On 16 February, one of our oldest members turned 96 years old. Sr. Katharina Müller came to Belize as a missionary in 1953, about half a year after her first profession. She had entered our congregation in 1950 at the age of 20, ten days before her birthday. After one year of postulancy and two years of novitiate, she took her first vows on 2 February 1953.
At that time, she did not yet know that she would be sent to Belize. However, she had joined our congregation knowing that she could be sent to the mission. The then Superior General first spoke to her father about the intention of sending his daughter. And so, Sr. Katharina learnt from her relatives that she was to go to Belize. She herself was determined to go, although she had never expressed that she wished to go into the mission, nor that she wanted to be sent here or there. As the vow formula of that time said, she was ready to go wherever she was sent.
Only shortly before, our missionaries were given permission to go for home visits occasionally, and now there were two missionaries from Belize in Europe – one from Germany, one from Ireland. So, Sr. Katharina did not have to travel alone, but joined the two when they returned to Belize, starting their journey on 19 July 1953. After a short stay with the Sisters in the United States of America, they went over to Belize. When they arrived, the heat was like a shock to Sr. Katharina, but she never considered returning to Germany.
A second-year novice of that time still remembers today that Sr. Katharina arrived with “nice rosy cheeks” and “full of energy”. She was assigned to the Nazareth Novitiate Community in Punta Gorda to help in the kitchen. She must have done well, because when she came to Germany for her first home visit, she was sent for professional training. 
At the Meinwerk Institute in Paderborn, which was opened in 1950 to train religious sisters in domestic and social professions, she took food and nutrition classes. After passing her exams, she returned to Belize.
Today, Sr. Katharina is known as the long- time home economics and cookery teacher at Pallotti High School. The School opened in 1957, and from the very beginning home economics was a compulsory subject in the curriculum. Thinking back to the years when she taught, Sr. Katharina admits enthusiastically: “Oh, I enjoyed it. The girls liked to cook. I used to prepare them for the exams too. Our girls take exams organised by the CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council). So, I used to prepare them for exams. And they did well.” And the sister, who until recently held the position of principal, confirms that Sr. Katharina always had the students win 1s in the final exam. Although she had given up teaching when she was in her eighties, she was again hired as a retired teacher when no one else could be found to take over the teaching.
A former principal of many years remembers that Sr. Katharina tried to accommodate everybody. As an example, she referred to the situation of Adventist students who did not come to school on Saturdays. Sr. Katharina therefore offered them the opportunity to make up these classes on Wednesday evenings. For the principal, she prepared the sandwiches for staff meetings. For everyone she was rendering her help. – On the other hand, Sr. Katharina also asked for help and called the principal, when the girls did practical work in preparation for exams. The principal should review and see how the girls were doing. Once the girls had set the table and labelled the food, they had to explain to her the nutritious aspect of the food etc.
Besides the daily work, there were times when much more was asked for. Fundraising bazaars and Easter and Christmas sales helped to finance the running of the school. 
And Sr. Katharina willingly did the extra work. Hundreds of cakes, especially plum cakes, she used to bake for Christmas, donuts by the dozens for the bazaar. But she would not only do the baking; she also helped with everything else, such as wrapping the cakes, preparing the kitchen early in the morning before the bazaar started and cleaning up after all had gone. Until recent years, when she was already 90-plus, she took care of the chapel and set the table for the community. The sisters who lived with her and still live with her today agree that she is very dedicated and committed, a disciplined woman who never spoke much and never complained. A quiet, sincere person, she carried out her work faithfully and was a good witness to the community.
But her life was not just about work. Her fellow sisters also characterise her as a community person who always loved being in the community and made sure that, however busy she was, she was in time for the prayer, at the table, for recreation. As a teacher, she would go to the classroom early in the morning to see that all was organized for class and then come back for meditation and prayers. By faithfully following the community’s timetable, she was an inspiration and role model for the community. And – to this day, she enjoys playing games with other sisters. And if then she is not winning, she checks the time, but if she is winning, she does not worry and goes on and claps for herself.
The article is written from the inspiration of the 96th birthday celebration of Sr. Katharina where Superior General Sr. Josephina D’Souza and General Councillor Sr. Adelheid Scheloske had the opportunity to be with her. We express our gratitude for all her service in the Belizean mission. May she enjoy her coming days in peace and tranquillity as she is aging gracefully.
Text and photos (6): Sr. Adelheid Scheloske SAC, 3 photos from our General Archives, Rome
