Sister Rosina Mies, ASC, of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, died peacefully the evening of November 11, 2024, with family at her bedside in Caritas Center in Wichita, KS. She was 93 years old and lived 76 years as an Adorer of the Blood of Christ.
The small town of Mount Hope, KS, where she was born on March 3, 1931, did not have a Catholic Church. The daughter of Mathias and Rosa Helen (Bergkamp) Mies was baptized Freda Marie two days later at St Mark’s, a nearby Catholic community. This is where Sr. Rosina first met the Adorers. They taught at St. Mark’s, the parish where she and her twelve siblings grew up on a farm. Later Sr. Rosina said that she was drawn to religious life by the influence of the Adorers.
At age 15, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Sr. Rosina entered the community, beginning novitiate six months later on July 1. She pronounced first vows on July 1, 1947, and made final profession five years later, on July 1, 1953.
Immediately after first profession, Sr. Rosina was assigned to domestic service in the convent in Kinsley, Kansas for a year. Then she went to Stillwater, OK, where she did domestic services at the Municipal Hospital. After four years she returned to Wichita to complete high school at Sacred Heart Academy and nursing school at St. Francis Hospital.
In 1958 Sr. Rosina returned to Oklahoma, beginning 50 years of ministry as a registered nurse, most of this at St Mary’s Hospital in Enid. She was surgery supervisor for four years at St Francis in Tulsa, when the sisters opened the new hospital. After a year in Washington, Missouri at another St. Francis Hospital, she returned to Enid, which she “always loved.”
In her capacity as supervisor of a medical-surgical unit, she mentored many young nurses. One of them gave this testimony: “Later this month, St. Mary’s will say goodbye to one of the finest nurses who has ever walked her halls. Many lives have been changed, enlightened, and blessed by Sr. Rosina. Whether they were a housekeeper, nurse, physician, patient, or administrator, it didn’t matter, she treated everyone the same… Having Sister in my life has made me the nurse I am today.”
At least twice Sr. Rosina was voted “Nurse of the Year” in a people’s choice award organized by the Enid newspaper. This reflected the high regard medical staff and hospital patrons had for her.
Caring for cancer patients impacted Sr. Rosina’s own spirituality. She believed that death doesn’t have to be fearful, especially when the dying patient knows how much they are loved and cared for. Loving and caring for patients and families was a hallmark of Sr. Rosina’s ministry. In an interview she said, “God loves each and every person on the face of this earth, whether they know if or not. It’s up to us to let them know God loves them. We love God very deeply with our whole hearts, and unless we can show that, we’re not really following our call.”
Another time she said, “I’ve always tried to put myself into the shoes of the other person that I’m ministering to, and how I would like to be treated if I were that person. I try to be there with the patient and family as much as possible. I think that’s part of my ministry, and I hope I’ve been a minister of peace to the people I’ve served.”
Sister Rosina was quiet and attentive to all around her. She enjoyed time with her family, reading and music, especially country western music. Charlie Pride was her favorite performer, and she was grateful for two opportunities to see him in concert.
Service did not end for Sr. Rosina when she retired to the Wichita Center in 2009. For more than a decade she accompanied sisters to medical appointments and assisted with other health needs. In 2020 she herself became a resident in Caritas, the long-term care facility at the Wichita Center.
Preceding Sr. Rosina in death were her parents. Mathias and Rosa; her brothers Alphonse, James, Ralph, and Alfred; her sisters Sr. Mary Joseph, ASC, Louise May, Florence Barlow, Bernetta Carroll, Theresa Burks, Lorraine Mies, and Mary Ann Landwehr. She is survived by her youngest brother, Raymond (Kathy) Mies, many nieces and nephews, and her ASC community members.
Sister Rosina’s body will be welcomed at the Wichita Center at 2:00 p.m. on November 15 with a wake service at 7:00 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on November 16 at 10:30 a.m. Rev. Tom Welk, C.PP.S will preside. Burial in the community cemetery will follow.
Sister Rosina, you were a quiet, compassionate presence among us, a reminder of God’s compassionate love for each of us.
Donations in memory of Sr. Rosina may be sent to the Adorers at 4233 Sulphur Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63109, or made online at www.adorers.org