Sister M. Gerburgis

Born: March 8, 1940
Entrance: August 12, 1965
Professed: May 3, 1968
Died: June 19, 2026

In the early morning hours, the kind and merciful God called our Sister home to eternity, Sister M. Gerburgis, née Hedwig Ungruh, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.

When morning came, Jesus was standing on the shore.

(John 21:4)

Sister M. Gerburgis was born in Hörstel-Ostenwalde and grew up there with her four siblings. At the age of twenty-five, she entered our congregation. She trained as a pediatric nurse and worked on pediatric wards in Ahlen and at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster. After qualifying as a nursing manager, she headed the ward for school-age children. She always maintained good contact with her former colleagues.

In 1991, she became the convent superior in Gladbeck and also took on pastoral duties at the hospital, for which she had qualified through training in Munich. Later, she moved to the hospital in Leer, and then to Ahaus. After the convent was dissolved, she returned to the Motherhouse, where she served at the reception desk there until her serious illness made that impossible.

From 2001 to 2006, she was a Provincial Councilor and shared responsibility for the German Sisters.

Some time ago, she required dialysis. As her illness progressed, she drew parallels between her own situation and that of her mother, who had also suffered from kidney disease; she therefore knew what lay ahead. She walked her path to the very end with full awareness and self-determination. On her final morning, she stated that she no longer wished to undergo dialysis and wanted to transition to palliative care. That evening, she asked for the Anointing of the Sick, a sacrament she participated in consciously. A few hours later, she passed away peacefully in the presence of the Indian Sisters who served at the Heriburg-Haus. To die so peacefully was the wish she had always expressed.

We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Gerburgis. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist, we remember her and remain united with her in sisterly love.

On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, we will celebrate the Resurrection Mass at 2 p.m., in the Motherhouse Church, after which we will accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters’ Cemetery. Afterward, we can share our memories of her over coffee at the Motherhouse.