Nun celebrates 50 of service in PNG

By Patrick Matbob

Sr Mary Anthida Kueckmann

In December 1966, a Catholic mission newsletter in Alexishafen in Madang, the SSpS Sisters Chronicle, recorded the following:

December brought us two Christmas presents – Sister Ignatiela and Sister Marianthida. They did not remain long in Alexishafen however. Sister Ignatiela was appointed for the Primary "A" School in Madang and Sister Marianthida was rushed off to Timbunke where they had been waiting (for) her anxiously since it was feared we would lose our hospital there. Sister Fabiana had been unable to work in the hospital because of an accident.

In December last year Sr Mary Anthida Kueckmann, who had been rushed off to Timbunke, celebrated 50 years of missionary service in PNG in a small ceremony at Divine Word University. She is 79 years old and works as a student counselor at the university. The ceremony began with a thanksgiving mass led by the leader the Divine Word Missionaries in PNG, Fr Jozef Maciolek, with the presence of Archbishop of Madang Steve Reichert and members of the DWU community.

Sr Mary Anthida had spent 17 years running the health center at Timbuke and providing medical care to the local people. Later she moved on to other responsibilities within the church.

Born on September 19, 1937, to Bernhard and Elisabeth Kueckmann of Rebbeke, Lippstadt in Central Germany, Sr Mary Anthida was christened Hedwig and was the youngest of nine children. It was war time in Germany, and Hedwig’s father was away in the war. Growing up without the presence of her father, she so much wanted to see him. When her dad finally sent word that he was coming home, she was so excited.

“Trains were irregular and I was so impatient to see dad”, she recalls. Their village had one telephone, and Hedwig, then only 3 or 4 years old begged her mother if she could call dad on the village phone. Finally her mother became annoyed and commanded little Hedwig to leave her alone. Taking this as permission to call her father, she went off to the lady who operated the telephone and asked her to call dad. But she did not know the number, so the lady called a supermarket in the next city where the train would come and of course they did not know her dad. Hedwig was disappointed with the news but was happy that she got an answer. Her mum did not believe her until the woman who operated the phone turned up to collect the money for the call! Her dad finally came home and was so proud of her when he learnt about the story.

When still a child, her mother took her to a hospital once where her sister was receiving treatment. The sight of the nursing sisters in their immaculate white uniforms with faces that radiated so much joy enchanted her that she decided then and there that she was going to be a nurse. Hedwig completed 8 years of primary education and continued to a vocational school. She was a gifted student and won academic honors every year. While in school, she recalls listening to a radio program and something the radio host said tugged at her heart. The host said: “You are not in this world to do something for yourself; you are born to make others happy”.

Sr Mary Anthida (right) arriving in PNG

“I knew then that I wanted to become a nun someday”, she said.

After completing school, she was too young to begin nursing training or to join the nuns. However, she was accepted to work part time at a hospital of the Vincentian Sisters. She was assigned to the operating theatre and was rigidly trained on how to handle post operation patients. While working there, it became clear to her that she would become both a nurse and a religious missionary.

At age of 17, she learnt about the Holy Spirit Sisters (SSpS) and their missionary work in countries around the world. She learnt that they had a house and a hospital in Wirbern, Germany. Summoning enough courage, she went there and applied to study nursing as a pre-requisite to become an SSpS sister. However, she was denied entrance because of her age, but the vocation directress could see she was determined in becoming a nun. She was offered postulancy and novitiate (preparations) to become a nun before studying to be a nurse. She was overjoyed, officially joining the sisters in September 12, 1956. After her first vow as a nun, Sr Mary Anthida was sent to the US in 1959 for her nursing training. She had to go to US because at the time German nursing training was not recognized internationally, and as a missionary she needed a qualification that was globally accepted.

She completed her nursing training as well as a diploma in teaching religion in high schools. She received her final vows on 8 June 1965 and a year later was assigned to PNG as the country for her missionary work. Sr Mary arrived at Alexishafen on 28^th December 1966 and after a week was sent to Timbunke on the Sepik River. She became immediately entrenched in the work taking turns with Sr Bertholina to run the health centre and to go out on maternal-child care patrols in the outstations for seven years. They covered 50 villages and she recalls that “there was so much tuberculosis and leprosy in the area”.

In 1973, Sr Mary took a break for home leave and did a one year course on nursing education in Brisbane College of nursing. She returned to Timbunke in 1975 and started a floating X-ray clinic and was able to diagnose more than 350 confirmed cases of TB. She also began training village health aides to help administer the treatment of patients, especially to handle TB and leprosy cases. With the help of Br. Mathew (SVD), who brought supplies of medications and supervised the village health aides, the campaign was implemented successfully.

Training health workers in Timbuke.

Sr Mary also trained midwives who were selected by the village chief to administer iron and malaria tablets to pregnant women and assist natural childbirths. All cases of unhealthy mothers and wrong fetal position were referred to the health center. She recalls that all their training had been done with the women sitting on the floor. One day the health center received supplies of desks which were placed in the training room. When Sr Mary came in to begin class, she found all her students calmly sitting cross-legged on top of the desks ready for classes to begin. The women had never seen or used a desk before.

Timbuke Health Centre also trained the famous aid post orderlies who were the colonial government’s frontline medical officers. It was a two year intensive training for the men who were taken from the villages to diagnose and treat malaria, diabetes, TB, leprosy, chest infection, and many tropical ailments.

Sr Mary was also instrumental in building the maternity wing of the health centre. She recalls that the building materials were brought by the mission boat Morova and sand was acquired from upper Karowari river. Much of the health extension work was done with the aid of a tractor without brakes and required ‘extra’ skills to operate. One day when Sr Mary was on patrol, she had severe pains in her lower abdomen. She took pain killers and continued working until late in the evening when she came back to the station. She said the pain became worse and she realized that night that she had appendicitis and needed to be moved to Wewak for medical attention. However, that night there was an emergency in the delivery room and she had to attend to that, postponing her trip. Her situation became worse, and she had to send an SOS to Bishop Leo Arkfeld who flew in to rescue her. When she got to Wewak, the doctors did not attend to her immediately and her appendix burst. Doctors had to do an emergency operation eventually saving her life.

After her working in Timbuke, in 1976 Sr Mary did a spirituality course in Sydney and then was assigned as a nursing community leader and teacher for three years in Brisbane. In 1980, she was appointed the National Coordinator for the Commission for the Christian Family Life and was stationed at Goroka. Her job was to train Diocesan and Parish Family Life Coordinators in PNG and Solomon islands.

With then Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare

She says the Catholic Church sees families as very important in the church. She set up Family Life apostolates in every diocese and ran courses for personality integration for young people in the parishes and dioceses, marriage enrichment, and marriage retreats to strengthen the family. Despite many challenges, the family life apostolate has been successful in strengthening strong Christian families in the Catholic Church throughout PNG. Sr Mary Anthida says they have also assisted other churches especially with counseling courses.

In 2001, Sr Mary was elected Provincial Superior of the Holy Spirit Sisters in PNG, a post which she held for six years. Then she returned to her position as national coordinator for the Commission for Christian Family Life until 2012.

After a five month sabbatical and a spirituality course in United Kingdom, Sr Mary was assigned to Divine Word University as a Guidance Counselor where she is currently helping with the formation of students. She received a Logohu Award in 2015.