Sister M. Veronika Bothe
Born: January 11, 1938
Entrance: January 30, 1959
Professed: October 18, 1961
Died: August 29, 2024
In the presence of her fellow sisters, the loving and kind God completed the life of Sister M. Veronika Bothe, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.
Praise and glorify my Lord and serve him with great joy!
Canticle of the Creatures of St. Francis
Hedwig Bothe was born in Ellenstedt in the district of Vechta, Germany. She was born one year before the Second World War. Her childhood coincided with the time of National Socialism. The people of Oldenburg fought against it fiercely. It was certainly a learning experience for her to stand up for a cause she believed in. Rooted in a deep faith in the good God, she went her own way. This was also the basis of her decision to give her life to God by joining our Franciscan Congregation. She took the religious name, Sister M. Veronica.
After completing her training as a nurse, as all young sisters did, Sister M. Veronika received her first assignment in the surgical department of St. Josefs-Stift in Bremen. Three years later, the community entrusted her with administrative duties. Her preparation for this work had been in an annual seminar in Cologne-Hohenlind. In Friesoythe (1973-1979) and in Gronau (1979-1983) she was the superior of the convents. In the hospitals she was the Director of Nursing. She was then elected Provincial Superior of the Westphalian Province. The Province had its seat in Telgte. She led the Province with a strong sense of vision and led it into a bright future.
Sister M. Veronika was then in charge of the large motherhouse convent for twelve years. This time was marked by great upheavals and a move to a new house. Thanks to her co-management, the convent life changed in favor of newly created living groups. It was important to her that spiritual life and silence in the house were not neglected. She always involved the Sisters so that they could support the community’s decisions.
After this time, Sister M. Veronika ventured a new ministry and became one of the founders of the Esterwegen Convent, which was established in 2007 on the site of the concentration camp there at the request of the Diocese of Osnabrück. This was real pioneering work, which Sister M. Veronika took on in her usual manner, with great organizational skills, a realistic view of what was possible and a great deal of empathy for the visitors who came to the convent.
Since 2013, Sister M. Veronika was allowed to spend her twilight years at St. Anna-Stift in Kroge, close to her home in Oldenburg and her relatives, who visited her until the end. Thus, after 65 years as a Franciscan Sister, she gave her life back into the hands of God, whom she was looking forward to.
We say farewell to Sister M. Veronika with gratitude. We remember her in prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist. We remain united with her as Sisters.
We will celebrate the resurrection Mass for Sister M. Veronika on Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 2.30 p.m. in the Convent Church in Kroge. We will then accompany her to her final resting place in the Kroge cemetery. Afterwards, we can share our memories of her over coffee in the convent.
