Sister M. Alfriedis

Born: February 2, 1931
Entrance: August 8, 1952
Professed: May 3, 1955
Died: July 19, 2025

In the hope that Christ, her strength and light, would guide her on her way, our fellow sister, born by the name Gertrud Schölpen, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, gave her life back into the hands of the good and merciful God.

My hope and my joy, my strength, my light,

Christ my confidence. I trust in you and am not afraid.

(Gotteslob No. 365)

Sister M. Alfriedis was born in Homberg on the Lower Rhine shortly before the beginning of the Third Reich. Her childhood and school years fell during the time of National Socialism.

Her school certificate bears a stamp with the swastika. Her Catholic family did not have an easy time, but their strong faith carried them through these difficult times and had a lasting impact on their lives.

At the age of 21, Gertrud Schölpen joined our religious order and became Sister M. Alfriedis.

Caring for the sick and elderly was always a deep concern of hers. After qualifying, she worked for 33 years as a nurse and ward sister in Hückeswagen and Waldniel. She then completed a geriatric care seminar while working, in Holthausen, and moved from the Rhineland into elder care at Körbecke on Lake Möhne, with intermediate stops in Dortmund and Sevelen. In 2012, she was finally able to rest from her long service and moved as a senior to the Maria Hilf convent in Telgte. In 2015, she transferred to the St. Heriburg House, where she spent her final months in the new ward St. Klara, enjoying the special atmosphere of this residential group.

According to reports, her namesake, Saint Alfried, died “rich in days”—and so did Sister M. Alfriedis, who lived to be 94 years old.

We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Alfriedis. We remain united to her in our prayers and in the celebration of the Eucharist.