"The last of the first"

In 1931, 10 sisters came from Abtei St. Walburga in Eichstaett, Bavaria, to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to serve in the kitchens of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Seminary, and College. These same 10 sisters were the foundation stones of St. Emma Monastery in Greensburg. This week's diocesan paper has this nice profile of Sister Gaudentia, the last survivor of that original group. Sister Gaudentia celebrated her 92nd birthday on Thursday.

During one of my visits to the monastery last summer, Mother Mary Anne told me that Sister Gaudentia was in the hospital with heart failure and was not expected to last long. Nine months later, she's still hanging in there, although she is bedridden in the infirmary. Apparently she can still be quite spirited, though. The Sisters do share some good stories of the things she says and tries to do, often at about 2:00 AM. :)