Sister M.Gallicana Lübbe

✝ Sunday, December 18th 2022

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The Lord is near, come we worship him. (Opening Prayer in the Advent season)

The God we await at Christmas called our Sister M. Gallicana to Himself on 18 December 2022, the Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Sister M. Gallicana was born as Hedwig Lübbe in Addrup near Essen/Oldenburg on April 21, 1928 and grew up there together with her siblings. Her childhood and adolescence fell in the time of National Socialism in Germany, which brought many restrictions for Catholic families. After elementary school, Hedwig completed an agricultural apprenticeship and attended the vocational school in Löningen, from which she graduated with very good results in 1944.

She was able to realize her wish to enter our Congregation in 1950, when Hedwig Lübbe became Sister M. Gallicana. On October 28, 1952 she made her first vows. Six years later, her younger sister, our Sister M. Imeldis, followed on her religious path. Unfortunately, Sister M. Imeldis already died two years ago.

After training as a nurse at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster, Sister M. Gallicana completed her training as a Director for Nursing Homes at the Meinwerk Institute in Paderborn. She spent the first years of her religious life in Hovestadt. After that she served as a Caring Superior in several convents, in Olfen, Drensteinfurt and Strahlen. From 1983 to 2001, she was in charge of the hospital chapel in Gladbeck and was available for further services.

Since 2001 Sister M. Gallicana lived in St. Francis House in Nordwalde. While she was firmly involved in the housekeeping and liturgical services there during her first years, she had to gradually withhold herself from her daily duties with increasing age.  Sister M. Gallicana died after a very short illness in the Marienhospital in Borghorst. She went her way modestly and unexcitedly, and turned lovingly to the people she met.

We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Gallicana. We remain united with her in prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist.  

On Thursday, December 22, 2022, we will celebrate the Mass of the Resurrection for Sister M. Gallicana at 10:00 a.m. in the chapel of St. Francis House in Nordwalde and then say goodbye to her at the parish cemetery, where she will find her final resting place. We can share our memories afterwards over coffee at St. Francis House.