Sister Maria Herlindis ND 5073 PDF Download
Gerharda GAEWERS
Maria Regina Province, Coesfeld, Germany
Date and Place of Birth: December 13, 1937 Gescher
Date and Place of Profession: August 1, 1961 Mülhausen
Date and Place of Death: September 19, 2025 Kempen
Date and Place of Funeral: September 26, 2025 Mülhausen, Convent Cemetery
“From the mouths of children, you have created praise for yourself, O Lord!”
Throughout her long religious life, Sister Maria Herlindis contributed to the praise of God in the spirit of the psalm verse she chose as her motto through her work as an educator, which she carried out with great empathy and understanding.
Gerharda Gaewers was the eldest daughter of Franz and Gertrud Gaewers. She had three brothers and one sister. After attending elementary primary and secondary school in her home-town of Gescher, she helped out in her parents’ business. In 1954, she spent a year with the Sisters of Notre Dame in St. Tönis, where she received training in cooking and housekeeping. Until she entered as a postulant in Mülhausen on October 15, 1958, she worked on a farm in Gescher-Estern. At her investment, she was given the name Sister Maria Herlindis.
After taking her vows, she worked in various institutions of the Mulhousen Province at the reception desk, looking after guests, doing laundry, and taking care of the house.
From 1976 to 1978, she trained as a teacher at the Technical College for Social Pedagogy in Vechta. She then worked as a group leader at the children’s home in Wachtendonk, at the Annenhof in Kempen, and at the boatmen’s children’s home in Duisburg-Ruhrort. Sister Maria Herlindis was a good teacher; she inspired trust and knew how to accept each child for who they were. She was able to help new children settle into the group through her understanding and kindness. Sister M. Herlindis was keen to work well with the team of educators, the parents of the children and young people, and official bodies such as the youth welfare office and Caritas. In discussions and conferences, she expressed her views and concerns in a factual and objective manner. Her keen powers of observation enabled her to make concrete suggestions for solving problems.
After retiring from her work as a teacher, Sr. M. Herlindis took on domestic duties in Vossenack and Kempen until she moved to Haus Salus in Mülhausen in 2012. This was necessary after she underwent a serious surgery. Sr. M. Herlindis quickly settled into her new life, and when her health allowed, she took on the role of sacristan for several years. Here, too, she was reliable and attentive. She ran small errands for the sisters, participated in community life and social activities, and organized her daily life in her own thoughtful and calm manner. She also maintained good contact with the “outside world.” She repeatedly expressed her satisfaction with the circumstances and limitations and lived out of the firm belief that whatever God ordained was good.
A serious fall required surgery, as a result of which she died. While the community at Haus Salus had gathered in the chapel for Vespers and prayed in the hymn, “Come, and now complete your kingdom and lead us to the royal banquet,” this request had already been fulfilled for Sr. M. Herlindis.
