First I wish to thank the parish restoration and window committees for the opportunity to commemorate our family. This historic prairie spiritual icon is famous world wide for its structural and interior design and beauty. It is a monument to the settlers who followed the Benedictines to the new land now over a century ago.
It was in those early years when my grandparents decided to follow their two sons (already here for three years) to Muenster, Canada. William and Elizabeth, arrived in Muenster on Oct. 10, 1907 and moved their belongings about two miles west of here to a farm they had purchased from John Brinkmeier. They brought along family members not yet married – Henry, Elizabeth, Mary, Gertrude, Joe and John.
Our grandfather, William, passed away just two months after his arrival in Canada – Dec. 1907. Henry, age 24, took over the farm management with his mother and the help of Gertrude, Joe, and John aged 14, 12, and 10 at the time of their father’s unexpected death.
Our dad, John, married our mother Clara Draude in 1935 and together they raised a family of 12 children.
Henry lived with our family to the age of seventy years. He passed away June 1953. Unfortunately we were all still quite young (I was turning 11yrs old) when our dear uncle passed away, so we didn’t really appreciate the time and commitment he made to making our life easier.
Our Aunt Gertrude also made every sacrifice in her own personal life to help care for our well-being. She continued to live with our family and looked after a lot of the household duties while Mom helped Dad with a lot of outside work. Gertrude retired into Muenster with Dad and Mom in January 1968.
Aunt “Gertie” and Uncle Henry were like an extra set of parents to us and reflecting back now that I have attained the age at which Henry passed away, have a deeper appreciation for all that Henry and Gertrude did for us while we were growing up.
Our parents John and Clara and their commitment to us kids deserves to be mentioned. I know Muenster had no end of parents who struggled through the last century to provide for their families but I am most familiar with the challenges faced by our parents. We never knew a time of hunger or not having the support of a loving set of parents. Dad was 38 when he married Mom, 39 when his oldest daughter was born and he was 63 when his youngest son came along. All of us are still living except for three in-laws.
The location of the window is most appropriate as our father was the choir director for many years, while mom was dedicated to keeping order with the kids downstairs.
The stained glass window depicts the Good Shepherd whom we all know had his challenges guiding us in our lives. The Good Shepherd is surrounded by the agriculture symbol of wheat. The rolling hills, tiger lilies, brown-eyed susans and wild strawberries commemorate the pasture just south of us where we spent many hours celebrating family picnics and the unforgettable “Muenster Choir Blowouts”. The window is completed with the drawing of our original home and the barn situated just a short distance away.
Our sincere thanks to the window committee for offering us the opportunity to dedicate a window in the families’ honour.
Thank you to Elaina Adams for her professional guidance and artistic design.
Submitted by Jordan Bergermann
Window Blessing – Dec 02, 2012