May 28, 1952
Sisters Offer Shining Example of Cheerful Service;
Cooking, Sewing, Laundering Are Part of Daily Routine
By Peter O’Donnell
With faces wreathed in smiles while doing the most unenviable chores, our eight efficient Franciscan Sisters are shining examples of true handmaids of the Lord. Although cooking and laundering for 200 students, priests, and brothers is no easy task, never is there a sad face among these cheerful servants of God.
At the request of the Conventual Franciscans in 1929, five Servants of the the Holy Infant Jesus left their mother house in Germany and sailed for America. Their first home was in Staten Island, New York. In 1934, reinforced by the arrival of more Sisters from Germany, the Order was able to comply with the request of Father Sigmund Cratz, then Capuchin Provincial, that it staff the seminary kitchen and laundry.
Sisters Widen Scope of Duty
In Germany the principal duty of the Sisters is to manage boarding schools for girls. Here in the United
States, however, they have widened their field to include caring for the needs of seminarians.
No one can surpass our sextet of culinary experts in K.P. duty, for each of them would make a competent instructor in the art of cooking. Pleasant aromas fill the building on baking days and it is common knowledge that Sister Synesia’s bread is well worth eating. To head cook Sister Constantia goes much of the credit for the steaming, tasty meals which are daily set forth in the dining-hall.
Since both monastery and seminary linens come under the watchful supervision of Sister Sophronia in the laundry, wash day is a big day each week. Although they have a large order to fill, the Sisters complete it regularly with tireless energy and light hearts.
Vacation Isn’t Playtime
When summer vacation comes, one would expect the Sisters to settle down for a long summer's rest, but the men’s retreats and the enormous amount of canning keep the kitchen buzzing with activity.
Although the Sisters have not been here for all the 75 years of St. Fidelis’ history, their inspiration will remain in the minds and hearts of students for many years to come.
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April 1966
Sisters Prove Active In Service of Seminary.
Although the seminarians here at St. Fidelis have daily contact with the nuns, many students know very little about our convent personnel.
The Order that they belong to, the Franciscan Servants of the Holy Infancy, was founded in Germany, but they do have a motherhouse in Plainfield, New Jersey. Presently there are 8 Sisters stationed at St. Fidelis. Sister Sulpitia, the Mother Superior, along with Sisters Goslina, Constancia, and Mechtild, make up the kitchen crew. Care of the dining hall is entrusted to Sister Notburga, the eldest of the nuns, and Sister Angelica, the youngest.
In addition to the culinary arts, there are other tasks performed by our Sisters. Laundering their own clothes, plus those of the priests and clerics, is the indispensable job of Sister Prokula, while Sister Edburga does all the sewing and mending.
However, the nuns’ life isn’t all work. Sisters Prokula and Edburga are frequently seen tending the flowers in the convent garden. The basketball courts beside St. Lawrence Hall are an occasional place where Sisters Angelica and Mechtild, the new arrivals this year, may be found.
Sister Sulpitia thoroughly enjoys singing, and all the nuns join in a good laugh every once in a while at a blundering student.
Since all the nuns were born in Germany except Sister Angelica, most have a fairly difficult time pronouncing and using correct English. One particular amusing incident to illustrate this point occurred this summer when the following sentence echoed throughout the kitchen:
“Boy, boy, eachbody wants some peanuts booter!”
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December 1969
Sister Theresa Directs Our Cafeteria
With Efficient Order And Friendliness
by Bernie Schott
“When I first arrived at St. Fidelis I felt just like a new student. Now I feel like I'm one of the family,” Sister Teresa, our swinging young nun in the kitchen, confessed one November evening.
Early Life
Sister Theresa Sanders was born in Elizabeth, N.J. She received her schooling at Woodbridge High School which is located 20 miles from Elizabeth. After graduating from high school, Sister worked in a pajama factory at Woodbridge for nine years. Sister then entered the convent located in Plainfield, N.J. in 1960.
Sister made a profession of vows in the Sisters of the Infancy of Jesus on Aug. 12, 1967. Three days later, on the Feast of the Assumption, Sister Theresa arrived at St. Fidelis, her first assignment.
Daily Chores
Sister Theresa and the other six Sisters rise at 4:30 a.m. In their chapel they recite the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and assist at Mass. After Holy Mass Sister Theresa supervises the monitors who serve the Mass and prepare the tables for breakfast. Sister does no cooking, but does all work involving contact with the students.
The monitors usually enjoy Sister Theresa. Senior monitor Bill Dorn often asks Sister her age, but to no avail.
After breakfast, assigned groups of juniors or seniors clear the tables. Sister Theresa renders valuable assistance to the students each morning, both by working with them and by boosting their morale. Sister usually acts as a stimulant in the morning haze, but on occasion she has been known to raise her voice against students who mishandle the equipment.
Students venture into the refectory to set lunch and supper tables, and to set breakfast tables for the next morning. Few of them have gotten away with mischief during these work periods due to Sister’s constant surveillance.
Likes Seminarians
A bond of friendship between Sister and the students has developed this year. Junior Darryl Simms calls her “Sis Baby.” Other juniors tell Sister of hearing her guitar serenades at night.
During meals, Sister is constantly badgered by hungry students for extra cookies and pieces of cake. One student asked Sister to slip him an extra piece of cake. The nun next to Sister Theresa asked, “Slip . . . what
slip, boy?”
Sister explained that when she first came to St. Fidelis she didn’t know what to think about or how to handle the tricks and jokes of the students; but now she feels that the boys are pretty good —not that they have changed, but that she is accustomed to them.
After a complete day of kitchen, laundry, and convent duties, the Sisters retire to the convent at 8:30 p.m. Sister Theresa says that this is the only time she has to “hit the guitar,” but that she will practice so that one day she will contribute to some of the folk liturgies.
Read the 2021 obituary of Sr. Theresa below
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June 1, 1972
German Sisters Are Recalled To Plainfield Motherhouse
July 1 Departure Ends
37 Years Of Seminary Service
The Sisters of the Holy Infancy of the Child Jesus will leave St. Fidelis Seminary on July 1. They arrived here in August 1935.
Consisting of Sisters Theodolinde, Olympia, Amelberga, Cortona, and Sophronia, the first group took up quarters at the north end of the main floor of St. Francis Hall or the East Wing, still the site of the convent.
Sister Cortona was the first cook, and Sister Sophronia was the first bakeress, who took over from the Capuchin Brothers the task of baking bread for the monastery and seminary.
In February 1936 Sisters Notburga and Goslina arrived. Sister Notburga was given charge of the students’ dining hall, a task which she kept until she left here in 1969. Sister Goslina, who is still here, has been a cook for the past 36 years.
Sisters Iphegenia and Constantia arrived Dec. 31, 1938. Sister Iphegenia is the only surviving member of the originnal group of five Sisters who came to America from Germany in 1929. She has been at Herman three times as superior, from 1938-47, 1952-60, and 1967-72. Sister Constantia has been a cook since her arrival.
After the 1938 fire, and because the number of students was less, Sisters Notburga and Sophronia left for two years. They returned in 1940 when the convent was enlarged and the laundry was added, under the direction of Fr. Linus Doemling, then procurator of the seminary.
From 1935 till 1940 the Sisters used the bake shop off the kitchen for doing their laundry and the chapel linens. The old clotheslines outside the cafeteria date from that time.
In August 1940 Sisters Edburga and Theodorica arrived. Sister Edburga mainly helped Sister Sophronia in the laundry, and Sister Theodorica tended the dining hall.
In 1944 Sister Synesia arrived to take over the bakery from Sister Proba who had been bakeress since 1937. In 1952 Sister Synesia suffered a broken arm when she accidentally caught it in the electric dough mixer. She left here in 1954.
Sister Francis arrived in 1945 and left in 1961. It was her task to prepare the bread, milk, jelly, etc., for the students’ dining hall and to supervise the seminarians helping with the dishes.
On July 3, 1961 Sister Prokula arrived to tend the laundry. She and Sister Edburga have kept up the tradition of the Sisters’ flower garden outside the door of the laundry.
In August and November respectively of 1968, Sisters Theresa and Reginberta arrived. Sister Theresa has cared for the dining hall and Sister Reginberta has served as a cook.
Three other Sisters were also stationed here. Sister Sulpitia was the superior from 1960 to 1967, and Sisters Anselma and Mechtild performed a variety of tasks in both the kitchen and the laundry.
Of the Sisters who served here three are deceased. They are Sister Theodorica who was here from 1940-45; she died May 31, 1963. Sister Sophronia, who tended the laundry from 1940 to 1961 died August 25, 1966. Sister Ildephonsa, who was superior here from 1947-53, died June 10, 1958.
A decrease in the number of vocations to the Sisters of the Holy Infancy and the increasing age of the Sisters who are here have necessitated the recall of our Sisters.
They will leave for Plainfield, N.J. on July 1, and they will make retreat and have several weeks vacation after their arrival at their motherhouse, Villa Maria. They do not know if or where they will be reassigned.
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June 1. 1972
Seminary Honors Sisters
With Appreciation Program, Awards
The students and faculty gave the Servants of the Infancy of the Child Jesus, who cook for the school, a farewell program. The program was held on Friday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m. The program consisted of three parts.
The first was a play presented by the drama club entitled, “Sister Gold.” The play depicted a scene from St. Francis of Assisi’s life. Junior Robert Herrick played the main role as St. Francis while junior Michael Neff played the part of Brother Juniper, Francis’ friend.
The play was directed by senior Victor Boerio, president of the Drama Club, and produced by Fr. Gary Powell, director of the Drama Club.
The second part of the program consisted of “The Prophets,” a singing group made up of Capuchin collegians, doing old German folk numbers.
The final part was the presentations. The seminary presented each Sister with a medal inscribed with her name, their Order’s symbol, and the years she had served here.
The priests in the St. Augustine Province also presented a scrapbook to the Sisters. The scrapbook contained letters of thanks for their service from many priests in the province.
Fr. Gary, coordinator of the program said, “I feel that this is the least we can do to show our appreciation to the Sisters who have given so much of their lives to the seminarians of St. Fidelis. We surely will miss them because they have been a part of St. Fidelis so long.”
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June 1, 1972
Sisters Reminisce About Applebutter, Sauerkraut,
German Donuts, Sisters’ Crew, And St. Nicholas
(In an interview with Fr/ Vance Pastorius, publications adivisor, Sisters Iphegenia, Edburga, and Goslina recalled many of the “ good old times.”)
Apple Butter
They remembered the making of applebutter and applesauce in the old cellar. They and some of the local women peeled and cut the apples and then cooked them in large copper kettles supported on cinder blocks above a low gas fire.
At first the Sisters had to stir the applebutter most of the day by hand. After supper they would take turns stirring until 11 p.m. and then retire.
Then Fr. Linus Doemling, seminary procurator, mounted wheels with large wooden ladels attached and ran the wheels with electric motors. In the fall of each year, the Sisters made enough applebutter for breakfast and applesauce for dessert to last the entire year.
When they cleaned the old cellar this spring, Sister Iphegenia found a jar of applebutter from the last batch they made in 1952. “Ya, it vas schtill gut,” she said.
German Donuts
As Lent of 1938 approached, the late Fr. Cyril Zeller, then Guardian of St. Mary’s Monastery and pastor of St. Mary’s Church, asked the Sisters to make their special Shrove Tuesday Donuts. They did, and the friars and seminarians received two large donuts (without holes and sometimes jelly-filled) at the main meal on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
With the purchase of more baked goods over the years and with the getting of the automatic donut maker, the Sisters have not made their “ graphen” as much as they used to.
In 1945 when Fr. Linus bought the new dough mixer, Sister Synesia and Mrs. McCorry mixed too much donut batter. It took until evening to roll and bake the mixture, and they ended with more than 1,000 donuts! “ Ya,” Sister Iphegenia said, “ ve had donuts fur ein veek.”
Sauerkraut
Sister Iphegenia introduced sauerkraut-making to St. Fidelis. Each October the Sisters would clean and shred late cabbage and soak it in brine water for six to eight weeks. They made enough for the school year and the following summer.
This sauerkraut-making was usually done along the building outside the kitchen entrance. Once a ditch-digger set his ground tamper — a metal pole sunk into a 25 pound cement disc — beside the sauerkraut barrels.
Well, Sister Constantia came by and thought that was Sister Edburga’s tamper for the sauerkraut. She carried it into the kitchen, washed it at the sink, and put it into the first barrel for Sister Edburga. When Sister Edburga climbed onto her stool and took hold of the tamper, she couldn’t lift it! The ditch-digger finally straightened things out and got his tamper back.
Home-Made Bread
The seminary has always been known for its home-baked bread, a tradition started by the Capuchin Brothers and continued by Sisters Sophronia, Proba, and Synesia, and by Mrs. Helen Linenbach of Herman. The large double loaves were often baked twice a day and many times were served warm. This tradition will stay at St. Fidelis.
Sisters’ Crew
The Sisters remember fondly the seminarians who made up what was called the Sisters’ Crew, or Cellar Crew, or Potato Crew. These men, usually freshmen and sophomore collegians, carried the potatoes, flour, and canned goods from the cellars to the kitchen They were usually rewarded with . They with coffee and cake.
At first, however, they didn’t get coffee and cake. That started only after Sister Edburga came in 1940. She had been at the former St. Joseph’s Military Academy [in Hays, KS] and the Sisters there always gave the boys’ cake. So she had Sister Iphegenia start that here. Soon all the seminarians discovered this fact.
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July 20, 2021
Sr. Theresa Sanders (85)
has gone home to be with God
From the original ariticle in German via Google Translator
Virginia (Sanders) was born on December 19, 1935, the oldest of six children. Her father had German roots. The family lived in Woodbridge, NJ and was part of St. James Parish, where Virginia attended the Sisters of Mercy Catholic School. This is probably how her desire to enter religious life arose.
As her desire to become a nun grew stronger, she applied to our community and entered on July 2, 1960. After her first profession [as Sr. Theresa], she was transferred to Staten Island for three years, where the Franciscan Conventuals had a small seminary. There she, along with the other sisters, did household chores and worked in the dining room.
From 1967 to 1972, she was assigned to the Capuchin Franciscan Minor Seminary in Herman PA. Here, the community of eight sisters was responsible for preparing meals for approximately 300 high school-aged students and approximately 50 priests and brothers. After the closure of this seminary, the sisters returned to Villa Maria, where Sr. Theresa became a kitchen assistant, worked in the laundry and later, in addition to domestic duties, was also responsible for operating the dishwasher. She was also passionate about gardening.
During these years she visited her mother's house in Germany, then spent a few weeks with her father's relatives, who felt like her second home. On one of these trips she had the opportunity to visit Assisi, where she went on a twelve-day pilgrimage with a group sponsored by the Americans.
Her love of animals included several parakeets and canaries that she kept over the years. Their names were usually Glory and Praise.
On May 25, 2006, the smaller community moved from Villa Maria to our former facility in Yardville, which was the perfect size for everyone, including three women who lived with us, three lay staff members, and a chaplain. Sr. Theresa busied herself in the garden, planting beautiful flower gardens again and always volunteering to cut flowers for the chapel or special celebrations. Here she fostered and cared for a sickly kitten, named Moses, who was found on the porch.
From Yardville, five sisters moved to Seabrook on May 25, 2016. Here, as everywhere she went, Sr. Theresa made many friends. And yes, she was eager to help some residents with their gardens. It soon became apparent that Sr. Theresa needed additional personal care and supervision, which brought her to McAuley Hall three years later on July 7, 2019. Here too she found many friends as she felt more at home.
Many staff members encouraged her as she visited other residents in her wing and became more involved in activities such as painting and coloring. She often told me how lucky she is to be a member of our community, remembering all the opportunities she has had over the years.
Many employees appreciated Sr. Theresa for her childlike simplicity, generosity, humor and sensitivity.
As the year progressed, her health deteriorated. Sr. Theresa Sanders was buried in the Holy Family Regional Cemetery in South Plainfield (USA).
Sr. Antonia Cooper, Regional Superior
Oberzell Franciscan Sisters
https://www.oberzell.de/