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Sister Henriette (Adelaide Mary) Stuhrenberg was born November 13, 1930 in Duncombe, Iowa. The next to youngest of a large family of children, she grew up on her family’s farm in Milhausen, Indiana. Two of her sisters entered the Franciscans.
Sister entered Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey on September 8, 1955 as a Lay Sister. She was a very hard and efficient worker, but also loved to find a spot outdoors to read and pray in relative solitude. Her enthusiasm for gardening was expressed in a special place on the hill outside our refectory which she created to delight her sisters. She happily became a Choir Sister when that option was opened and added her good alto voice to the sung liturgy.
Four years after an initial bout of cancer was treated with surgery, the cancer recurred. She carried on her monastic life quietly and underwent treatment for as long as it was helpful. Accepting the progression of her disease in faith, she offered her suffering for the needs of the Archdiocese of Boston. As was her choice, she died in the monastery infirmary on September 3, 2002, in the presence of her community and our Chaplain.