In memory of our beloved sister in Christ

Angelika Fackler, OSB

Born

April 27, 1919

Monastic Profession

May 4, 1938

Abtei St. Walburg

Eichstatt, Germany

Entered into eternity

August 13, 2010

91 years of age

72 years of monastic profession

Last month a novice sang her suscipe for the first time as she made her temporary vows.  This month we surrounded the bed of our dying sister and sang her suscipe for her for the last time.  And as we burned down our departed sister's profession candle, we prepare two new candles for our sisters who will light them for the first time when they step forward to make solemn profession in November.  As we celebrated the funeral Mass for Sr. Angelika and sang the same chants which she sang when she made her solemn profession, I reflected on how death is the fulfillment of our vows which we proclaim before the Church and God.  Such is the cycle of life.

                                             

On Friday, August 16, 2010, our Sister Angelika Fackler died at the age of 91, after a 13 year battle with leukemia.  Her life and death are a great witness to all who knew her of the faithful love of God.  As Mother Maria Michael has said of her, "Sr. Angelika strengthened our community.  She was 91 and a pillar.  She didn’t give great speeches, but she walked strengthening the whole, by how she lived.  She may have been fragile in body, but she was an athlete in spirit.  She was like an Atlas who could hold up the whole, because she lived the life well."  Please see our blog for the eulogy given by Mother Maria-Michael Newe on the day of Sr. Angelika's funeral, August 16, 2010.

Sr. Angelika sings the suscipe as she renews her vows on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of her monastic profession.

I believe it was T.S. Elliott who said, "  In my beginning is my end."  We begin the monastic life asking God to receive us, to uphold us, to give us life; and as we breathe our last breath, this same prayer is said for us by those who will continue our "mission" here on earth.  The reality that strikes me is that every death is a new beginning: " Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains but a single grain; but if it dies it bears much fruit."  Romano Guardini once wrote,  "In the first place God says something fundamental aobut each human being-- pronounces a special set of words over him or her, as it were-- that applies to that person and no one else."   We are called to live this word, to become this word, and thus to express with our lives the unique image of God He created us to be.  This is what we saw in Sr. Angelika.

A soul who is continually faithful to Him whose love created her, who says, "  Yes!" to His word will become a window to the face of God.  And when her body dies and she is fully immersed in the life of God, we realize what were created for... when she dies heaven and earth kiss.  When a postulant is first received into our community, the Abbess prays over her,

" May God who has begun this good work in you bring it to completion."  The nun who has made her solemn profession sings, "  What I longed for, now I see; what I hoped for, I now possess; in heaven I am espoused to Him whom on earth I loved with all my heart. "  But it is only the nun entering into eternity who can say with Jesus on the Cross, "  It is finished.  Father into your hands...."  ; or with Simeon, " Lord now let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled."   At her death, for a moment, the veil between heaven and earth is lifted and it is then that we see clearly that our life prepares us for our death, or better, for eternal life.  While Sr. Angelika has entered into eternity, our life here on earth continues, but we go home from the funeral forever changed, for a piece of us now resides with our sister in the eternal halls of heaven.  We continue to strive to "prefer nothing whatever to Christ"  that He may, " bring us all together to everlasting life."   Alleluia.