MOTHER CLODESINDIS LÜKEN, OSB WOMAN OF WISDOM, WOMAN OF COMPASSION

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1 MOTHER CLODESINDIS LÜKEN, OSB WOMAN OF WISDOM, WOMAN OF COMPASSION by Sister Adelaida Ygrubay, OSB INTRODUCTION Much has already been written about Mother Clodesindis by people who lived with and been touched by her, that there is really nothing new that anybody could still add to those written accounts. However, reading about her has allowed me to get to know a remarkable woman, a woman of faith and courage a woman of compassion that it would be a pity not to share her with all of you. Also, Mother Clodesindis played a significant role in the development and growth of the Missionary Benedictine foundation in the Philippines. It is just fitting that we continue to learn from her as the Priory takes the first steps into the next century. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Mother Clodesindis arrived in the Philippines in 1920, the leader of a group of 15 Sisters. A year earlier, she returned to Tutzing with her companions from three years of nursing service with the German forces in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq. It was a dangerous sojourn, but the suffering and privations of that time were soon eclipsed by the joy of returning to the Motherhouse, with not a single one of the group lost. Now she has embarked on another adventure, arriving in Manila without passports, visa and money! But again, she brought her Sisters safely to their destination. Mother Clodesindis came to Manila as Visitatrix and was appointed Prioress when the Prioress, Mother Angela Bödecker, left for the General Chapter in She plunged herself into the life of the school and the community, and before long had initiated new things in response to the needs that she perceived. Thus, she was instrumental in the growth of the community and the apostolate. INCREASE OF LOCAL VOCATIONS When Mother Clodesindis arrived in the Philippines, there was only one Filipino professed sister, Sister Maura Alcala, OSB. She had a companion in profession, Sister Placida Jaraza, OSB, 1

2 who died just two years after profession. There were doubts whether the Filipino girls were strong enough for convent life, and so no candidates were encouraged. But Mother Clodesindis was convinced that the large number of German Sisters must be balanced with native Sisters and so she began to accept Filipinos into the novitiate. The first two who were accepted were Sr. Concepcion Lacson, OSB and Sr. Hedwig Espinas, OSB. By 1927, 8 professed Sisters were added to the Priory. Sr. Withburga Kilger, OSB writes about how Mother Clodesindis was as Superior: Within convent walls, Mother Clodesindis led the Sisters on the path of perfection by her exhortations and her shining example, her prayerful recollection, her sincere humility, her love of silence and poverty, her utter selflessness, her boundless charity. This description of Mother Clodesindis may sound exaggerated to our modern ears, but having looked through the many testimonies from Sisters, friends and students, I am not so quick to dismiss it as such. GROWTH OF THE APOSTOLATE At the same time, Mother Clodesindis perceived the great need to reach out to more and more people through the schools, thus, she established or gave permission for the establishment of 10 schools in the period of 6 years ( ). Mother Clodesindis has always had a heart for the poor, and before long, she, the Sisters and the students were engaged in various works of religious instruction and charity in several places: In 1921, the Free School was started in Singalong for poor boys and girls Home visits to poor families in the neighborhood of St. Scholastica Religious instruction was conducted in several places: in the orphanage, in the reformatory for girls, the Bilibid Prison, Culi-Culi, even in Fort McKinley Care for the deaf mute and blind students, bringing them to SSC for Holy Mass and religious instruction because the Protestant school head did not allow it Christmas Drive in SSC for the poor. In 1927, Mother Clodesindis left for the General Chapter and was elected Prioress General. When her term as Prioress General was over, she came back to the Philippines and was again appointed Prioress of Manila, a responsibility she held from 1933 to1939. After her term of office, she went to Legaspi on July 3, 1939, where she was superior of the community. There she died when St. Agnes was bombed by the Americans on Holy Saturday, March 31, MOTHER CLODESINDIS Mother Clodesindis did achieve a lot in such a short time, and she could be excused for thinking that this was all because she was so capable and responsible, etc. Yet nothing could be farther from her mind. For one, I think that Sr. Withburga s description of her style of leadership would have made her cringe in embarrassment. One who achieved so much what did she think about herself, what made her this way? How was she as a person? 2

3 HER PERSONALITY Mother Clodesindis was of quick intellect and always had a happy disposition. Growing up the youngest in her family (Clara Lüken was the 7th of eleven children, but her four younger siblings all died at an early age/in infancy), she was a bit indulged and loved to engage in pranks. She loved to tell stories and to entertain with her observations. Later in SSC, recreation with her in community and with the studentboarders was something people looked forward to because Mother Clodesindis always had something fine for people to enjoy. She trained as a teacher and had a gift for it. She could keep her students hanging on her words with her simple and direct way of giving lessons, always with illustrations on the blackboard. Early on in her life, a serious side could be noticed, too, that made her desire to give herself to God for the missions. Already then, she was generous, especially to the poor. She had a strong personality (Sr. Canisia, OSB writes that she had a fiery and fervent temperament ) and the bearing that reflected this. Students in St. Scholastica s College remember that just by looking at Mother Clodesindis walking its corridors, one knew she was the Prioress. HER JOURNEY TO GOD From her entrance in Tutzing, Mother Clodesindis sought to learn from our life, and put efforts into growing in virtue. Indeed, although her achievements are many, and there are schools and apostolates to testify to these achievements, Mother Clodesindis is, in those written accounts, remembered less for these than for her life of virtue. This gives me an insight into what was really important for her. In silence and prayer, in poverty and humility, she grew in compassion and in wisdom. Mother Clodesindis loved to talk, but from the time she made unnecessary comments as a postulant and was corrected by a novice (the novice was Sr. Baptista Battig, who entered a year ahead of her), she quickly learned. Henceforth and throughout her life, she strove for a deep silence, and exhorted Sisters to do the same. Perhaps it is this silence that gave Mother Clodesindis sensitivity for the sufferings of others, especially the poor. This silence must have been the seedbed where God worked on her and from which grew her faith, hope and love. Prayer strengthened her, and she especially loved the liturgy, from which she got spiritual nourishment. Once, a Sister asked her for a book to read for Lectio. Mother Clodesindis promised to give her one, and came with the Missal. She told her that everything she needed was there, and exhorted her to pray with her emotion, intellect and will. Mother Clodesindis practice of poverty was so extreme that Sister Canisia would say that there were those who thought that Mother Clodesindis had a vocation more to be a Franciscan than a Missionary Benedictine. We all know of the story of her getting shoes that were not a pair, but she wore them without complaint until it was noticed. In community, she sought to economize so that there will be more to give to the poor. She was embarrassed by attention and sought to avoid it, although when needed because of her position and responsibility, she can be most charming and sociable. She did not want her feastday celebrated (even as Prioress General, declaring instead a 3

4 common Sisters feastday, September 12) and always cautioned Sister Canisia before her feastday that there should be nothing dramatic, nothing personal in the celebration. One thing that repeatedly came up in the recollection of people who knew Mother Clodesindis is that she genuinely loved the poor: the poor around St. Scholastica s College, the prisoners, the deaf-mute, the blind, and especially the lepers in Albay. The leper colony was an hour away on foot, but Mother Clodesindis made the trip there every Sunday, no matter how tired she was and she would always have something for them. During the war, the lepers had nothing to eat anymore. She asked Sr. Milagros to give half of their remaining rice for the lepers. Sr. Milagros had many other stories to tell about Mother Clodesindis concern for the poor: when informed that a newborn baby had nothing to wear, her order was give our towel, to another give our petticoat, and so forth, until there were only two things left in her cabinet. Mother Clodesindis also gave aid to poor priests and missionaries and loving assistance to Sisters of impoverished congregations or those who had newly arrived. Most touching was the testimony written down by Mrs. George V. Winternitz on how Mother Clodesindis sheltered her and her husband when they arrived as refugees from Austria in the time of Hitler. She told of how Mother Clodesindis, without being asked for help, sought out other refugees to see if they needed anything. Her care extended even to animals. Sr. Milagros, who loved animals herself, noticed that Mother Clodesindis tended to sick animals until they were well again a duckling which fell in the water was wrapped in Mother s handkerchief until it was alright. Her frailties, part of her reality Despite her faithfulness to the demands of our life and her strict self- discipline, she remained herself, that is, a person with a strong personality and a fiery temperament, and at times, this did not work for her. She was impulsive and sometimes gave orders and decisions that she found herself obliged to recall later on. An example of this was the short-lived experiment of a local superior for Manila to deload the Prioress. The experiment was scrapped after it was not approved by the General Chapter of In one case that must have pained her, she had to ask forgiveness from a dying Sister for not believing (on the advice of the doctor) that the Sister was indeed sick! Living with herself must surely have made her grow, as - time and again - she had in humility to accept that she had been wrong. Mother Clodesindis knew suffering and accepted that suffering is part of life and must not be shunned. She loved telling the Sisters that it is suffering that builds character. One of them kept a verse that Mother Clodesindis wrote on a card and which illustrates how she sees suffering: Dust clings to our wings Dross to our gold Vanity to our being loyal and dutiful Conceit and arrogance to our knowledge Rust to our power and strength. 4

5 Then God sends an angel who will shake the dust from our wings, remove the dross from our gold, melt away the vanity from our virtue, the conceit from our knowledge, the rust from our power.. and the name of the angel is: SUFFERING. The Final Offering A lifetime of unselfish caring and giving reached its climax when a higher expression of her compassion became possible that fateful Holy Saturday, March 31, The bombing had been getting closer to St. Agnes Academy and the Sisters were all moving to the air raid shelter, when Mother Clodesindis noticed the four children of a teacher who had taken refuge in the convent. They were all crying from fear. Mother Clodesindis, without thought of her safety and taking the Sacred Heart as her protector, went back to reassure them. At that moment, the bombs fell and all perished. CONCLUSION Mother Clodesindis had the gifts of a keen intelligence, a loving a generous heart and a presence that people notice. She was loved and popular and achieved much, but what she wanted above all else was to be transformed in Jesus, and to finally be in union with him. This is one of her favorite quotes: If your praying does not make you more gentle, more patient, more charitable, more joyful, more submissive to God s will, that is, if it does not make you a better person, then your praying is not as it should be. If your praying does not strengthen your resolution: I wish to be as humble, as kind, as patient, as obedient as Christ was, as perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect, your praying is not as it should be. Her exhortations and conferences, even her short messages in greeting cards speak of this desire and she wished them for others, too. A message that Mother Clodesindis wrote on the bulletin board in Saint Agnes Academy says it best: Simplicity aims at one goal, seeks one thing, is occupied with one activity and gives her heart totally to her love. Such a Christian is clothed in loveliness from head to foot. It gives everything we do an appearance of importance, to all we say a surprising power of conviction, and even our silence and our rest radiate something heavenly, expelling all evil and converting souls. Mother Clodesindis kept alive this desire to be one with Christ by her faithful striving. When, that last time in Legaspi, she hastened to answer his call, it was to finally give her heart totally to her love. 5

DPN 372 Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Daegu Priory, KOREA February 2014

DAEGU PRIORY NEWSLETTER DPN 372 Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Daegu Priory, KOREA February 2014 1 (Illustration by Sr. Eun-Hye Cha) Sisters in harmony Monday, Feb. 10: Five Sisters professed