Sister Mary Lourdes Fischer 1870-1917

FISCHER, LOURDES, DETERT, KOPETSKY, MALLIE, RIEF, BROGAN, NETOLICKY

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:29

22 March 1917 - The Clinton Advertiser page 5

Sister Mary Lourdes Fischer died Wednesday afternoon at Mount Alverno, where she has been ill six weeks. She was brought here from Tama where she had been teaching. Her home is in Cedar Rapids.

Sister Lourdes has been a member of the order 25 years. She entered the novitiate at Anamosa at the age of 20. Her teaching had been at Vail, New Hampton and Tama, where she was taken sick.

The funeral will be private, and will probably be held at the home Friday morning.

23 March 1917 - The Clinton Advertiser page 5

The funeral of Sister Mary Lourdes Fischer of Cedar Rapids, who died Thursday at Mount Alverno, was held this morning at the chapel with solemn high mass services. Burial was made at Mount Alverno.

26 March 1917 - The Clinton Advertiser page 4

The angel of death visited Mt. Alverno home Wednesday March 1, at 2:30 p.m. and bore there from the spirit of Sister Mary Lourdes Fischer. The passing of Sister Lourdes, as she was familiarly called, was not unexpected, as she had been calmly awaiting the summons for some weeks.

Sister M. Lourdes Fischer was born in the year 1870, and reared near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She entered the order of the Sisters of St. Francis in 1892, and since that time has faithfully and cheerfully helped to bear the burdens of the community, filling her place as teacher eagerly and untiringly until within a few weeks of her death. She taught successively in the schools of Tama, Vail, Lourdes and New Hampton, Iowa, during a period of twenty years; then three years in New Straitesville, Ohio, and last year was returned to Tama, where she was engaged when she was attacked by her last and fatal illness. She realized that the end was near, and at once resigned herself to the passage from time to eternity. She was brought to Clinton and placed at Mt. Alverno home, where she spent her last days peacefully and patiently, comforted and sustained by the care and sympathy of the kind Sisters whom she had chose to be her "Father and mother and sister and brother," twenty-five years ago.

Sister Lourdes was of a cheerful and kindly disposition, and always a faithful and earnest worker. Those with whom she has been associated for so many years will miss her ready word of cheer and kindly smile; and the numerous children who received the benefit of her instruction, many of whom are now grown to manhood and womanhood, will lovingly treasure her memory.

The deceased leaves a mother, a brother, and six sisters to mourn their loss, or rather to rejoice that she has reached the goal for which she was striving--eternal life; for they had long ago given her up to Him whose call she followed. Her brother and sisters are: Frank Fischer, North Liberty, Iowa; Mrs. Mary Detert, Solon, Iowa; Mrs. Agnes Kopetsky, Ordway, S.D.; Mrs. Emma Mallie, Mt. Vernon, Iowa; Mrs. Lillie Rief, Fairfax, Iowa; Mrs. Bessie Brogan, Oxford, Iowa and Mrs. Anna Netolicky, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her brother, Mrs. Detert, Mrs. Brogan and Mrs. Rief attended the funeral.

The funeral services were held at Mt. St. Clare at 9:30 a.m. Friday. Rev. Jas. A. Murray was celebrant of the solemn Requim Mass, assisted by Rev Father McSherry of Burlington, as deacon; Rev. D. Riordan of Grand Mound, sub-deacon; Rev. Jas. Peters, master of ceremonies; Reverend Father Murphy of Mercy hospital, Clinton, was also in the sanctuary. Father Murray gave an appropriate sermon in which he paid a fitting tribute to the life and calling of the deceased Sister. After the solemn blessing which closed the service, the remains were carried to the community cemetery, where they were laid beside those of her Sisters who have preceded her in the "winning of the race" of life. The pallbearers were Leo Oakes, Jerry Cahill, Charles Gerls, Thomas Gavin, Thos. Dolan and C. H. Taylor.

Death is usually spoken of as the "dark angel" but there is a view of death, from which it may be called the "white-winged messenger", which brings the summons from the Master, "Come, my beloved, enter into they reward." It is from this view that the death of Sister Lourdes is seen by her Sisters, and though they feel grief at the parting, the thought that is uppermost in their hearts is, in the words of a Kempis, "Blessed is the man that hath the hour of his death continually before his eyes, and daily putteth himself in order for death."