Friends turn 100 after lifetime as nuns

CHEERS FOR 100 YEARS: Sister Serena wishes Sister Bertrand, right, a happy birthday at the Emmaus Convent in Cambridge yesterday as both celebrated their century milestone. It was Bertrand’s birthday yesterday, while Serena turned 100 on October 13. Picture: ALAN EASON

By AVUYILE MNGXITAMA

TWO nuns at an East London convent have recently celebrated turning 100-years-old, but both said – with a shrug – that they don’t feel any different to when they were 99!

Yesterday, a tea-and-cake party was held at Emmaus Convent to mark Sister Bertrand’s century – seven weeks after her friend Sister Serena also reached the milestone.

“It really doesn’t quite register in my mind that I am really 100-years-old,” said Bertrand, who has been a nun for 79 years. “I am still not aware … maybe it’s because of old age.”

Serena offered similar sentiments.

“I don’t even think about being 100-years-old,” she said. “I can still do many things by myself. I don’t think about being old.”

The two, both originally from Germany, are now living at the convent in Cambridge, which is specially for elderly nuns.

Bertrand entered the convent when she was only 18 after growing up in a Catholic home.

“We were 15 children in my family and when we were growing up my older sister entered the convent and I followed in her footsteps,” said the ‘birthday girl’.

“I enjoyed being in the convent; it became my life. After three years as a nun, I was sent to South Africa in 1928.

“I worked in different places like Johannesburg, King William’s Town, Queenstown and other places.”

Bertrand said the difficult times she remembered were during the Second World War and the apartheid era.

“When the war started I was always filled with anxiety. I feared for my people,” Bertrand said.

“The worst thing was that we could not communicate with them. We could not write letters to our families during that time. It was difficult.”

In 1960, she returned home to visit her family.

“Oh, it was very good to see my family again after so many years. I still recognised all of them.”

She said she has also enjoyed good times helping people.

“I am grateful for my calling,” she continued. “There is not a day that I regret being a nun.

“These days I can’t do things for myself – I need help all the time even if I want to do something.

“The one thing that I am grateful for is that I can still pray.”

Serena, who still walks as fast as a young woman, said she still wakes up at 5am to start her normal day.

“I still do my meditations early in the morning. I go to church for the Holy Mass and I also do my spiritual readings.

“I turned 100 in October and I still do rosaries for the sisters,” said Serena.

“I can also read and write … but I can’t hear at all.”