Sister Marie-Theres  

Sister Marie-Theres              ND 7157                           PDF Download
Hildegard Hasenbeck

Maria Regina Province, Coesfeld, Germany

Date and Place of Birth:                November 23, 1959      Essen/Ruhr, Germany
Date and Place of Profession:      January 01, 1987          Mülhausen
Date and Place of Death:              November 20, 2017      Düsseldorf, Marienhospital
Date and Place of Funeral:           November 27, 2017      Mülhausen, Convent Cemetery

Hildegard was the fourth child born to Johann and Hildegard Hasenbeck. Early in her childhood she was diagnosed with a severe chronic disease. Because of this she was sent to a cure for children, during which she felt the desire to become an educator to make it easier for children to bear the separation from their parents. Later, she made her wish become a reality: after graduating from middle school, she trained as an educator. She then worked in a kindergarten until she entered our congregation.

Besides her formation, she was very active in her local parish, St. Ludgerus, Essen, as a leader of youth groups, etc. This experience led to a deeper longing for a spiritual life. After a time of discernment, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Mülhausen in 1984. At the beginning of her novitiate, she expressed the wish to receive the name Sister Marie-Theres, with Therese of Lisieux as her patroness.

After her first profession in 1987, she was put in charge of a group in the kindergarten in St. Tönis. With great joy she then trained as a teacher of children with special needs. Thereby Sister Marie-Theres not only widened her pedagogical expertise but also became well prepared for the tasks awaiting her in the following years.

In 1994, she was given the leadership of the then congregational daycare center in Düsseldorf. In the following years, Sister Marie-Theres started the conceptual reorganization of the institution. This included, among other things, the establishment of groups for children with disabilities and a family group, as well as the certification of a family center. In addition to this, she was a member of the provincial council, and she was trained as a bibliodrama leader and as a business economist in social services. She performed these manifold tasks with great joy and energy, but sometimes she also felt the limitations of her health.

She lived her spiritual life and her vocation as a Sister of Notre Dame with great enthusiasm, always striving to go deeper and be more authentic. In 2004, a group of sisters in Düsseldorf started a community looking for new ways. Their goal was to find an appropriate form of religious life in quickly changing circumstances. Sister Marie-Theres was fully engaged in this group.

In the spring of 2017, Sister Marie-Theres was diagnosed with cancer. She accepted the illness and underwent the suggested therapy. She bore the side effects and ever-new complications with great courage and patience.

When it became obvious that no therapy could help her any further, she was ready to let go. During the last days of her life, she received visits from people who had been important in her life. It seemed as though she could harvest the fruits of her life, so she was able to go in peace.