Sr. Eva Hunold was born in Olpe, Germany. When she was four years old, her mother died. After completing elementary school, and a one-year sewing course, she attended a private commercial school, which she completed successfully. The decision to follow Christ as a religious matured in her at an early age. On October 1, 1947, Eva Hunold entered the candidacy of the Pallottine Sisters in Limburg. Her desire was to serve God as a missionary. In February 1951 she began her postulancy and on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, Eva received the religious habit and the name Sr. Maria Ignazis.
At her first profession, Sr. Eva had promised God to go wherever she was sent. Already on the evening of her profession on August 15, 1953, she was approached by her Superior General about being sent to England to study physics. In England, after her studies, she worked for some years in the Pallottine Sisters’ High School in Rochdale as a teacher of physics and mathematics, which gave her great joy.
At the age of 40 she was touched by a severe illness. Despite many medical examinations the doctors could not find the reason for her symptoms. One day she woke up and immediately had to be admitted to the emergency room. Her life was hanging by a thread. God came to her aid and she was healed. She described this experience with the following words: “I used to say, I don’t know if God exists, but I believe it. Since this experience I not only believe that He exists. I know He exists!” For a long time, Sister Eva had to stay in the hospital. She returned to Germany in the summer of 1967. Soon after, she was given the opportunity for further training and Sr. Eva moved to Innsbruck to study pastoral psychology for adult education. Shortly before her 50th birthday she received her doctorate.
From 1975 to 1980 she was director of the Institute for Scientific Continued Education at the Philosophical-Theological College of the Pallottines in Vallendar. However, her health condition made it necessary for her to leave her ministry again, and from the summer of 1983 Sr. Eva moved to Schönwald in the Black Forest.
Sr. Eva had a natural gift to learn new things and to develop her various talents throughout her life. She had many different tasks: served as a formator for the Junior Sisters, was a Provincial Councilor and Provincial Vicar, was a legal representative for the Child Day Care Center in Refrath. Sr. Eva had great historical interests and helped with the documentation of the history of our Congregation. From 1983 to 2010 she was General Archivist and spent frequent periods in Rome.
In her later years she was fascinated by icon writing and deep theology that the icons represent. They point out the heavens, allowing us a glance at the Kingdom of God here and now. Sr. Eva with great happiness was writing her icons, until her eyesight no longer allowed it. Many people and communities were gifted by this wonderful work.
Sr. Eve wrote the words of Psalm 84: “How lovable is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul is consumed with longing for the courts of the Lord” as the heading of her personal notes on her life. In verse 12 of this Psalm it says: “The Lord God is sun and shield”.
We entrust Sr. Eve to the hands of the heavenly Father. We are sure that Sr. Eve can now see our Lord in his radiant glory and is safe with him. We thank God for the life of our dear Sister Eva and for everything she has done for our Congregation.
