Sister Maria Electis ND 2698 PDF Download
Luzia Mohrs
Nossa Senhora Aparecida Province, Canoas, RS, Brazil
Date and Place of Birth: March 23, 1904 Pommern-Mosel, Germany
Date and Place of Profession: April 16, 1928 Mülhausen, Germany
Date and Place of Death: October 16, 2017 Recanto Aparecida, Canoas
Date and Place of Burial: October 17, 2017 Convent Cemetery, Canoas
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord and sing praises to your name, O Most High” (Ps. 92:1).
On the night of October 16, 2017, at 10 p.m., our dear super-centenarian, Sister Maria Electis, fell quietly asleep. The long life of sister invites us to pray with the psalmist: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord and sing praises to your name, O most High.” Reaching the age of 113 years and six months, she achieved the maximum age ever reached by a Sister of Notre Dame. In 2013, in the Provincial House Chapel, sister celebrated her Sunflower Jubilee, 85 years of Consecrated Religious Life.
Luzia was born in Pommern-Mosel, Germany, in 1904. She was the sixth daughter born to Josef Mohrs and Maria Anna Ring. She came to Brazil in February 1939 with the twenty-third group of German missionaries. Her ministry was to care for the sick, dedicating ten years of service in Germany and then, from July 1939 until 1988, in the Olivé Leite Psychiatric Clinic, Pelotas, Brazil. Sister´s professional ethics and her care and love given to the patients were outstanding. She was esteemed and respected by the sisters, doctors, staff, and patients. Referring to her work, she said, “During the forty-nine years I worked with psychiatric patients, I was never disrespected. I loved them.”
In 1988, she came to Recanto Aparecida, where she kept herself busy with small community tasks. As part of the group of elderly Sisters who helped with food preparation, she joyfully engaged in peeling potatoes and vegetables, even after she was one hundred years old. She knew how to use her time well even in her old age: praying, doing occupational therapy activities, and knitting, which she did with much perfection.
She loved community life and was loved by the community. Sister was always present for community prayers, especially for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the celebration of the Eucharist. She was kind and joyful, uncomplicated in her way of being and acting; however, she was concerned about her appearance, always being well-dressed and wearing high heel shoes.
Throughout her life, she cultivated deep friendships with co-sisters, especially with Sister M. Siglinde, her companion of twenty-eight years in the same ministry, who died in 1988. Several times she visited her family in Germany, with whom she kept in close contact. At the beginning of October, she received a visit from her great-grand-nephews from Germany, who were very glad to be able to see her. When they received the death notice, they were surprised and felt very sad since they had planned to visit her again.
We give gratitude to God for the generous life of our last German missionary, dear Sister Maria Electis. The Congregation flourished and expanded quickly in Brazil, thanks to the many generous German missionaries who came to this land. From them we learned to live and to proclaim the Notre Dame charism and spirit. Let us keep alive in the church the charismatic inheritance passed on by these sisters.
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