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On Sunday, 11 June 2023, our Sister Thelma Schwind OP celebrated her 85^th  birthday at the Senior Residence Kist.

Sr Thelma looks back on an eventful time as a religious. She did missionary work in South Africa and Argentina.

The stations of her life, the encounters with people of foreign cultures, the conditions under which she and her fellow sisters worked in South Africa and Argentina are impressive. Development aid is what Sr. Thelma wanted to do. She says that it is from the poor that she has learned the most: "People know that I understand their poverty."

Sr Thelma was born on 11 June 1938 in Lohr am Main. Her baptismal name was Anna-Christina. "I am a Lohr Mopper," she says. Mopper, that is the old-established "Löhrer" in Lohr, of which there are not many today. She grew up in Obere Schlossgasse together with her younger sister. In Lohr she attended the "Mädlesschul" (girls' school) and went to secondary school with the Franciscan nuns. Her career aspiration was to become a childcare worker.

In 1955 she entered our Congregation in Neustadt. On 3 May 1957, at the age of 19, she made her religious vows. "Everything is searching and finding" is her motto in life and she directed her creative energy accordingly.

On 21 August 1957, Sr Thelma left for South Africa for our Motherhouse at Oakford Priory near the city of Durban. At that time the journey was by ship to bring more suitcases and boxes that were needed there. Sr. Thelma was interested in many things and flexible, she was always given different tasks. She was assigned to different schools, schools for whites, African and Indian children. In those days everything was strictly separated: "It was apartheid," she says.

Sr Thelma's great joy was home economics. After her training as a home economics teacher, she taught young African, Indian and white women at various schools everything about good and sensible housekeeping. The girls learned everything they needed for their later lives.

From 1962 to 1965, Sr. Thelma studied teaching. She started teaching Zulus, planted a garden with them, cooked on an open fire.

Sr. Thelma lived in South Africa until 1974, when she was assigned to go to Argentina. Pioneering work awaited her there. There was nothing but subtropical jungle. "First we had to build a little house," she says. A doctor gave the sisters a piece of land, and with the support of “Adveniat” they built a small clinic. Sister Thelma remained faithful to the school projects: she created programmes for 16 schools and worked in eight of them.

For almost ten years she was mainly involved in school work, family education and catechesis. This was a special period of life for Sr. Thelma and she enthusiastically tells of her commitment to children from the poorest families.

Via Flörsheim am Main and stations in England, Sr Thema came back to Neustadt. For almost ten years she worked in the rehabilitation centre Haus St. Michael. There she accompanied the rehabilitants to a responsible and structured life for themselves with her housekeeping expertise and practical skills.

In 2002 she was assigned to the Volkersberg Youth House and in 2010 she was transferred to our convent in Diessen am Ammersee. Here Sr Thelma helped in the household and kitchen and took the opportunity to train for hospice work.

She returned to Neustadt on 28 April 2018. For a while she lived again in her hometown of Lohr in assisted living at “Advita”. Friendly contact with people was and is a concern for her.

In January 2023, Sr Thelma moved with the Sisters from the convent in Neustadt to the senior citizens' residence in Kist. There she celebrated her birthday on Sunday, 11 June in the circle of her fellow Sisters.

Text Martina Schneider
Photos Sr. Marie-Luise Faupel OP
Translation Sr. Marie-Luise Faupel OP