Memories of Sister Adeline

This week marks the anniversary of Sr. Adeline Nathe's death (a date I remember especially since it coincided with my paternal grandmother's)

I typed up Sr. Adeline's memories as a postulant, in May of 2006, and will share this below.

First, here is the chronology from her various apostolates.

Graduated from St. Francis Academy 1944
Wrote Teachers’ exam because ND had shortage of teachers.
1944-45    Taught my 1st year at Little Flower School, Rugby, ND.  Grades 3-4
1945-46    Attended Alverno College, Milwaukee
1946-47    St. Boniface, Lidgerwood, ND.  3, 4, 5, and 6
1947-48    Selz Public School 5, 6, 7, and 8
1948-53    St. Francis Academy    Grades 5-6
Boarder Boys {reflect - Grades 1 - high school
1953-56    Little Flower School - 8th grade
Superior of convent
1956-62    Business Manager - Hankinson, ND - ... Provincial Council
1962-65    Gettysburg Memorial Hospital - administration
1965-66    Alverno College - Graduated in 1966
1966-68    Little Flower School
1965-69    Holy Family School Grand Forks - 8th grade principal
1969-74    Religious Ed. Coordinator at St. James Religious Center, Grand Forks - St. Michaels, St. Mary and Holy Family
1974-95    Pastoral Care Ministry - St. John’s Parish - Wahpeton
1995-05    Receptionist at St. Francis Motherhouse in Hankinson, ND

MISSION EXPERIENCES

1944    Rugby: Little Flower School - Grades 3-4
Little Flower School was my first mission experience in 1944.  It was my first teaching experience because of a teacher shortage in North Dakota.  Those of us who had just graduated from high school were asked to study for a state exam.  After we passed it we were permitted to teach one year in North Dakota.  I received a State Teaching Permit.  I arrived in the school term of 1944-45.  I had a delightful teaching experience with children in grades three and four.  Msgr. Nicholas Cloos was the pastor.  People in Little Flower Parish and School along with Father Nicholas Cloos happily welcomed me.  On his first day of St. Nicholas, it was his tradition on December 6 to gather all the children in school to the gym for his famous “peanut throw.”  He would stand on the stage and through bags of peanuts to the children who mad a mad scramble to collect as many peanuts as possible, amidst loud shouts and squeals of glee.  With God’s blessing and grace, it was a delightful teaching experience.  

1945-46    Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the year 1945 was a rich inspirational study in elementary education.    1945-46;  1965-‘66     Returned to Alverno College to complete my Elementary Degree with Sr. Genevieve, Sr. Thomasine, Sr. Jane Francis and Sr. Armella.  Graduated in 1966.  

 
1946-47    St. Boniface School, Lidgerwood, ND was my next mission with Sister Sr. Seraphica, Sr. Engetraud, Sr. Frieda and Adeline.  I had the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classroom  Father Patrick O’Connell was the Irish Pastor...
We Sisters lived on the second floor of the school.  Chapel, living and bedroom quarters.  Also on the same floor were our boarder students.  
Grades 3, 4, 5, 6
Fr. O’Conell Pastor
Sr. ...  Engeltraud, Sr. Seriphica, Sr. Freida
We had several families whose children were boarders with us.  

1946-48 - Selz-Public School Grades and High School
Grade 5, 6, 7, 8
Sister Judith, Sr. Thomasine, and Adeline
Parish: St. Anthony
Housekeeper: Eva Schwan
Religion classes after the Mass on Sunday.
[I remember]...walking to school in fresh cold country ...over high snow banks for a real workout.  

Sr. Adeline was in charge of grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 in Selz, North Dakota Public School with Sr. Judith, Sr. Thomasine and Sr. Bega as housekeeper.  
Pastor- Father Othmar,    Housekeeper Eva Schaan
Memories - Sundays in church men on one side, women and children on other side.  Sermons- one in German, one in English with Religion Classes after the Mass.  
Snow banks were our mountains to climb.  A real workout.  Our water supply for laundry or bathing or cleaning was an outdoor cistern with ropes and pails to bring the water up and carry indoors to heat in large copper boilers.  It was the good old days.  The year after I was gone the ND law forbid us to teach in the public school in a religious garb.  The staff of sisters had to wear secular clothes.  With great sacrifice the sisters did comply with it.  Now the ruling has been repealed.  

1948-53    St. Francis Academy
It was a new challenge for me with grades 5-6 and being prefect of Boarder Boys from grade 1-12.  About 24 from nearby states and some remaining with us for the weekends.  We all crowded in our small chapel for early morning Mass with Father Smalley.  The boys came from good families and were very supportive to me.  My students were the greatest and still keep in touch and I keep them all in my prayers.  
Resident boarder prefect - grades 1-high school.  34 boys.   Taught grades 5-6

1953-56 Teacher - superior - Rugby
Teaching 7th and 8th grades - return and superior

 
1956-62    Business Manager at St. Francis Academy and Convent including the farm.  It was a huge challenge until Sr. Irma and Sr. Ria’s assistance I took on the challenge on Provincial Council offices.  

1962-65    Administrator - Gettysburg Hospital
I was asked to take on administration in Gettysburg, SD for the hospital.  Dr. Urbani was the orthopedic doctor from Hungary.  Dr. Collins family physician.  Great community of people of support and love.  in 1958 by Dr. Urbani.  My kidney surgery a month later.  Loved all the patients and community
Memories of orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Urbani
Had spinal fusion there in 1958 as well as kidney surgery a month later

1966-68 - principal and teacher - Rugby - LFS
Grades 7 and 8.

1968-69    Principal - Holy Family School, 8th grade

1969-74    St. James Religion Center - Grand Forks.  
Sr. Adeline Nathe was invited to join the Religion Education Staff at St. James center in Grand Forks to serve as coordinator for all three parishes - St. Michael, St. Mary’s, and Holy Family.  Classes were conducted for 60 CCD teachers, supervising classes where 900 children attended once a week, developed class for the handicapped and students.
Great, rewarding experience with the staff, teachers, priests, and children who were enriched by all the faith learning experiences.  
Coordinator of Elementary Religious Ed. of the parishes.  A wonderful time for study, enrichment, and growth with the priests and staff.  Teacher participation classes, classes for the blind and handicapped.  

1974 - I accepted a position in St. John’s Catholic Church in Wahpeton in pastoral care with Fr. George ..., beloved pastor ...
My pastoral care involved:
Eucharistic Liturgies - sacristy ... Eucharistic Minister
Lector
Taught convent classes
Baptism Classes
Assisting at services at 3 and ... St. Francis medical center
Visiting and pray with sick and dying
Attended support groups.  
Attended church organization meetings
Hospice Volunteer
Compassionate Friend
Assisted with pre-marriage preparation
nursing home
St. Francis Medical Center
 
Greatest reward of my life being at working with the grassroots and its people in St. John’s in their celebrations of liturgies, sacraments, weddings, funerals, baptisms.
Pastoral Care Ministry.  A joy to be with the grassroots of the parish in their faith growth celebration of the sacraments, illness crises, and ... in M.S., sympathy, cancer and loss support groups.  21 years in parish ministry in St. John’s.  What a blessing for me.  

1995 -    St. Francis Convent
Because of my impaired eye sight I had to “let go” of being in parish ministry in St. John’s, Wahpeton, to let go of the people, convent home, ... and staff I worked with.  I was blessed that I had a convent home to come to where I receive all the benefits of community living - daily Mass, Divine Office together, meals, a private room and the joys of recreation together.  I was offered the position of receptionist at the convent switch board.  It keeps me on the alert with conveying all the communication with the phone and door bells.  With my magnifying glass I still enjoy reading as well as music, listening to religious tapes or language tapes like one in German.  I praise God for the dawning of each new day and accepting God’s will as He plans.  

Vacation School
From 1944 on, I taught vacation school for 2-3 weeks each summer in the following places:
Kintyre - St. Boniface - second time
Napoleon - St. Philip’s
Forman - St. Mary’s
Cogswell - Our Lady of Mercy
Wyndemere - St. John’s
Mooreton - St. Anthony
Mantador - Sts. Peter and Paul
Fingal
Bisbee
Knox
Lidgerwood

ADDITIONAL STORIES

From St. Boniface Church’s Anniversary Book (1905-2005) ~ “Memories from Sisters”
Some of us Franciscan Sisters from Hankinson ND traveled as passengers on the Soo Line train.  We packed our lunch for it was a slow long ride.  The train stopped at all the small towns along the way to Napoleon to pick up cream cans and freight en route.  At our arrival, Fr. Lawrence Widman from Kintyre was there to welcome us (Sr. Hildeburg and Sr. Adeline) the summer of 1944.  Sr. Hildegurg had the upper grades and Sr. Adeline had the little ones.  The little ones could only speak German.  I was grateful that I came from a German speaking family background so I could communicate with them.  
 
On Saturday morning Sr. Hildeburg and I were cleaning the altar and sanctuary.  It was a cool windy day.  All of a sudden, caught unaware a tornado struck St. Boniface Church with a terrific crash.  The steeple was lifted off and crushed beside the church.  Sr. Hildeburg and I dashed in the aisle but the east entrance was closed now.  We ran to escape to the sacristy door, but the chimney had fallen in.  The entire church was billowing and vibrating; the station of the cross moved.  The dust from the ceiling settled down.  We knelt at the altar steps and prayed for God’s protection.  So much pressure was in the building, we were sure it would all collapse on us.  Divine Providence spared our lives.  Then we wondered if Fr. Lawrence Widmann and Rosalia Roehrich were alright.  Because of all the pressure in the church, I could only open the north window a crack.  The windows in the rectory were all broken and the curtain and drapes were flying out.  Some time later, Father Widmann came to the sacristy door and was glad to see us alive.  He explained as he came to the church that the tornado pressure and wind had picked him up and carried him unto a field.  He was out of breath and said “I lost my hat!”  He never did find it.  We praised God for our safety and for sparing St. Boniface Church and parish rectory.  

I have always had a great admiration for the deep faith commitment of the people in St. Boniface parish.  They model an exemplary living Gospel faith, passing their Catholic faith on to their children.  We were welcomed in their homes as well as sharing their faith experience with us.  

June 15-16, 1953    Wishek, ND
Sisters Patricia, Leonida, Anita, Jane Frances, and Adeline completed their two weeks of catechizing in Napoleon and Kintyre, ND.  They met together and boarded the train in Napoleon about eleven o’clock.  In a short time they arrived at Wishek where they had to wait for a train coming in.  Before the train arrived, the windows streaming with rain, with loud cracks of thunder and lightening.  Rain came down in buckets, water was rising, Cows came swimming by the train.  Cars were covered to their fenders and over, steps from houses floated by.  The edge of the town was becoming a lake.  

One of the men on the train crew, came in drenched like a rat, and reported: “We can’t go any farther.  The tracks are washed out for miles.  Better make a run for the Soo Line Depot.”  We offered to stay in the train ... the train staff they would have to remain.  

Clutching their baggage, the Sisters scrambled out through all the water into the 2-story from depot.  “You Sisters can be upstairs where there are a few empty rooms for the night,” the depot agent said.  The Sisters climbed the stairs and looked out from the windows.  Wishek by this time was in the middle of a lake…The nightmare of a cloud burst and flash floods.  Anything was possible.  The rain continued to pour out as if ushering a second Great Flood.  

     The Depot agent and his wife thoughtfully and kindly invited us for their evening meal with the little food available.  We felt truly blessed by their offer.  Returning upstairs for the night, we five Sisters prayed fervently for the storm and rain to abate.  We continued to pray during the night.  The next morning to our joy and thanks to God, the rain and storm had abated .  The sun was shining.  
 
Our dilemma now was ... to return to our Motherhouse in Hankinson.  We were all scheduled to leave by train in another day to attend College in Milwaukee .We called for Father Veit’s wisdom.  We were stranded here in Wishek depot.  Train tracks all washed out, roads under water.  Fr. Veit called Mr. Sherman, one of his parishioners ... if he could bring us part of the way  and ...someone meet us on the other side of the flooded area.  We’d have to wade through the water, for the road at one point was impassible.  I still praise and thank God for Mr. Sherman risking his life for us - even to ... a washed out bridge with men laying planks over the space for the car wheels to pass over.  He asked us to pray for safety.  The angels were with us.  We crossed over- then drove through to the roads under water.  Father came from Napoleon even.  We lifted up our Sisters’ habits, and waded through with all our luggage.  

At Father Veit’s parish rectory Ann had made lunch for us.  Fr. Veit said he had intended to go home on vacation to Mooreton that day but changed his mind in our predicament.  “I’ll take you home today.”  It meant were going north to I-94 - all other roads to Mooreton and Hankinson were impassible.  

God’s Divine Providence was with us all the way in the people he sent in our need.  The next day we were on the train bound for college in Milwaukee for summer school.  

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