Vigil Reflection for Sister Gerard (January 3, 2025)
“We are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.” (excerpt from II Cor. 4:14-5:1)
Sister Gerard loved life—her own and everyone else’s, and she wanted to stay here and enjoy it for a long time—even after her second diagnosis of cancer. All her notes to us about her condition were headed “God is good,” and then she would proceed to tell us hopeful news. We thought she wasn’t facing the facts, but way back in May when she was preparing her preferences for her funeral service—which we are all asked to do--she chose this reading from II Corinthians. She was living with hope, always upbeat and positive, while she knew she was preparing for an eternal “weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
Another thing she requested on her “preference sheet” was to be sure to include in the reflection her “life of service, her optimism, gratitude and joy, her love of nursing, her love of students and her lifelong learning.” That request was totally unnecessary, as we—her sisters, her family and her friends—all observed and spoke of those qualities. How could we not include them? A group of her friends had a T-shirt made with a quote from the letter of James 1:2 “Count it all joy.” “Live like Sister G.” And recently I received a note from someone who was inspired during prayer to call her a “powerhouse of positivity,” and another friend called her “a beacon of joy.” So, Ger, I’ll do my best.
From her first days in community, Sister Gerard put her whole self into whatever she was asked to do—errands, running the printing machine at St. A’s, working with students, household tasks—she was willing to try anything. In fact, her motto was, “Go for it,” and she did.
When Sister Gerard came to community 60-some years ago, she had no high school diploma. She said the school bus didn’t stop near their farm, so she wasn’t able to attend high school. In one of her many errand trips for community, she was asked to take Sister Ralphine to town to take a test to get her GED. Whoever asked her to do this, said why don’t you take the test too. So, she did, and when she learned that she had passed, she said, “Oh, good. Now I can study to be a nurse.” That is exactly what she did. In her love of learning, she didn’t stop with the Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Mary College, but went on to earn a Master’s in nursing at St. Louis University, another Master’s in management and, eventually, a Master’s in pastoral ministry from St. Mary’s in Winona.
Sister Gerard loved nursing and served at St. Alexius Hospital, in the Mary College residence halls and here at the monastery. She always kept up her credentials and wanted to be of service wherever she was needed. I was honored when she sometimes called me her assistant here at home, though she laughed at my lack of “correct nursing techniques.”
In Gerard’s “Go for it” attitude, she taught and encouraged students in the classroom and in the residence halls. She never stopped loving and wanting to serve students, as many of you observed during this last year when she chose to spend time over at the University just chatting with students, leading prayer for various events and sharing her “miracle story” after chemo.
She also advised adult learners both here and at the Fargo Center and was in charge of the Elderhostel (now known as Road Scholars) for many years. And we can’t forget SPURS, a student service group which she led until she retired from the University. It was the expansiveness of her 34 years of service that brought the University of Mary to declare October 24, 2016 as “Sister Gerard Wald Day.” She was so pleased with that.
Sister Gerard was definitely a fun-loving person and was comfortable if she had to bend the rules a bit. Once, in our youth, she and I had to go to Santa Fe to exchange cars with one of our sisters who was studying there. On the way back she wanted to stop some place where we could try gambling—I don’t remember where. Of course, being more conservative and the elder of the two, which meant I was in charge of the money, I said no to the idea. The next thing I knew, she “had taken a wrong turn” and we happened to be near a casino. She said we might as well go in and try our hand at gambling. I finally agreed, but said we had to quit after we lost $5.00.
Of course, we all miss her when it comes to playing cards, even though we had to follow her rules. She was great at pinochle, always ready for a game, with any number of players. Often her nieces and nephews would come out for pinochle and bring great snacks. They always had a good time and stayed late.
Being a good Benedictine, Gerard was always faithful to prayer. In a brief autobiography she wrote that she considered liturgical and personal prayer one of the most rewarding aspects of being a Benedictine. In her last days here at the monastery, she continued to attend morning and evening prayer even when she could no longer follow in her book and would need some assistance. At the hospital and at St. Vincent’s she was still asking questions about prayer times.
Gerard loved her extended family, and they all loved her. Being the youngest in her family, she was more a contemporary of her nieces and nephews. Over the years, some of the out-of-state relatives were occasional overnight guests here at the monastery, so we got to know them and enjoy their company. In these last months since her original diagnosis, they organized a couple of reunions. She was so happy and grateful for these family gatherings, especially the last one where she was “Queen of the Family.” Besides having her picture taken—wearing her crown, of course—with each individual family, she was presented with a special “Tribute to Sister G” and the traditional German toast with their very own celebration Schnapps. She was so proud of the tribute that she had us read it to the community when we celebrated the 60th jubilee of her vow class. The tribute included special things they wanted to say to Sister G, among them, “You are a very special person to everyone here. You are always there when needed. You have lived a full and joyful life. You are an inspiration to us all—We love you.”
Yes, Sister Gerard, we all agree with your family’s sentiments. We will miss you greatly. We are happy for you now that you are with all your loved ones, experiencing “the weight of glory beyond all comparison.” May Christ bring us all together to everlasting life.
Sister JoAnn Krebsbach
