Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sister Dr. M. Anne Günnewig

✝ Thursday, September 29th 2022

My God and My All!  (St. Francis)

 In the midday hours of September 29, 2022, the merciful God completed the life of our dear Sister Dr. M. Anne Günnewig.          

Sister M. Anne was born in Warendorf on April 8, 1937, and grew up here with her two younger siblings. Her father died in Russian captivity in 1944. The mother supported the family through her service as a midwife. 

After graduating from the girls' high school in Warendorf, Anna Günnewig studied medicine in Marburg, Münster and Giessen and received her doctorate in 1963. She received her license to practice medicine in July 1965. After several years of residency at various hospitals, she came to St. Franziskus Hospital to the pediatric ward and became a pediatric specialist under the direction of Dr. Kortmann. Here she got to know and appreciate our sisters, so that she entered our religious community on May 15, 1972 and received the name Sister M. Anne.

She began her professional career at Stift-Tilbeck, where she was responsible for the general medical service for the residents, the staff and our sisters. For reasons of age, she gave up her profession as a doctor in 2005 and thereafter worked in Franciscan simplicity in the laundry house of the convent, together with the residents, whom she had taken very much to her heart. When the Tilbeck convent was dissolved in 2016, Sister M. Anne moved to the Maria-Hilf, St. Rochus convent in Telgte. 

Sister M. Anne was an intelligent and educated sister who loved to study the Holy Scriptures and had a fine feeling for language. We have to thank her for example, for the many texts that we have adopted in the chapters.   She worked with enthusiasm on the new versions of the Constitutions and Provincial Statutes and was often one of the editors of the final documents. She was as much at home in the English language as in her native German. We owe many of our good connections with the Sisters in the other Provinces to her, as she was the mouthpiece and translator for us. Her language skills also helped a lot during two longer assignments in India.

Sister M. Anne was a true Franciscan, simple and plain in her attitude towards life and with a great love for the handicapped people in Tilbeck Abbey. On September 27, 2022, she wanted to move from Telgte to St. Francis House in Nordwalde because her strength was failing and she needed nursing help. It was no longer possible to do so, but two days earlier she had to be admitted to St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster as an emergency case, where she later gave her life back to God.

Gratefully we take leave of Sister M. Anne. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist we remember her and remain united to her.

On Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 2.00 p.m., we will celebrate the Eucharist in the Motherhouse Church in Munster. This will be followed by funeral service in the Sisters' Cemetery.  Due to the Corona Pandemic, the usual rules apply.