Deaconess Magdalena Meier turns 100 years old

Even as a girl, Magdalena Meier was certain: when she grew up, she would go to Bethel and become a deaconess. "The only problem back then was that I didn't grow old quickly enough," she says with a smile. Today, the deaconess looks back gratefully on a wonderful life in the Sarepta Sisterhood and celebrates her 100th birthday on 17 March.

"When I was 15, I took part in a big youth meeting in Zionswald. I would have loved to stay right there," Magdalena Meier remembers. After spending a year in a day nursery in her home town of Bünde, she finally fulfilled her heart's desire in 1938: she went to Bethel as a helper. At the beginning of the 1940s, she trained as a nurse and joined the Sarepta Sisterhood. A few years later, she was ordained as a deaconess and passed her social education exams.

With the Klepper coat on the Lambretta

Her first job as a deaconess was in a kindergarten in Hemer, Sauerland. Magdalena Meier has particularly fond memories of this time. "We had a wonderful community of sisters there." She has been friends with deaconess Gisela Maaß for almost 70 years. They already lived together in Hemer. Now the women both live in Haus Abendlicht, a Sarepta care facility for the elderly. "It's so wonderful that we have each other. We often reminisce together," enthuses Sister Magdalena.

In her free time, Magdalena Meier used to love rattling through the Sauerland on her motorised scooter. "It was an NSU Lambretta," she remembers. Sometimes even her mum rode in the back. "Then we put on the Klepper coat and off we went." Unfortunately, the attempt to teach her friend Gisela how to ride ended quickly in a ditch. The two deaconesses have vivid memories of this incident, which had a happy ending.

A big piece of freedom

"But with a view to the future, I wanted to get my car driving licence," explains Magdalena Meier. In order to be optimally prepared, she practised parking diligently. To do this, she moved benches in the children's playground in the evenings - always under the critical eye of little Karl-Heinz, a boy from the neighbourhood. He was initially very sceptical about her driving skills and made no secret of it. His doubts were unfounded, as Sister Magdalena passed her test and was one of the few deaconesses with a driving licence in the mid-1960s. "The driving licence meant a great deal of freedom," she says.

As a community nurse in Bünde

After the death of her mother, she moved back into the family home with her younger sister. From then on, she worked as a parish nurse in Bünde: She helped sick people and those in need of care, supported the pastors, organised camps and helped shape the congregation. "We were one big family," she emphasises. Even when she had long since retired, she continued to be involved in the women's work. The deaconess always remained closely connected to the Sarepta Sisterhood, attending events and keeping in touch with her fellow sisters. She only returned to Bethel five years ago.

She has long since swapped her scooter and car for a walking frame. "I'm not as good on my feet anymore," says Magdalena Meier. Her hearing and sight have also deteriorated somewhat, but otherwise she is still fit and healthy for her 100 years. "I'm very happy and grateful that I can still live so independently." She is celebrating her milestone birthday together with her niece, nephew and her sisterhood.

Text: Christina Heitkämper | Photo: Thomas Richter

This story simply told

Deaconess Magdalena Meier celebrates her 100th birthday on 17 March. Even as a young girl, she wanted to go to Bethel and join the Sarepta Sisterhood. She has lived in the religious community since the age of 16. Until her retirement, she worked as a deaconess in the care and social sector.