mit der Familie die große Freude: den ersten Heimatbesuch meiner Tante, Schwester Odalgera. Das war die 3. Begegnung mit unseren Schwestern. Es faszinierten und prägten mich auch die Lebensbeschreibung der Kleinen Therese von Lisieux: „Ich will Jesus immer Freude machen“ und das Motto des heiligen Don Bosco: „Fröhlich sein, Gutes tun und die Spatzen pfeifen lassen.”

Meine Jugendjahre verbrachte ich im Elternhaus. An Sonntagen traf ich mich mit den Schulkameradinnen. Jede steuerte ein Ziel an. Da begann in mir wieder dieser Funke zu glühen: So fröhlich wie Schwester Nacalis möchte ich auch Kranke pflegen. Ich meldete mich im Mutterhaus der Franziskanerinnen in Münster als Kandidatin an und am 09. Oktober 1959 begann ich dort mein Klosterleben. Bei der Einkleidung bekam ich den Namen Schw. M. Annette, abgeleitet vom Namen meiner Mutter: Anna.        

Beginn der Arbeit in der Krankenpflege und in sozial-pädagogischen Einrichtungen

Nach dem Krankenpflege-Examen und der Arbeit in St. Franziskus-Hospital 1961 -1964 bekam ich eine neue Aufgabe. 1966 übernahm ich nach Erreichung der Bildungsreife und dem Examen für Sozialpädagogik die Leitung des neuerrichteten Kindergartens in Lindern/Cloppenburg. Leider erkrankte ich und musste ein Jahr Kuraufenthalt in der Lungen-Heilstätte Neuenkirchen machen. 1971 kam ein neuer Einsatz in Steinfeld/Vechta und 1974 in Steinbild/Emsland. Nebenberuflich erlangte ich zum Fröbel-Diplom das Diplom in Montessori-Pädagogik. In der Pfarrgemeinde Steinbild ermöglichte ich – übrigens als Leiterin der Borromäus-Bücherei – den Kindergarten- und Schulkindern Lese- und Gestaltungsangebote. Einen Abend in der Woche widmete ich den Eltern und den Jugendlichen.

Einmal im Jahr trafen wir als Erzieherinnen tätige Schwestern uns. Das gegenseitige Erzählen unserer Freuden und Sorgen, das Vorstellen von Neuem im Kindergarten gab Freude und Kraft. Es folgten Weiterbildung und zusätzliche Ausbildungen: 1970 begann ich das Fernstudium in Theologie, 1980 die Erlangung der Missio Canonica. Nach Absolvierung der Lehrproben und des Examens in Religionspädagogik vor den Schulräten, erhielt ich die bischöfliche Lehr-Erlaubnis, in den Schulen bis Klasse 12 Religion zu erteilen. Es war eine Freude, die Klassen 3 und 4 zu übernehmen, so hatten die Kinder die Möglichkeit, den Schulgottesdienst musikalisch mit Flötenspiel und Orffinstrumenten mitzugestalten. Anderen machte es Spaß, sich als Lektor*in oder Messdiener*innen einzubringen. So verbunden mit der ganzen Pfarrgemeinde fühlte ich mich im Einsatz, die Freude an Gott zu verbreiten, ganz richtig am Platz. 

1987 erhielt ich die Möglichkeit, eine Auszeit einzulegen und in Regina Mundi in Rom an einem spirituellen Erneuerungskurs teilzunehmen.  Die Feier meines 25jährigen Ordensjubiläums und die Erlebnisse Florenz, Assisi, Subiaco, Manopello waren für mich Taborzeit!

Am Ende des Schuljahres 1989 stand das Abschiednehmen – schwer und dankbar – von allem, was mir lieb geworden war, an. Im Jahr 1990 bekam ich in der Akademie der Diözese Osnabrück, im Ludwig-Windhorst Haus in Lingen, ein neues Arbeitsfeld im Ressort: Bildung für ältere Erwachsene. Als Referentin bot sich mir die Möglichkeit, viel Neues zu organisieren: Studienfahrten mit dem Europapolitischen Bildungswerk in unterschiedlichen Dreiländerecks, Sommerfreizeiten, Ausbildungsseminare für Tanzleiter*innen, spirituelle Wochen für die Festtage des Jahres für Ältere. Es machte mir große Freude, für Menschen verschiedenen Alters, in unterschiedlichen Lebenslagen und Interessengebieten Lebenshilfe anzubieten: Wenn die Augen der älteren Menschen beim Verabschieden leuchteten, war ich selbst auch eine Beschenkte. Mit meinem Bestreben, älteren Menschen Freude in ihren Alltag „zu zaubern“, habe ich meinen franziskanischen Auftrag „Option für die Armen“ erfüllen können.

Selbst absolvierte ich Ausbildungen in Meditation und Sakralem Tanz, im Seniorentanz und Tanzen im Sitzen.  Diese Tanzausbildungen waren vielbegehrt, ebenso Tanzfreizeiten mit Erkundungen des Emslandes, die ich gern organisierte und durchführte, was mir und den Teilnehmer*innen viel Freude bereitete. Wichtig war mir ein Theologischer Fernkurs und die Studienwochen in Wien „Glaubend Älter werden“, 1992 – 1994. Ein Zertifikat und den Auftrag „Seelsorgliche Begleitung älterer Menschen in Gemeinden und Altenheimen“ erhielt ich nach drei Lehrgängen.  Ganz dankbar für 10 Jahre Bildungsarbeit im Ludwig-Windthorst-Haus wurde ich mit einem Konzert des Flötisten Hans-Jürgen Hufeisen verabschiedet.

Nach einem halben Jahr Arbeit für die INFAG und einem Einsatz in St. Stefano in Assisi kehrte ich im Jahr 2000 zum Mutterhaus zurück. Dort hieß es: Wir warten schon auf dich. In Zusammenarbeit mit Sr. M. Gabrielis war ich viele Jahre im ordensinternen Bildungsreferat tätig. Wir erstellten einen Flyer mit Angeboten: Seminare für Schwestern in der Altenpastoral und Tagesveranstaltungen für Schwestern und Interessierte in der Beschäftigungstherapie und in der Seelsorge. Für die Begleitung von Frauen, die eine Auszeit wünschten, stand ich zur Verfügung. In der Weggemeinschaft wirkte ich mit.  Sehr gern habe ich Meditative Tanztage als Glaubensverkündigung vor den Festen angeboten, ebenso die Oasentage für Frauen. Als ich in den Pfarrgemeinderat von St. Mauritz berufen wurde, setzte ich mich als Katechetin und bei Pfarrfesten ein. Es machte allen Spaß, sich in einer Pfarrgemeinde einzubringen, miteinander   zu feiern und mit den Frauen „Sister Act“ in der Pfarrgemeinde und im Mutterhaus aufzuführen.

Im Jahr 2010 wurde mir eine Überraschung geschenkt, ich durfte nach Amerika reisen. Ich besuchte die Mitschwestern im Mutterhaus in Springfield und meine Schwester in Baltimore, die schon 20 Jahre nicht mehr in der Heimat war.

In dieser Lebensphase wirkte ich gern „für meinen Herrn“, für Ihn und zu meiner Freude zu tanzen. Wie „Myriam“ fühlte ich mich, die ihre Pauke nahm, um mit den Frauen für die Rettung zu danken und zu tanzen. Ja, lobet mit mir Gott mit Pauken und Harfen, singt und tanzt Ihm, meinem Herrn!

Jetzt, nach 20 Jahren intensivem Einsatz im Mutterhaus, war die Zeit gekommen, Abschied zu nehmen.  Ich darf im Kloster St. Anna-Stift in Lohne-Kroge mit Mitschwestern das letzte Lebensdrittel in Ruhe und Gelassenheit, in Einsatzmöglichkeiten füreinander und miteinander froh und heiter leben – solange Er will.  Denn noch immer ist „Die Freude an Gott meine Kraft, Halleluja!“

Sister M. Dolly Kunnel

“I have called you by name, you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1

I was born in the Idukki District in Kerala. My parents are Mr. Mathew and the late Mrs. Mariyakutty. I am the fourth of eight children. I have one elder brother, two elder sisters, two younger brothers, and two younger sisters. My father was a farmer, and my mother was a housewife. I was born and brought up in a Catholic family. My parents are God-fearing and attend Holy Mass daily. I received good faith formation at home. My parents and my teachers at school inspired me to practice the Christian faith and live according to its values. The life of the religious Sisters in my parish was also a source of inspiration.

I completed my primary education at a school administered by our diocese. My high school education was at a government school. During my high school years, I developed the desire to become a nun. After completing high school, my desire to become a religious grew stronger. Fr. Thomas Vadakekary, then the parish priest of Pithora, introduced me to our congregation. On September 9, 1985, I arrived at Pithora without knowing anything about the place or the congregation. My parents and teachers played a vital role in my vocation. I thank the Lord for the precious gift of my vocation.

I had a deep desire to become a Sister and a missionary to serve the poor. During my formation, I became more convinced of my choice. I was so grateful that I could join our congregation. During my early days of formation, I felt called to listen to the cry of the poor. This calling remains deep within me even today. The formation period was a time when I deepened my faith in God and experienced God’s immense love and mercy.

I made my first profession to the Lord on January 25, 1990, and my final profession on February 2, 1995. I celebrated the Silver Jubilee of my religious profession in 2015.

After my first profession, I continued my academic studies. I had the opportunity to study for a diploma in Theology and faith formation in Bangalore, as well as a one-year religious formation program at St. Louis University in Missouri, USA. In 2006, I completed my Master’s in Social Work. I also had the chance to attend several short courses, including those on Leadership, Spiritual Direction and Counseling, and Capacity Building.

I was entrusted with the formation ministry for a three-year term. I then served in many of our communities and participated in collaborative ministries with other organizations. At present, I am in the second term of office serving as the Provincial Superior of our province.

I found real joy and satisfaction in working with the poor and marginalized people wherever I served. I was deeply touched in my heart by giving my love to the poor and needy through social service. I am grateful to God that He used me as a blessing to the poor. It was an experience of encountering Jesus through the powerless and poorest of the poor. I realized the joy of my own vocation.

I thank the Almighty God for using me as an instrument for His people. I thank my parents for sowing the seed of faith in my life. Their faith and religious practices in our family enabled me to face the challenges of my missionary journey. I thank the Lord for the love, care, and acceptance I constantly receive from my parents, brothers, and sisters. I thank my Congregation for nurturing me through timely guidance, their trust, support, and prayers. I am grateful to all my superiors and formators for placing their trust in me and supporting me throughout the years of my committed life.

What I am today is a gift from God. I have gained nothing except the joy of belonging to Him. I am grateful to my parents, brothers, and sisters, and especially to my Congregation, for giving me various opportunities to spread His love. I also thank my friends who helped me experience the love of Jesus and supported me in facing the challenging situations of my personal life. May the good Lord bless everyone!

Sister Ann Mathieu

I grew up in Chicago, Illinois and learned about the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis from my best friend’s older sister who was a student in the Aspirant School at the Motherhouse. My friend and I visited a few times and I was touched by the experience. After I completed high school, I decided to enter the Community on August 22, 1957 and I professed first vows on September 8, 1960.

While it was my hope to be a nurse, my first career was in dietetics. I graduated from Fontbonne College in St. Louis, Missouri in 1964 and served four years at St. Mary’s Hospital in Streator, Illinois. Soon after, I was back to school and earned a nursing degree from Marillac College in St. Louis, Missouri. I served as a nurse at St. John’s Hospital and at St. Monica’s Home, a home for pregnant teenagers, both located in Springfield, Illinois.

From 1975 to 1982, I was the Administrator of the Franciscan Apostolic Center that was located at the Motherhouse. In 1982, I was elected to the Provincial Council and served in that role for three years. For the next four years, I used my nursing education while working with chemically-addicted individuals at the L.E. Phillips Center in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

From 1989 to1995, I served as the local coordinator of St. Francis Convent and at the end of this time I embarked on a very meaningful chapter of my life. I was blessed to practice as a massage therapist from 1998 – 2006. I studied at the Chicago School of Massage Therapy and I also developed an interest in Reiki and energy work and pursued additional education. As a certified massage therapist and healing touch practitioner, I found this to be a call within a call, which is how Saint Theresa of Calcutta described her own vocation. The gift of being present to those I served was powerful, as they found relaxation, stress reduction, pain relief, personal growth, and healing.

The recent years were filled with leadership responsibilities in Loretto Home, as the Provincial Secretary, and as a volunteer at Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach.

Several years ago, I found my diary, and on one of the pages from 1957, I wrote, “After visiting the Motherhouse these past days, I would love to stay there forever.” I am grateful to have made that visit many years ago.

Sister M. Laetitia Matsunaga

I was born in Kumamoto, and grew up in Nagasaki with my two younger brothers.

Although our family was not Catholic, the motto of our education was the Christian way of life. Looking back, I believe that my vocation was given to me by my parents.

My first encounter with the Society of St. Francis Hospital Sisters happened when I was 17 years old and was hospitalized at St. Francis Hospital in Nagasaki. I was introduced to the “Prayer for Peace” of St. Francis of Assisi and I admired the work of the Sisters, which made me want to become a Sister myself.  At the age of 18, I began studying the Catechism in preparation for my baptism, and on my 24th birthday, I was baptized in the chapel of St. Francis Hospital.

I graduated from Kwassui Women’s Junior College, a mission school that I had admired since I was a child, and went on to work in the commercial department of the Nagasaki Broadcasting Company for six years.

I also tried to work as an announcer, and when I was 21, my father enrolled me for the Miss Nagasaki 1977 pageant, and I was chosen and worked there for a year. I think my father wanted to prevent me from becoming a Sister.

When I was 26 years old, I tried to quit the Nagasaki Broadcasting Company and join the Congregation, but a novice mistress at that time told me that if my parents were against it; I should wait a little longer. Later, I was able to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and had an audience with Pope John Paul II. When I appealed to him that I wanted to become a Sister, he promised to pray for me.  

When I turned 30, I overcame my parents’ objections and ran away from home to join our Congregation. Therefore, I will always remember my visit to Poland and the tomb of John Paul II during the 2017 ISRCEP, a memory I cherish.
For my first vows in 1989, only my younger brother attended. Later, however, my father encouraged me and said, “Follow through on the way you have chosen”, and both my parents attended my final vows in 1995.

After my first vows, I became a licensed clinical laboratory technician, and from 1996, I studied in the U.S.A. for about two years, attending the Institution of Religious Formation (IRF) at St. Louis University, where I studied with Sr. Ines, Sr. Geneva, and Sr. Dolly. At the same time, we participated in the development of International Formation Guidelines. After returning to Japan, I was responsible for our vocation activity in Japan and Korea as well as the formation ministry of our Korean candidates.

For eight years, beginning in 2000, I was involved in our Korea missions, and lived with our candidates at the Formation House in Seoul. During that time, I studied Korean language at Sogang University and Social Welfare at Yonsei University. I returned to Japan in 2008 to work as the Director of Francisco Villa, a nursing home in Tokyo.

In 2009, I was elected to the Provincial Leadership of our Japan Province, where I continue to serve until today. On top of my responsibility in leadership, I have begun to learn the German language.  Therefore, I am currently living in Münster, Germany.  I am very grateful to the kindness of Sister M. Margarete, our General Superior, and to the German and Japanese Province Leaderships for this opportunity.

I have been here for 2 years and work as an assistant secretary in the Generalate since last February.

Looking back on the steps of my calling, I feel that everything was a miracle. I am grateful to the Lord for calling me in HIS grace and walking with me. I want to follow the Lord’s call and live with hope and respond to HIS grace with joy. 

Sister Marguerite Cook

I was born on August 4, 1950 in Indianapolis, Indiana and I grew up near Washington, DC (District of Columbia). Currently, I reside in Decatur, Illinois and I volunteer at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital.

My interest in religious life began with the Sisters of St. Joseph who were teachers at St. Rita School in Alexandria, Virginia, where I attended grade school. While I was fascinated by the Sisters, I felt that I was destined for more exciting things than being in a classroom. I wanted to be a missionary and serve in the medical profession where I could be of service to those in need.

I came from a military and government-oriented family. My father worked in civil government, and two uncles served in the military. Eventually, my interest in government drew me into the armed forces as I joined the U.S. Navy in 1968. I worked at Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland, in labor and delivery and after completing my three years of service; I continued my education and found work as a bookkeeper.

In 1980, I decided to investigate my thoughts of religious life. I wrote to religious communities that advertised in the Catholic Digest, a national publication, and I received some responses including a letter from the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis who were looking for bookkeepers. The year that followed was a time of prayer and discernment so I could learn how God was calling me. I remembered the letter from the Hospital Sisters and so I decided to visit Springfield, Illinois and that visit was what I needed to confirm my decision as to what God had in mind for me. I entered the Hospital Sisters on August 27, 1983 and professed first vows on May 30, 1987.

I have a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy and an associate of applied science degree in alcohol and other drug abuse. Throughout my ministry, I have been rewarded in the understanding of and caring for people with mental health issues and their journey to recovery. I have served my community as an occupational therapist, alcohol and drug counselor, bookkeeper and cashier, membership invitation minister, and on several of our hospital boards including presently at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham, Illinois, and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, O’Fallon, Illinois. I have been blessed with serving God’s people in Illinois, Wisconsin and Arizona.

Schwester M. Riji Kannampuzha

„Kommt und hört alle, die ihr Gott fürchtet,
während ich erzähle, was an mir geschehen ist”.
(Psalm 66,16)

Wenn ich meine Geschichte mit dem Herrn und die vielen Segnungen, die er mir geschenkt hat, Revue passieren lasse, scheint es, als hätte ich ein Gebirge in meinem Hinterhof entdeckt, das ich vorher nie bemerkt hatte! Mein erstes Geschenk des Herrn war, dass ich am 8. März 1974 in ein sehr warmherziges und liebevolles Zuhause hineingeboren wurde, wo ich als älteste von zwei Geschwistern in einem ländlichen Dorf in Kerala aufwuchs. Durch den in meiner Familie gelebten Glauben wuchs ich in den Glauben hinein. Einer der Höhepunkte meines jungen Lebens, an den ich mich noch sehr gut erinnere, war der Empfang meiner Erstkommunion; Jesus ‘stahl mein Herz’, als ich zur Erstkommunion ging. Getreu meiner ersten Liebe habe ich von diesem Moment an freudig gebetet, dass er mich zu seinem Eigentum mache. Ich kann nur sagen, dass Gott von diesem Tag an mein Herz vorbereitet hat.  

Gott überraschte mich mit einer Berufung, als ich in der zehnten Klasse plötzlich daran dachte, Ordensfrau zu werden. Schwester Mary aus meiner Heimatgemeinde riet mir, unsere Kongregation auszuwählen. Zusammen mit Schwester Siji reiste ich am 21. August 1989 nach Nordindien und kam am 23. August 1989 in Pithora an. Meine Ankunft in unserer Kongregation ist für mich der erste Schritt auf dem langen Weg der Gaben und Gnaden, auf dem der Herr mich geduldig und gnädig mein ganzes Leben lang bis heute geführt hat. Wenn ich an meine Reise denke, erinnere ich mich an die Worte des Gebets von Thomas Merton: “Ich hoffe, dass ich nie irgendetwas getrennt von deiner Sehnsucht tue.Und ich weiss, dass du mich die rechte Straße führst, wenn ich das tue, auch wenn ich davon nichts wissen mag.”

Mir gefiel der Rhythmus des Ordenslebens. In der Anfangsphase des Ordenslebens stellte ich fest, dass ich nichts über den heiligen Franz von Assisi wusste, dessen Spiritualität ich folgen sollte. Dann las ich zufällig ein Buch über den hl. Franz von Assisi und war gefangen von seinem Feuer und seiner Liebe zu Jesus. Ich liebe seine Spiritualität und seinen Traum, die ganze Welt mit Liebe zu evangelisieren. Gott rief mich während meiner Ausbildung immer wieder näher zu sich, aber es gab viele Momente, in denen ich versuchte, ihn wegzuschieben, und mir einredete, ich müsse „mehr vom Leben erfahren”. Gott schenkte mir einige der besten und zuverlässigsten Mentoren, die mir zeigten, wie es aussieht, ein Ordensleben freudig und authentisch zu leben, auch wenn es nicht immer einfach ist. Im Laufe meines Lebens bin ich mit vielen spirituellen Programmen gesegnet worden, die von der Gemeinschaft angeboten werden und die mein geistliches Leben und mein Gebet bereichert haben.

Im Laufe der Jahre bin ich zu der Überzeugung gelangt, dass meine Berufung zum Ordensleben ein Geschenk ist, das mich auffordert, offen genug zu sein, um mein wahres Selbst zu werden. Es ist nicht immer leicht, „Ja” zu Gott zu sagen, aber mit Seiner Gnade ist alles möglich. Darüber hinaus habe ich die Erfahrung gemacht, dass Gott mein Glück will und dass ich meine Talente so einsetzen soll, dass sie anderen und mir helfen. Meine Beziehung zu Gott wurde zentral, und mein Engagement für das Ordensleben als Krankenschwester des Dritten Ordens des Heiligen Franziskus wurde real. Mit diesem Bewusstsein blicke ich der Zukunft und dem ganzen Leben mit einem bereitwilligen Geist entgegen, im Glauben, dass Gott bei jedem Schritt auf dem Weg mit mir sein wird. Mit den Worten des heiligen Franziskus: „Er wird mich auf diesem Weg niemals allein lassen!“  habe ich mit dem Unterrichten begonnen und tue dies heute noch. Seit mehr als 25 Jahren bin ich nun eine Ordensfrau. Möge Gott mir noch viele Jahre in dieser Berufung schenken, damit ich voller Eifer weitermachen kann, Jesus bekannt zu machen, und so die Menschen Jesus lieben lernen können.

Sister M. Agnelda Schulenkorf

I am born in the ‘Münsterland’ as the sixth of ten children. We lived on a small farm. It was not so easy for my parents in the post-war period. Father occasionally went peat cutting and helped on other farms.

Since my mother fell ill at an early age, we girls did not learn a profession but instead worked in the household. After completing school, I lived on a large farm for several years, where I learned housekeeping. When my sister joined the Hiltruper Missionary Sisters, I had to work at home on our farm, since my mother was ill and my sisters and brothers were still in school. Mother’s health deteriorated to the point where she regularly had to spend several weeks in the hospital.

Despite all the work, I enjoyed my youth.  With neighbors and friends, we took small trips and went to festivals and celebrations in the surrounding area. I felt called to religious life at a very early age. The big question for me was ‘Where should I go?’. I put forward some insignificant reasons why I did not choose the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hiltrup. The Franciscan Sisters were active in our hospital and I did not want to become a missionary Sisters under any circumstances. Although only one of the five religious Sisters in the hospital was sympathetic to me, I decided to join the Franciscan Sisters. At that time, I knew nothing about Franciscan life. Only later, I realized that I had been praying St. Francis ‘Canticle of the Sun‘  every Sunday after Mass. It was in the prayer book called ‘Laudate’ and I liked it very much – Coincidence or providence?

In 1965, my eldest brother married, which opened the way for my entry into the congregation. In 1965, my eldest brother married, which opened the way for my entry into the congregation. By that time, my mother was already severly ill.  She died during my pre-noviciate. I entered our congregation in August 1965, and was trained as a dietician from 1970 – 1972. After completing my training, I worked in different houses as head of the kitchen for 15 years.

In 1987, the Provincial Leadership offered me training in nursing care for the elderly, which brought me great joy. I especially enjoyed liestening to the experiences, adventures and stories from the lives of the elderly. Those were years full of blessings. A vacation in Esterwegen made me curious about the history of the place and the events of that time. I felt called to live there. Since November 2015, I have indeed been living in Esterwegen, and it is a wonderful task for me. Here I have time for meeting people, conversations and prayer. I find it particularly beneficial that I can still work as far as my strength allows. I have many enriching encounters, but I am not required to achieve or perform in any specific way. I hope that this will continue for a long time.

Sister M. Margret Steggemann

I grew up as the oldest of three girls in Stadtlohn, a small town in the beautiful Münsterland. Before and during the World War II, it housed many weaving and spinning mills.

When I was born in 1944, my hometown was a heap of ruins. This sight was quite normal for me, especially when I started school, as I didn’t know it any other way. In fact, playing in the debris was actually interesting for a child.

For my parents however, great worries and hardships soon followed.  My mother fell ill with pulmonary tuberculosis after her second child was born. I can only remember small moments with her. Due to her death, my sister and I were separated. For about one year we lived with our grandparents. I lived with my mother’s parents, and my sister lived with my father’s parents. Soon, after my mother’s death in 1949, my father’s younger sisters took care of us.

My father’s parents’ house had been badly damaged during the war. Nevertheless, several families lived there. We also lived there temporarily. It was a very difficult time for my father and the rest of the family.

However, I don’t remember it being particularly burdensome to me. There were still three children my age at my grandmother’s house and we could play together. Especially “Aunt Toni”, Papas sister-in-law, always had an open ear.

Soon after my mother’s death, I started school, which was very hard for me. My father and sisters worried a lot because I didn’t want to go to school and often fell ill. 

Then my father married a second time. I got along with my second mother very well. Sadly, she already died in 1969. I had to be strong for my sister, who was six years younger than me.

After school, I wanted to learn a profession. I would have liked to become a dressmaker. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a certificate for my visual impairment.

In 1958, the newly built hospital in Stadtlohn urgently sought staff to work at the entrance and in the wards. I immediately was drawn to this job, because I wanted to help the sick people. My mother accompanied me to the hospital, to talk to Sister Superior; and that’s how I became a staff member. In the first years, I often thought that I would never want to lead such a strict life as the sisters did.

I enjoyed taking part in all the festivities that were held in Stadtlohn and the surrounding area. That was not not necessarily viewed favorably by the Sisters.

After a few years, I realized how important proper nursing education was, so I enrolled in the local nursing school. But then, everything took an unexpected turn. An inner voice – the voice of God – called out to me, asking for my complete commitment to Him. I found no peace. After much deliberation and discussion with pastors and religious sisters, I requested admission to the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Münster – without completing my nursing exam. My family was shocked, especially my older sister, but my mother supported me and eventually persuaded my father as well.

I arrived in Münster Mauritz on August 15, 1964. I began the usual religious formation, including the postulancy and novitiate periods. Sixteen women joined our Congregation that year. Our group was very active, and we shared a lot of fun and lively moments together.

The preparation period for the first profession of vows in 1967 was marked by a deep inner struggle: “Is this the path God is calling me to follow? Can this be a decision for a lifetime?”  During this time I experienced God’s guidance very intensely.

After making my first profession of vows in 1967, I entered the juniorate period, during which I obtained my intermediate secondary school certificate, completed my nursing exam, and gained practical experience at our St. Francis Hospital. Following several years of work in healthcare, I pursued further education to become a director of nursing. After passing the required exam, I assumed the role of head nurse in various hospitals.

Bidding farewell to the ‘care directly at the patient’s bedside’ became exceedingly difficult for me. Therefore, I was glad to be asked to assume the director’s ministry at Elizabeth Hospice in Datteln. It was the best time in my professional life.

After more than four years, I was appointed to the board of directors of the Order’s own hospitals. Here I was able to pass on a lot of my experience, especially to our nursing staff.

In 2005, I was elected to the Provincial Council. Later, after four years as a Provincial Councilor, it was my wish to go to Berlin to support Sr. M. Juvenalis and Sr. M. Hannelore in their work for people suffering from AIDS. It was my chance to work here in Berlin as a pastoral care worker in the Caritas Hospice Berlin, which just opened.

After almost 10 years, at the age of 75, I retired from my active ministry but I continue to volunteer at the TAUWERK hospice service and at the Caritas Hospice Berlin.

I thank God for each day of life He has given me and that I can still share His graces with full hands.

Schwester M. Princy Vadakadath

Ich wurde am 18. Oktober 1962 in einem Dorf namens Poovathussery, Trichur Dt., Kerala, Indien, geboren. Herr Varghese und Frau Rosy sind meine Eltern. Ich bin das älteste von fünf Kindern und ich habe drei Brüder und eine Schwester. Bis zur siebten Klasse besuchte ich die kleine Schule im Dorf meiner Mutter, weil die richtige Schule sehr weit von meinem Haus entfernt war. Danach besuchte ich die High-School im Dorf Poovathussery. 

Meine Klassenlehrerin in der ersten Klasse war eine Ordensschwester, die sehr einfach und bescheiden war. Ich mochte sie sehr und hatte den Wunsch, so zu werden wie sie. Ich ging in die Kirche, wann immer es einen Feiertag gab – und oft suchte ich Rat bei den Schwestern.

Als ich die 10. Klasse abschloss, kam mein Onkel, der Priester war, in den Ferien zu Besuch. Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte ich meinen Wunsch, ins Kloster einzutreten, noch niemandem gegenüber geäußert. Wenige Tage bevor mein Onkel zur Missionsstation zurückkehrte, sagte ich meiner Großmutter, dass ich Ordensschwester werden wollte. Zu dieser Zeit war mein Vater im Krankenhaus, so dass ich ihm nichts davon erzählen konnte. Innerhalb weniger Tage waren alle Vorbereitungen für die Reise nach Pithora abgeschlossen. Mein Vater kam aus dem Krankenhaus zurück, und ich machte mich zusammen mit meinem Onkel auf den Weg nach Pithora. Als wir in Bhilai ankamen, holte mich Schwester M. Gerburg ab. Es war Regenzeit, und so konnten wir Pithora nicht erreichen, weil der Weg durch Regenwasser versperrt war. Wir nahmen einen anderen Weg und erreichten Pithora am 8. September.

Mit Freude behalte ich die ersten Jahre meines Lebens in der Kongregation in Erinnerung. Dankbar erinnere ich mich an die Führung und Hilfe, die mir unsere Schwestern gaben. Die Ausbildungszeit ermöglichte es mir, meine Persönlichkeit zu formen und zu gestalten und meine Berufung zu vertiefen. Ich folgte dem Ruf Gottes und legte am 25. Januar 1988 meine Erste Profess ab. Ich war in verschiedenen Konventen angefangen in Pithora, und genieße mein Ordensleben in der Gemeinschaft. 

Ich bin glücklich, wenn ich auf mein bisheriges Leben zurückblicke. Ich danke Gott für alle, die mich bereichert haben, die mich den Reichtum des Lebens gelehrt und mir geholfen haben, im Leben zu wachsen. Ich danke Gott für alle, die mich in den Höhen und Tiefen meines Lebens begleitet haben, damit ich meine Berufung in ihrer ganzen Fülle leben kann.

Sister M. Prasanna Tirkey

I was born in the year 1961, in a remote village called Saraitoli, in the State of Chhattisgarh in a family where parents worshipped the Nature and its Creator.

I am the daughter of Mr. Somra (Prakash) Tirkey and Mrs. Bhano (Sukeshini) Tirkey. We are five children in the family, four girls and a boy. I have a Religious Sister. She belongs to the Congregation of Medical Sisters of St. Francis of Dilingan.

I completed my basic education in the parish School, run by the Sisters of the Daughters of St. Ann. The Sisters life style inspired me to become a nun. Their prayer life was an example for me and it helped me to come closer to God. I prayed earnestly to God for making my family members catholic. I was so happy that in the year 1968, all members of my family were baptized. I remember, when I was studying in third grade, I told to my class teacher “I want to become a nun.” The great desire to be religious Sister motivated me to complete my higher Secondary school, even though I had to walk 60 km on foot to boarding school. During this time the school played a drama from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. I took part in it and was impressed by his simple life style.

I thought of joining the Franciscan Congregation. My plan was to join after complete the Secondary School. God’s plan and my plan did not match. Some hurdles occurred and wise people advised me to go for teacher’s training. After completing my training, I taught in the school for two years . During this time our Sr. Dibya’s friend introduced me to the congregation and in 1984, I came to Anjali Niketan, Pithora. My elder sister was my guide and support in my initial stage there.

With my firm decision, I made first vows in the year 1989. The valuable guidance of my formators, Superiors, encouragement of members and fellow Sisters helped me to grow in the love of God. In the year 1994, I professed Perpetual Vows.

Since 1994, I have been offering my services in different Schools. At present, I am in Anjali Higher Secondary School, Pithora. (Chhattisgarh). I acknowledge all the support and cooperation I receive to accomplish my assigned tasks.

I am glad and grateful to Almighty God and to my International Congregation, for the love I receive, the trust they have in me, the personal care and concern toward me. I want to be His and His alone and to work for His greater glory.

Sister M. Zita Hisako Sugita

My name is Sister M. Zita Hisako Sugita. I was born in 1938 in Yashiro, Asago-cho, Asago City, in the Hyogo prefecture. My family’s religion is Buddhism (Zen). I have two brothers. My mother died when I was three years old, and my father’s cousin (my adoptive father) took me in. My adoptive father lived alone and raised me up.

When I was at Junior Highschool, a man from the Ikuno Catholic Church came to the school and distributed devotional pictures. It was through these pictures that I first encountered Catholicism. After that, a relative in Kyoto introduced me to a dentist’s family, and I went to work there as a housekeeper. Everyone in the house was Catholic. Next door to the dentist was the Saiin Church. I attended that church with the members of this family and received the grace of baptism. My baptismal name is Gracia.

Then I returned to my birthplace. I belonged to the Ikuno Church. My adoptive father heard me praying before my meal and became interested. I began to teach him the Catholic catechism. When my adoptive father became ill, he was entered to St. Mary’s Hospital. He was baptized by Fr. Daniel, the chief priest of Ikuno Catholic Church.

I worked at Himeji St. Mary’s Hospital for about three years through the introduction of Fr. Daniel. I met sisters here and learned about religious life. Then four young women I met at Ikuno Catholic Church entered the Congregation. This led me to consider religious life, and at the age of 23, I decided to entered our congregation. However, my adoptive father was against it and strongly recommended me to get married. I spent my time taking care of my adoptive father, keeping my mind set. After seven years, my adoptive father passed away. Before he died, he told me to live the happiest life, and knocked on the doors of our congregation.　

I joined our congregation on February 11, 1973, made my first vows on April 18, 1976, and pronounced my final vows in 1979. I worked in the laundry of our convent after my first vows, and after a while I also worked as a housekeeper at St. Mary’s Hospital.

After pronouncing my final vows, I worked in the kitchen of Francis Villa in Tokyo for 4 years, in the kitchen of St. Mary’s Hospital for 3 years, and then in the laundry for 8 years. I worked for 2 years as an assistant in the rehabilitation department of Nagasaki St. Francis Hospital. At that time, the Korean mission had started already. It was asked to go on a mission to Korea, so I volunteered. There, I spent a year at a formation house in Seoul, sharing the Bible once a month in Japanese, and helping out at a
nursing home（belong OFM）in Jang Seong prefecture. When I went shopping, I communicated in broken Korean.

After returning to Japan, I spent 2 years as a volunteer at Nibuno Villa, where a retired priests and sisters lived. And I have spent 11 years as a volunteer with sisters at the chapel of Himeji convent and Maria Villa. I have experienced many places of apostolate and had many encounters.

One of the most memorable moments for me was when I was doing my apostolate at the chapel of Himeji convent. A man of about 65 years came to the chapel every day crying and praying. I asked him what happened. He told me his son had committed suicide, his wife had died trying to help him, and he had buried both of them. I listened to what he said and replied, “If you cry every day, your son in heaven must be incredibly sad. Your son would be so relieved and pleased to know that you are living a positive, happy, and healthy life.” About a week later, he came to the chapel and changed completely, became cheerful and energetic, and thanked me. I was so happy and thanked God.

Currently, I am a flower attendant at the Ritiro chapel of the Retreat House in Himeji, and my apostolate is prayer. I grow flowers and vegetables in a small space in a field. The flowers are displayed in the chapel. I also spend time with my hobbies, calligraphy and Japanese paintings.

I give everything to God through what I can do. I thank God for the religious life and apostolate God has given me since my first vows.

Sister Christa Ann Struewing, OSF

As I observe my 60^th Jubilee in 2024, I reflect on my life.

I was born in Carthage, Missouri, on December 26, 1940, the youngest of ten children. Our parents believed that a Catholic education was one of the most valuable gifts and so they took turns driving us about 20 miles to attend the Catholic grade and high schools. After graduating from McAuley Catholic High School in Joplin, Missouri, I enrolled at Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas. During my two years there, my interest in religious life grew. While I had known the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis as a youngster in Carthage, my mother re-introduced them when I came home during college breaks. (The Sisters served at Our Lady of the Ozarks Home Nursing Center, Carthage, from 1945-77.)

In 1961, I entered the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Springfield, Illinois and I made first profession of vows in 1964. After earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1967 from Marillac College (St. Louis, Missouri), I served the next 20 years as a hospital staff nurse, a home health nurse, and a nursing educator. From 1990 until 1995, I served in leadership of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) for the five Wisconsin hospitals. The subsequent 29 years have been spent serving my Sisters as a member of the provincial leadership team along with the leadership of St. Francis Convent. I also have had many years of service on the board of directors of our hospitals and HSHS. I have been blessed to meet our Sisters in Germany, Poland, Japan, India, Taiwan, Haiti, Tanzania, and the Czech Republic. These visits have strengthened me in the common bond of our international community and Franciscan charism.

My journey over these 60 years has brought me to a deeper sense of my calling and my service to those in need.

Sister Mary Kelly, OSF

I was born on July 27, 1932, in Kincaid, Illinois, the daughter of Clarence and Mary Rose (Ferrari) Kelly. My father was a coal miner, and my mother raised my brother and me and oversaw our home. In grade school, I began to sense God’s voice for me to consider religious life and since I did not have the nerve to tell my parents about my feelings, I ignored them. I laughed with my friends who were thinking about religious life while thinking that it was a possibility for me.

I wanted to be a nurse, so I enrolled at St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, Springfield, Illinois, and began my nursing education on September 8, 1949. In this Catholic setting with the presence of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, my calling to religious life was enhanced. Sometime around 3:45 p.m. on January 1, 1951, I felt the need to visit the chapel at St. John’s Hospital (Springfield) and as I prayed before beginning my shift as a nursing student, it was clear to me that God was calling me to enter this community.

There was a class of women entering in February 1951 but since my brother was entering the military at the same time, I did not want to add to my parents’ loss. I waited to tell my mother until April and then told my father in his August 19 birthday card with this message: ‘Happy Birthday, Dad…I’m entering the Convent.’ I entered on September 12 and professed my first vows on June 13, 1954.

As I reflect on my 70 years as a Franciscan Sister, I am blessed with a ministry in nursing leadership, nursing education, pastoral care, and leadership. I also was blessed with experience in serving with our hospital boards and at the corporate office of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). In addition to graduating from St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1955, I earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) in 1958 and a master’s degree in nursing service administration from The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, in 1965.

Throughout our life, God speaks to us. I found that all we must do is be open to listening to God and have faith in how the path before us will unfold. We never walk alone.

Sister Joann Nakamura Chiyono

I, Sister Joann Nakamura Chiyono, come from Sannmi, Hagi City, Yamaguchi. Sannmi is a farming and fishing town with a beautiful landscape that includes both mountains and the sea. Now my 86-year-old sister lives there on her own.

I was born in 1942, in the middle of the Second World War, but I don’t remember any painful and sad feelings. My father was killed in the war at the age of 31. If there hadn’t been a war, I would have led a life with my parents and grandparents, as any family would have done. The dark feeling of not being able to experience these things will always remain in my heart.

Even now, there is still war here and there in the world. The daily newspapers report heavy damage in many cities, and I can only pray that a day of peace and calm will come soon.

While I was in high school, for three years, I attended a school run by the Sisters. I saw the education and dedication the sisters had for their students.

After graduation, I attended a tailoring school in Hagi for two years and worked as an office assistant for my relative’s cab company in Tokyo. I then worked at Kobe Boys’ Town Nursing Home, which was founded by a priest, and was baptized under the guidance of the priest I worked with. My baptismal name was Joan of Arc, after St. Joan of Arc. I was filled with gratitude.

Knowing that further education would be necessary for my future, I obtained a qualification as a nanny with great difficulty and worked for two years in the Don Bosco kindergarten run by the Congregation of the Caritas Sisters of Jesus. After some time, my friend introduced me to our congregation; I visited them and attended the vocation meeting. At that time there was an age limit and I was 31 years old, so I believe I was given permission to enter quickly. I believe that meeting the Sisters in high school, my admiration for them and their sincere prayers led me to religious life.

My family’s religion is Buddhism. I am the only Catholic. I entered the Congregation on February 2, 1972 and took my first vows on September 1, 1974 and my perpetual vows on October 1, 1979. This year – in 2024 – I will celebrate the 50th anniversary of my profession (Golden Jubilee).

After joining our community, my apostolate was sewing vestments and helping with the laundry. For 18 years, I worked as a nanny in the Easter Village for Children with Special Needs (transferred to Saitama Diocese in 1999), helped with disinfection in the central material room at St. Mary’s Hospital in Himeji, helped with bathing and at the reception in Maria Villa. I have now been responsible for the chapel at St. Mary’s Hospital for 7 years.

I have very fond memories of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Assisi as well as the visit to the Generalate in Germany on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of my vows. The Generalate was large, beautiful and quiet, and I was impressed by the Sisters in prayer. I still miss the warm hearts of the sisters with their kindness and smiles.

Sister M. Sophia Pulliyadan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister M. Edelbertis Gevers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister M. Pauly Chiraparambil

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Schwester M. Herbertis Lubek

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister M. Herbertis Lubeck

Sister M. DeDeo Sueko Usuzaka

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister Annice McClure, OSF

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister M. Bernwardis Kolberg

My story of life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Entrance into the Congregation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister M. Faustiniana Baron

Sister M. Faustiniana Baron tells the story of her family, which was blessed by God with rich religious vocations in several generations, and of her own vocation.
“The first of our Baron family to enter the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis was my mother’s sister, Maria Kula, who received the name Sister Wilborada on October 28, 1913 in Muenster and served the sick in the hospital in Opole for many years. She died on March 26, 1945 in Proskau near Opole.
My cousin, Sister M. Gismunda Langner, who also joined our congregation, followed in her aunt’s footsteps and served as a Sister and nurse in the Odrau Hospital in the Czech Republic for many years until the communist government expelled our Sisters from this hospital in 1964. Sister M. Gismunda died in Ullersdorf.

My parents: Zuzanna Kula and Teodor Baron had harbored the desire for religious life in their hearts, but God’s will was different. My mother always wanted to go back to Muenster to join the Congregation where her sister, Sister Wilborada, had been living and serving for several years. She wanted to go to Münster with a friend from the parish, who actually joined and was later given the name Sister M. Adalgis. A serious illness prevented my mother from joining too, so she stayed at home. She always harbored the wish in her heart that if she married and had girls, they could perhaps become Sisters if it was God’s will.

The Franciscan spirit also prevailed in my father’s family. His brother Francis became a Friar Minor on August 28, 1919 and took the name Brother Joachim. After his studies, he was ordained a priest on February 3, 1924 in the monastery on St. Annaberg. Due to a serious illness, he died at a very young age on September 10, 1924. My father Teodor wanted to join the Franciscan order on St. Annaberg after the death of his brother, but on one occasion the father guardian was not there, and on the second occasion the guardian had no time for the candidate Theodor.

And so it happened that Zusanna Kula and Theodor Baron met, fell in love and married on July 12, 1925 in St. Joseph’s parish church in Wengern. They lived a very pious and happy life. They had many children. Seven daughters and one son were born to them. My eldest sister died when she was eight months old. My mother fell seriously ill and died at the age of 46. Our father and our aunt Rosalie Kula took care of us children aged 3-15.

Of my siblings, only my eldest sister Gertrude joined the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Ullersdorf. On August 20, 1949, she received the religious name of her deceased aunt – Sister M. Wilborada. After a serious illness, she died in Ullersdorf on August 18, 1950.

When I went to Ullersdorf for my sister’s funeral, I felt a great longing for religious life. I really wasn’t interested in worldly youthful entertainments. I wanted to serve God and the people with the Franciscan Sisters. In 1954, at the age of 19, I joined the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters in Ullersdorf. and was given the name Sister M. Faustiniana when I was invested. I am not a registered nurse, but I have served God and people through prayer and especially through office work. Now I am retired. I have enough time to spend with God and to serve and help in the refectory of the provincial house.

Within two years of my service, God called my twin sister Matilda to our Congregation in 1956. She was again given the name Sister M. Wilborada. She was a registered nurse and served God and the sick with great love and dedication for many years. She was able to celebrate her golden jubilee before she died in 2008.

The Lord God chose our family in a special way. Our parents’ wish was fulfilled in us, the children. In 1958, their fourth daughter, my sister Anna, entered the Congregation of the Hospital Sisters in Ullersdorf. Her religious name is Sister M. Taurina. She graduated from nursing school and worked as a nurse. She served for the glory of God and the good of the people in various institutions, in different positions, depending on the needs of the Polish Province.

Among the called ones from one family we should add two more women: The first woman is my cousin Teresa Stelmach, who entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Charles Borromeo in Trebnitz in 1959, where she received the name Sister M. Beata. The second woman from our family circle is our niece Rose Baron, who entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Opole in 1980 and serves God and people as a catechist and organist as Sister M. Judyta.”

Looking back on the religious vocations in her family and looking back on her own religious journey, Sister M. Faustiniana thanks God for the many gifts and graces of vocations.

Sister M. Respicia Heitkamp

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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