Schuh, Sister Simplicia, Mary Caroline S. S. N. D.

1909 - 1986  (77 years)    Has 12 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Schuh, Mary Caroline
  Prefix	Sister Simplicia,
  Suffix	S. S. N. D.
  Born	21 Jan 1909	Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA
  Gender	Female
  Biography	Took Final Vows 7/22/1929 Her niece, Sister Simplicia lived to be an old, but a delightful senior Si ster. Sister's name was Mary and she was born on January 21, 1901 in Free dom, WI. Her parents were Simon Schuh and Julia Young Schuh. Her dad w as born in Freedom, WI and was a farmer. Her mother was born in Oconto, W isconsin. Sister has a short autobiography and an obituary as well.She writes: " I was born on January 21, 1901 in the town of Freedom, Wisco nsin, of good Catholic parents. I was the fourth of eight children. I at tended St. Nicholas School taught by our Sisters. My first inducement to enter a convent came to me on my First Communion D ay. From that time forward I prayed most fervently to know God's holy wil l. Then again when our sainted Reverend Mother Marianne paid a visit to o ur school, she picked me out from the other girls saying, that surely I w as going to be a Sister. The very thought of leaving home, parents, broth ers, sisters, friends and all seemed to discourage even the faintest fan cy of ever becoming a Sister. The encouraging letter and prayers of my de ar aunt, our deceased Sister M. Calixta and those of my cousin, Sister Jos epha, seemed to keep the tiny spark aglow. Finally, on August 27, 19 19 at the age of 18, I bid farewell to my dear ones, and entered the candi dature in Milwaukee. I was received August 3rd, 1921. Two years lat er I took my holy vows and July 28, 1929, my final vows. As candidate I was sent to Marshfield, Wisconsin and St. Elizabeth, Milwa ukee to substitute for sick Sisters. My second year of candidature was sp ent at St. Peter and Paul's, Milwaukee. As novice, my mission field was a gain Marshfield where I labored for 4 years, then obedience called me to S t. Michael. Milwaukee and from there to my present place in Lancaster, Wis consin." The autobiography was written probably in 1927. That was the year that Si ster was in Lancaster. Her obituary gives more of her story. "Sister Simplicia died on December 22, 1986 of emphysema, less than a mon th before her 86th birthday, during the time when the Christmas decoratio ns she had made for 2 East were brightening the corridors. The golden wre aths were a reminder of her many craft-filled years when, as Sister Lucil le Converset reminded us at the wake, "It seems she could make something o ut of nothing...She was always busy working for others, making and doing t hings for them." She did things like making scapulars and Sacred Heart ba dges for prisoners and the elderly. and a "Family Circus" cartoon scrapbo ok for the pediatrics department of a hospital. Before coming to Notre Dame Health Care Center, where she served from 19 70 to 1980 as sacristan and occupational therapy aide, she had spent 47 ye ars teaching in the primary grades, occasionally adding 4th grade as wel l. Her longest periods of service were at St. Clement, Lancaster, St. Pat rick, Menasha and Our Lady of Lourdes, Rice Lake, WI. Sister Simplicia retired to Visitation in Elm Grove in 1980, but return ed to the Health Care Center as patient in 1984.At the homily during her Mass of Christian burial, Father Erwin Matt recal led her years as sacristan of the Holy Family Chapel. "It was not just th at her artistic nature gloried in the beauty of God's house and exult ed in her role of set designer and wardrobe mistress for the drama of t he liturgy, it was something deeper. It was her realization that this w as God's house and that she as sacristan, was taking the place of Mar y. a role that would be especially delightful to any woman who bore the ti tle of Notre Dame Sister."Father also spoke of light. "The true light that enlightens everyone w ho comes into the world" (John 1:9) and of Sister Simplicia "whose life w as centered in Jesus who is light" and of the fact that she was no strang er to darkness.In recent years, Sister had endured waning sight, eye surgery and eventu al darkness again. as emphysema drained her strength. "In the darkness th at was her lot," Father said, "she was the epitome of patience, fortitu de and trust. The love that had prompted all her religious life and all h er activities remained as strong as she became physically weak.Against the dark background of her suffering, the light that was Jesus cou ld be more readily seen. Thus, especially in the dark moments of her lif e, we could experience the promise of Jesus: 'I am the light of the world .' Amen."I recall Sister being the same size as her cousin, Sister Josepha. They d id visit with each other, especially prior to Josepha's illness and deat h. Often people took them for sisters rather than cousins. Both were art istic, but Josepha came to retirement with an illness that did leave her m uch energy. Simplicia was always creating things and believe me, she cou ld make the most lovely things and almost out of nothing. A lot of scra ps turned out to be her treasures and she transformed them. She truly h ad a gift for that. 1986 was a hard year for her. She wanted to do so mu ch, but poor eyesight and loss of breath kept her to her room. She was al ways happy for some short visits, however. I did not realize that both of these Sisters had aunts in the congregatio n. They did not speak much of the past. They both were too interest ed in their present and the people who were with them at the time. I hope these stories will add to your family history.
  Religious Vows	Bef 22 Dec 1986
  Sister Simplicia
  Died	22 Dec 1986	Elm Grove, Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
  Buried	School Sisters Of Notre Dame Convent Cemetery, Elm Grove, Wisconsin, USA
  	Schuh, Sister M. Simplicia
  Notes	S. Suzanne Rene
  Person ID	I40206	1FamilyTree | DianeSchuh16721
  Last Modified	4 Jul 2016

  
  

  Father	Schuh, Simon,   b. 16 Sep 1868, Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 21 Nov 1945, Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 77 years)
  Mother	Young, Julia,   b. 5 Apr 1870, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 5 May 1934, Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 64 years)
  Family ID	F13030	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Load the map	Born - 21 Jan 1909 - Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA Died - 22 Dec 1986 - Elm Grove, Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA Buried - - School Sisters Of Notre Dame Convent Cemetery, Elm Grove, Wisconsin, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set