Mariah Catharine "Mary" Hergott

Other Events:

• Name: Sister Mary Liberta
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-380354

Notes:

HERGOTT, Sister Mary Liberta, SSND

On Wednesday, July 22, 1987, at Our Lady of Visitation Health Care Centre, Elm Grove, Wisconsin, aged 103 years. She was confined to bed for only three weeks. She was born December 10, 1883 on a farm in Carthage, Perth County, the third child of Peter Hergott and Magdalena Dietrich and named Mary. The family moved to St Agatha, Ont., some time after that and lived in the log house that had been the original St. Jerome's College. She attended school in St. Agatha, taught by School Sisters of Notre Dame. The Sisters also conducted an orphanage, Mary Hergott often helped the good Sisters, her father did the butchering and other handyman jobs, so got to know the Sisters very well. Regular Sunday outings took her and her parents to the parish cemetery and a visit to the Shrine of the Sorrowful Mother, a chapel in the cemetery, which is still there "it is here I received my call to be a nun” she said. Mary entered as a candidate of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Milwaukee, Wis., on July 24, 1903. There was no Motherhouse in Canada. She took her first vows in 1907 and her final vows in 1914. Her first teaching experience, 1903, she had 105 grade one students in one room. She was in the classroom at least 54 years, never had less than 50 to 55 students, usually grade one but as high as grade four, all in Wisconsin except one, Chicago. She retired to Our Lady of Visitation in 1961 and did tutoring for a number of years. She was transferred to the Health Care Centre in 1985 and became quite dependent on a wheelchair. On her 103rd birthday, she still had a good memory for dates and names, played a keen game of cards, enjoyed the usual treats and went to Chapel for daily Mass. She went to the craft room regularly and was their prime stuffer of toys. On March 29, 1987, Sister celebrated her 80th year as a SSND at a diocesan celebration at the Seminary. She was predeceased by her parents; brothers, Alexander, Nicholas, Simon, Albert, Peter and a sister, Lidwina (Mrs. George Hahn) and six nephews. She is survived by 19 nieces and nephews and many friends and relatives. Funeral services will take place in the Chapel of the Health Care Centre on Tuesday, July 28, at 10: 45 a.m., with burial in Our Lady of Visitation cemetery.

Kitchener-Waterloo Record 23 Jul 1987 pg B11