The unknown saints of the congregation

[Translation of an article found in the Souvenir published by our sisters on the occasion of the 125 year jubilee of the St. Joseph’s hospital at St. Vith, Belgium.]

Mutter Neophyta Menke, who was the mother general of the congregation was targeted, accused and sentenced for trsanporting money to other countries along with other 96 religious men and women of different congregations. she was arrested by Nazis and was in prison (1934- 1938). She died at the age of 93.

Sr. Blandine Ridder: X-rays were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923) who was a Professor at Würzburg University in Germany. Sr. Blandina Ridder worked in the department of X- ray from 1898 in our hospital and she was diagnosed of cancer after 18 months. She died at the age of 45 in 1916 after long suffering.

Sr. Blandine Ridder is the only woman named on the monument stands in St. George hospital in Hamburg among the list of pioneers of X- rays. The city of Cologne honored her by naming the Nursing school of Cologne - Merheim after her name Sr. Maria Ridder school. Later when it was closed down in 1977 the congregation named its own nursing school as Sr. Blandine Ridder School of Nursing.