Sister Maria Ilda

SISTER MARIA ILDA                        ND 4884
Ilda Ignez DIDONET

Our Lady Aparecida Province, Canoas, RS – Brazil

Date and place of birth: June 21, 1935 Nova Udine, County of Júlio de Castilhos
Date and place of profession: February 10, 1956 Passo Fundo, RS
Date and place of death: May 13, 2013 University Hospital Ulbra, Canoas
Date and place of burial: May 14, 2013 Convent Cemetery, Canoas

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23, 6

With this verse of Psalm 23, we can characterize the life of Sister Maria Ilda: “Surely goodness and
love will follow me all the days of my life.”

Ilda Ignez was born on June 21st, 1935, in Nova Udine, County of Júlio de Castilhos, today Ivorá.
She was the third of ten children of Eliseu and Natalina Didonet. The parents, profoundly religious,
educated their children in the Christian faith giving them the values which last for generations. The
father was a respected teacher in the locality and the mother was a homemaker. After the death of
their parents, the children remained united by strong family bonds. For their gatherings, they
preserved their parents’ house as the “Velha Querência.”(Old Home)

While still young, Ilda joined Religious Consecrated Life in the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre
Dame. On February 10th, 1956, she gave her life to God and to her sisters in the Notre Dame family
through religious profession.

Professionally, she dedicated many years of her life to the noble mission of nursing. She embraced
this profession with readiness, kindness and goodness, soothing suffering with blessed hands and a
welcoming heart.

In the hospitals where she worked, she was a recognized, loved and respected professional through
her ministry oriented by ethical, moral and religious principles. Sister Maria Ilda will leave
unforgettable memories of her generous service. Without distinction of persons, every moment was
time to help, relieve pain, to calm and console.

For many years she exercised the role of local superior and was understanding, loving and
respectful with the Sisters. A person of light and devoid of prejudice, she had a spirituality molded by
the goodness of God and of her great love for Mary. Of Sister Maria Ilda we can say: “Goodness
made my life happy” as Pope John XXIII said. In community living she was cordial and helpful. She
was characterized by simplicity, generous and always aware of the well-being of people. She was
quiet and observant and she used to say: “What is past, is past; let´s build on the past and live the
present.”

For many years Sister Maria Ilda lived with fragile health, although she was untiring in mission. She
welcomed with resignation the limits generated by Parkinson disease. Since it was impossible for
her to write, she used the computer to communicate with her Sisters, relatives and friends.
In the early morning of April 28th, Sister became ill at the Hospital where she worked. The same
day, she was transferred and hospitalized at UTI – Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital of Ulbra, in
Canoas. After a week, showing relative improvement, she left Intensive Care. She was conscious
and was happy with visits. On May 11th she returned to Intensive Care and passed away on May
13th, at 6 pm, on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima and the feast of Saint Julie.

Sister Maria Ilda was a gift of God to the Province and to the Congregation. The sorrow of her death,
in faith, will be transformed into joy by having another intercessor with the good God.
R.I.P.