{"id":8635,"date":"2026-11-04T17:02:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T16:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generalat-hsosf.de\/?p=8635"},"modified":"2026-11-04T17:20:34","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T16:20:34","slug":"hshs-pilgrims-visit-muenster-and-telgte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generalat-hsosf.de\/en\/hshs-pilgrims-visit-muenster-and-telgte\/","title":{"rendered":"Birthday Celebrations for General Superior"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Birthday Celebrations for General Superior<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

M\u00fcnster, November 4, 2026.<\/em> Today, Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the International Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis celebrated the 70th birthday of their General Superior<\/strong>, Sister M. Margarete Ulager. More than 150 guests gathered in M\u00fcnster to congratulate Sister Margarete in person. The General Superior<\/strong><\/strong> was particularly delighted by the good wishes and blessings from her fellow Sisters in M\u00fcnster and various convents of the German Province, as well as by the video messages she received from the Congregations Provinces in Poland, India, and Japan, and from the U.S. Canonical House.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks and Blessings\u201d: This was the theme of the Holy Mass in the Motherhouse Church in M\u00fcnster, which marked the beginning of the celebrations\u2014giving thanks for 70 fulfilling years of life and asking for God\u2019s blessing on Sister Margarete\u2019s journey ahead. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by three long-time companions of the General Superior: Bishop Emeritus Dr. Felix Genn, Cathedral Provost Rev. Hans-Bernd K\u00f6ppen, and the Spiritual Director of the Congregation, Prof. Dr. Father Michael Plattig. After Mass, the birthday guests were invited to a reception and lunch in the refectory of the Motherhouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On November 4, 2026, the Catholic Church in Germany celebrates the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo (1538\u20131584), who, as Bishop of Milan, was particularly dedicated to caring for the poor and who impressed the people of his time with his personal humility. In his homily, Bishop Felix referred to the life of this saint and to the example of the \u201cGood Shepherd\u201d from the day\u2019s reading from the Letter to the Romans. \u201cIsn\u2019t a Superior General, in a certain sense, also a shepherdess in the spirit of Jesus Christ?\u201d he said. \u201cTo be the Superior of a religious community means, on the one hand, to set oneself aside for the sake of the many others, and at the same time, through one\u2019s own existential witness, to shape the community, giving it form and character.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The General Superior\u2019s birthday celebration was planned as a surprise by the Sisters and the staff of the Generalate and the Motherhouse. In addition to Sister Margarete\u2019s family and her fellow Sisters, guests included representatives from St. Francis Foundation and St. Francis Hospital, as well as numerous companions from the various personal and professional stages of her life. \u201cThat was a wonderful surprise,\u201d Sister Margarete said happily. \u201cThank you so much for this lovely celebration and for all the good wishes!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sister M. Margarete Ulager was born in 1956 and entered the religious community of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in M\u00fcnster on October 19, 1978. She made her First Profession on May 1, 1981, and her Perpetual Profession on July 2, 1985\u2014the Congregation\u2019s founding day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sister Christa Maria Frie and Sister M. Margarete Ulager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In her hometown of Bottrop, Sister Margarete attended elementary and middle school and completed an apprenticeship as a pharmacy assistant. After completing a voluntary social service year at the University Hospital of M\u00fcnster, she trained as a nurse at St. Elisabeth Hospital in Ibbenb\u00fcren from 1974 to 1977, completed specialized training in intensive care medicine and anesthesia from 1986 to 1988, and received training in nursing management in 1994\u201395. She studied Political Science and Economics and received her Master\u2019s degree in \u201cGlobal Management\u201d from the University of Salford in Manchester, UK, in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General Chapter 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the field of general and intensive care nursing, Sister Margarete first worked at the University Hospital of M\u00fcnster; after entering the Congregation, she worked at St. Franziskus Hospital in M\u00fcnster and St. Bonifatius Hospital in Lingen, before taking on nursing management roles in Telgte, M\u00fcnster, and Ahaus. In service to the Congregation, Sister Margarete served as Provincial Councilor for the German Province from 1997 to 2001 and as General Treasurer from 2002 to 2018. On September 14, 2018, she was elected General Superior of the International Congregation and was re-elected for a second term at the General Chapter in M\u00fcnster in September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos: Michael Kestin<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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