Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sister M. Luca Meiners

✝ Friday, March 17th 2023

As the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the shore. (John 21.4)

In the morning hours, when the sun was rising, Jesus stood at the bedside and called to Himself our dear Sister M. Luca Meiners, Hospital Sister of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.

Born:              July 27, 1925

Entrance:       February 18, 1949

Profession:   October 28, 1951

Died:              March 17, 2023

Sister M. Luca was born at the time of the Weimar Republic in Garrel in the district of Cloppenburg and here she grew up with her siblings in a good Catholic family. The then Bishop of  Galen gave her Confirmation in 1937, in the middle of the National Socialist era, which had a special meaning for the Oldenburg region,  which also affected Agnes Meiners’ life. After the Second World War, the young woman joined our congregation in Münster to give a new direction to her deep faith in a faithful God.

Sister M. Luca became a nurse at St. Francis Hospital and completed her training as a medical technical assistant (MTA) in Münster. From 1968 - 1990 she managed the laboratory at St. Marien-Hospital in Bottrop with great precision and prudence. When the convent was dissolved, she went to St. Marien-Hospital in Lüdinghausen and took care of the hospital library. Here, she listened to many people in her calm and open manner, and acquainted them with good literature that made their illness easier to accept. She enjoyed being in the convent and was interested in church and political issues.

In 2010, her strength diminished and Sister M. Luca went back to be near her family in the beloved Oldenburg. She became a senior in the St Anna-Stift in Kroge. Here she lived more and more outwardly quiet, but inwardly rich in the experience that God goes with her all the way and never leaves her alone. The increasing loss of sight contributed to her further withdrawal into her room and into herself. At the same time, Sister M. Luca always remained balanced and never complained about her fate. When someone came to see her, she focused completely on the visitor and gratefully accepted every good word. This is how God found her when He came to take her to Himself.

Gratefully we take leave of Sister M. Luca. In prayer and in the celebration of the Eucharist we pray for her and remain united to her.

We will celebrate the Resurrection Mass for Sister M. Luca on Friday, March 24, 2023 at 2.00 p.m. in the convent church in Kroge. Afterwards, we will accompany her to her final resting place at the Kroge Cemetery.  Afterwards, we share our memories at the coffee table.