Sister Maria Josema

Sister Maria Josema                          PDF Download
Ilba Josephina LIBRELOTTO           ND 4844

Holy Cross Province, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil

Date and Place of Birth:                 July 13, 1932                       Nova Palma, Júlio de Castilhos, RS
Date and Place of Profession:       February 18, 1954              Passo Fundo, RS
Date and Place of Death:               December 5, 2017              Passo Fundo, RS
Date and Place of Burial:               December 5, 2017              Convent Cemetery, Casa Santa Cruz, Passo Fundo, RS

 “Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” Mk 13:33
 “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” Mt 5:13-14

Like salt, Sister M. Josema found the purpose for her life and action, having a  positive influence on the community where she lived and ministered.  Sister’s deeds and countless merits give testimony to her life of service.  She was the third of 14 children. Her parents Jorge Librelotto and Cecilia Stefanello Librelotto migrated from Nova Palma to the region of Fortaleza dos Valos and Ibirubá. Her blood sisters, Sister M. Liliane and Sister M. Liria are also  Sisters of Notre Dame.  As a nurse, she ministered in the Health Care field and in Pastoral Ministry for 55 years. For sixteen years, she taught in the Nursing Aid Course at the São Vicente de Paulo Hospital in Passo Fundo and was also the first director of this course.

In addition to the Nursing degree, Sister sought knowledge in several other areas such as Psychology, Pastoral Ministry  and Accounting. In the State of Amazon, Sister attended a Spiritual Renewal Course as well as a Course for Formators and Community leaders. She was always faithful to her consecrated life and often showed of how appreciative she was of it.

She ministered in hospitals owned both by the Congregation and by other groups  in many cities of the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Acre and the Federal District. In recent years, she joined the communities in Espumoso, first at Nossa Senhora de Lourdes Residence and later at Obra Social Santa Júlia.

After her death notice was sent out, innumerable testimonies were received, sent by all means of communication available today, all of them expressing great gratitude for the example of Sister’s  life and service. One of them states :

Sister M. Josema, a person of gentle words,
of generous hands, of tireless feet, of an easy smile, of gratuitousness, of heroic silence!
A follower of Jesus, the Christ, a daughter of Mary, Our Mother and a true Sister to all of us!

These words are a faithful portrayal of Sister´s life and ministry, with especial commitment to the poor and the needy.

A traumatic brain injury caused by accidental falling lead to her death only three days after the accident. May Sister M. Josema intercede for us, for more vocations, for our ministries and especially for our Missions in Acre and Mozambique.

Sr. M. Josema with other sisters made 1,500 World Mission Rosaries to be given to our employees during the Marian year, to celebrate the 300 years of the founding of the Statue of Our Lady Aparecida. May she now rest with the good Jesus and Mary, whom she loved and served during her long life of 85 years.