Sister Maria Ottilia 

Sister Maria Ottilia              ND 5169              PDF Download

Ottilia WEBLER

Our Lady Aparecida Province, Canoas, RS – Brazil

Date and Place of Birth:              July 12, 1929                Santo Antônio da Patrulha, RS
Date and Place of Profession:   February 11, 1958       Passo Fundo, RS
Date and Place of Death:            April 21, 2018               Recanto Aparecida, Canoas, RS
Date and Place of Burial:            April 22, 2018               Convent Cemetery, Canoas

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Matthew 25, 34

On April 21, 2018, the Lord visited Nossa Senhora Aparecida Province and called His daughter, Sister Maria Ottilia, home. Sister was born in Santo Antônio da Patrulha, the sixth in a family of 11 children. Her parents, Henrique and Catharina Webler, made their living through farming in the countryside of Rolante. When Ottilia was 25 years old, she answered God´s call to religious life, becoming a postulant in the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame, in Passo Fundo.

Growing up on a farm and in the middle of nature gave Sister a love of land cultivation. She brought this inherited experience to the community, dedicating herself to taking care of the vegetable and flower gardens. Sister loved this contact with nature and made it her mission to provide salads, vegetables and fruits to the religious communities. In the summer, she began the work outside very early in the morning. When the sun became too hot, she came inside for her prayers and personal reflection.

When possible, Sister participated in community activities and was always present at community prayers. She loved to read and knew how to use her free time well. She cultivated a special devotion to Mary and participated in the celebration of the Eucharist whenever possible. Sister Maria Ottilia was a woman of silence. She lived poverty in a simple and detached way.

She loved to interact with her family. When some members of the Webler family moved to other states in Brazil (Mato Grosso and Santa Catarina) in search of better living conditions, Sister lost contact with them. The fact that her brothers were so far away and that it was impossible to communicate with them caused her much suffering. After many years of searching and with the help of her nephew, who is a priest and lives in Mato Grosso, Sister had the joy of reuniting with her whole family.

The sisters at Colégio Santa Teresinha, Taquara, welcomed Sister’s elderly and sick mother, and cared for her during her old age and illness. Her mother died in October 1978.

In 2009, due to her age and health problems, Sister Maria Ottilia joined the Recanto Aparecida community. As long as her health permitted, Sister contributed to the community by doing simple jobs and participating in the occupational therapy activities and readings.

Sister Maria Ottilia handed over the clay of her life to the Father, allowing him to model her through suffering, fragility and dependence on a wheelchair. She always showed resignation, faith, docility, and gratitude.

May God in his great goodness and mercy welcome his daughter in “the kingdom prepared since the beginning of the world.”