THE SISTERS ERNA AND LYDIA CELEBRATING THEIR CENTENARY
In 2022, the Province of "Mãe da Providência" has the privilege, the honor and the great joy of celebrating the centenary of two sisters: Sister Lydia Fengler on August 5 and Sister Erna Hammes on November 28. With God's grace and human care, both are doing very well! Here we would like to tell a little about the lives of our two centenarians:
Sister Erna Hammes was born on 28 November 1922 in Lajeado/RS, Brazil. She lost her father when she was a child. From an early age she had to help her mother in the household - she was committed and very responsible in everything she had to do. From a very early age she felt called to religious life, but was still waiting for confirmation, so she worked with the family until the age of 21. Then she looked for a job and wanted to know which way to go. Through a friend, she learned that there was a vacancy at the "Hospital Beneficência Portuguesa", where she would meet the Providence Sisters. She was offered a job in the pharmacy, where she fitted in well. After two years of living with the sisters, she felt confirmed for her vocation to religious life. She took seriously the option of following Jesus as a Sister of Divine Providence and came to Florianópolis/SC, where she did her postulate and novitiate. In her professional life, she was a pharmacy assistant from the very beginning, a job with which she identified and which was her professional activity until the end of her active life. She was very popular with the people and shared her knowledge with wisdom with those who were looking for medicines. She was not only interested in selling goods, but the service was an instrument for more life, health and hope. In her spare time, she devoted herself to flower care, as she liked to beautify the environment in which she lived.
Since 2010 she has lived in the house of Eduardo Michelis in Porto Alegre/RS, where she dedicates her life to prayer and participating in community meetings, in moments of spiritual reading and annual Retreats...
She helped in the house, always did something: cleaning the dining room, washing the dishes and everything else that needed to be done in everyday life, and that gave her a lot of pleasure.
Sister Erna is very warm in her relationships, welcoming, cheerful, friendly, communicative, optimistic, serene and simple - she conveys joy of life and joy of service. She's a sister with a sense of humor – when she sings she prefers to sing the songs, which she learned in her childhood; she tells funny stories and makes everyone around her laugh.
She also evangelizes through the silent witness of her life, through her spirit of service and self-giving, through the courage shown in the patience with which she endures the sufferings and setbacks of life. She is a very believing and praying woman. It is a sign of Divine Providence!
Sister Lydia Fengler was born on 5. August 1922 in Venâncio Aires/RS, Brazil and entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence in Florianópolis/SC in 1942. As a young sister, she worked at the "Colégio São Vicente" in Itapiranga/SC as a dynamic teacher of geography and history. She located the places she talked about on a map and told also a bid about the history of the place. She was also a great librarian, encouraging reading and recommending books...
Sister Lydia belonged to the first group of Missionaries of the Sisters of Divine Providence that went to Paraguay. She was interested in the Guarany language and learned it in order to better communicate with the indigenous peoples. The sisters' house was always full of words on Guarany: on windows, doors, objects... She was very creative.
Reaching old age, she came to the community "Casa Isabel" in São Miguel do Oeste/SC, where she worked together with her friend Sister Osvalda (in memoriam) in the "Visiting Pastoral Care". The two walked side by side into the street, carrying the Eucharistic Jesus and bringing words of encouragement and comfort to the sick and elderly. They went to the houses where people who needed company lived.
Sister Lydia has a poetic and humorous streak and is always busy writing articles, recording family history, or reporting on an event. For them it is important to keep up to date - topics such as the life of the religious community, the Church, the family, pulsate and warm their hearts.
Sister Lydia is a living testimony of a Divine Providence Sister, who always has been active on the way in and with history. Her sharing and conversations is always unfinished. She knows how to be a friend and faithful companion. She is happy about small gestures and circumstances. Her motto in life: "Whatever happens, I am in God's hands and I trust HIM" is a living expression of her trust and her love for the Congregation. She is a woman who has remained "young", who strives for perfection and holiness. She realizes what is fragile about herself. Her life belongs to God. She is a centenarian who joyfully awaits God's will. She is a person who wants to live her consecration and is committed to it.
Congratulations, dear Sisters Erna and Lydia, on your 100th birthday! We hope that in your life there will never be a lack of joy, birdsong and blooming flowers. May life still make you smile often!
And may Divine Providence bless you!