Sister M. Agnellis Jessing

✝ Monday, January 16th 2023

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My hope and my joy, my strength, my light, Christ my confidence. In you I trust and fear not. Hymn:  Gotteslob No. 365

At the hand of the Blessed Mother, whom she venerated during her life, our Sister M. Agnellis made her way to God on January 16, 2023. Sister M. Agnellis was born on February 6, 1937. She entered our religious community on August 18, 1961. She made her first profession on May 3, 1964.

Sister M. Agnellis was born as the fifth of eleven children on the Jessing farm in Horstmar. After finishing school, she worked on her parents' farm. The Jessing family was characterized by a deep faith in the good God. At the age of 24 she followed her older sister M. Odila into the convent. Later, the younger sister M. Hildeborg also became a Franciscan and the brother Ludger a Steyler missionary.

Like all Mauritz Franciscan Sisters, Sister M. Agnellis completed her nursing training at St. Franziskus Hospital and then became a Medical Technical Assistant (MTA) at the University Hospital in Münster. Since 1969, Sister M. Agnellis could be found daily and often during night duty in the radiology department of St. Franziskus-Hospital. During her short lunch breaks, she often got on her bicycle to care for and nurse poor patients in the city. In 2020, she had to give up her service because of corona pandemic.

Sister M. Agnellis is known to many patients and staff as an always friendly, approachable and helpful Sister, for whom no road was too long and no work too much. She often had a song on her lips when developing films in the darkroom or when comforting crying children. Many people entrusted their worries to her, which she carried praying and singing before God.

She was a fervent praying woman and sang in the Schola and the Sisters' Choir of the Motherhouse until the end. Her crystal-clear high singing voice is still in our ears. Singing was her special gift with which she expressed her feelings. She gave an unmistakable touch to many celebrations and festivities in the family, in our Congregation and in the hospital with her singing. Sister M. Agnellis made life easier and spread great joy to countless people with her joyful, positive charisma borne of her deep faith.

She bore the illnesses and limitations of old age without complaint. After a brief serious illness, in the presence of Sister M. Hildeborg, she gave her life back into the hands of God. On her deathbed she consciously thanked God for all the good things she had experienced in life, in her large family, in the our Congregation, at work in radiology, and especially during her illness. Her wish until the end was that the next generation would also have the opportunity to live by faith as she had been granted.

We gratefully bid farewell to Sister M. Agnellis. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist we pray and sing for her and remain attached to her as Sisters.

On Thursday, January 19, 2023, we will say goodbye to Sister M. Agnellis at 2:00 p.m. in the Motherhouse Church and then accompany her to her final resting place in the Sisters' Cemetery.