A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Maria Gertrud, SSpSAP, was celebrated Jan. 3 at Mount Grace Convent in St. Louis. Sister Marie Gertrud died Dec. 29. She was 92.
Sister Maria Gertrud (Marianna Uhr) was born in Esch, Cologne, Germany, in 1931. She was the only daughter of Joseph and Gertrud Uhr, who had also five sons. At 23 years old, she entered the convent of the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters in Germany on May 5, 1954, was transferred to the convent in St. Louis in 1959, and never went back to her home country.
For more than 50 years of her 67 years in religious life as a Holy Spirit Adoration Sister, she was a sacristan. She was hardworking and orderly, and because of that, the chapel and sacristy were always sparklingly clean.
She was known as a very recollected and prayerful sister. Her eyes would radiate with joy and love when she would be before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and would not miss any opportunity to adore Him. Adoration of our eucharistic Lord was Sister Maria Gertrud’s number one priority. In the chapel, she was very reverent and proper. She had to relinquish her beloved sacristy work after she underwent hip replacement surgery. However, nothing could stop her from keeping adoration. She would stand by the prie-dieu for 30 minutes or would take her walker and sit on it before the adoration kneeler.
Sister Maria Gertrud enjoyed walking in the garden, especially in the early mornings during meditation, even in the cold of winter with just a special scarf with pockets to keep her hands warm. Despite being 92 years old when she died and being confined in bed for so many years, she was still strong and healthy except for Alzheimer’s disease. In her “off” days when she easily got irritated, one needed only to remind her that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was watching her through the monitor, and she would be back to being gracious and at peace. It had been second nature to her to be reverent whenever she got even just a glimpse of the Blessed Sacrament.
She had become fluent in English early on. In later years, confined to bed, she reverted to her native tongue, especially at night when she could not sleep. She would keep calling out for her “Mama” or sing aloud hymns she knew by heart. On Christmas night, she did not sleep and sang the whole night. On Dec. 29, to the surprise of her caregivers, she died peacefully.
Burial was in Calvary Cemetery.