Sister Maria Agnesie ND 5608 PDF Download
Elisabeth VENNEBÖRGER
Maria Regina Province, Coesfeld, Germany
Date and Place of Birth: 08 September 1935 Velen
Date and Place of Profession: 12 August 1960 Coesfeld
Date and Place of Death: 23 September 2026 Coesfeld, Kloster Annenthal
Date and Place of Funeral: 30 September 2026 Coesfeld, Convent Cemetery
Elisabeth Vennebörger, known to her family and neighbors simply as “Liesel,” grew up with her older brother Josef in Velen, in the Borken district. Her father, Josef Vennebörger, returned from captivity when Liesel was nine years old. Her mother, Agnes Vennebörger (née Bartz), cared for her children alone during the difficult war years. Liesel often spoke of her mother’s worries and hardships. “When our father comes home from the war, I will make a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Kevelaer as a sign of thanks…,” her mother said, and she faithfully kept her promise. Years later, when Liesel had long since joined our Congregation, she made a pilgrimage from Bocholt to Kevelaer with many like-minded people. The journey was a gesture of gratitude to her family.
After finishing school in Velen, Liesel initially stayed at home; beginning in 1953, she cared for the preschool children at the Caritas center in Recklinghausen-Suderwich, then in Bocholt, and until she joined our Congregation in 1957, she worked at the preschool in Ramsdorf with our sisters.
At her investment in August 1958, she received her religious name, Sister Maria Agnesie. She was delighted to be able to bear her mother’s name from then on. In August 1960, she made her temporary vows, and in 1965, she made her perpetual vows at our Generalate in Rome. For Sister Maria Agnesie, working with preschool-aged children was not just a job, but a vocation. Some of the places she served included Warstein, Lünen, and Bocholt. The mayor of Warstein wrote in her testimonial: “We deeply regret Sister Maria Agnesie’s departure, because she was a very endearing and capable director of our kindergartens. She was deeply connected to the parents and children of our town, and she was always a good role model for her colleagues.” She completed her training as a state-certified early childhood educator in Vechta in 1975. She then took over the St. Paul Kindergarten in Bocholt, where she served for 25 years. She was a warm and caring educator to the children—friendly yet consistent—and a wise advisor to parents on the often complex issues of child-rearing.
The death of her brother Josef in 2005 was a hard loss for Sister Maria Agnesie.
After she stopped working in education, Sister Maria Agnesie stayed in Bocholt and took care of household chores until she moved to Kloster Annenthal in Coesfeld in June 2014. She liked living quietly but occasionally joined in on community activities. Over time, she developed dementia, which sometimes caused her a lot of anxiety.
After all, it was a serious fall and the resulting necessary surgery that kept her bedridden. Her strength gradually declined. Sister Maria Agnesie was lovingly cared for by the staff in nursing and support and was supported by our sisters’ community. Quietly, as she had lived recently, she returned her life into God’s hands.
