Sister Helen Lange, OSB
(September 28, 1913 – March 18, 2019)
Sister Helen Lange blessed us and all who knew her with a long, loving, and dedicated life to the Benedictine way. She came to our community from Olfen, Texas in 1930. She was one of eight children all born at home on the family farm to Joseph and Helena Matthiesen Lange. The family was devoutly Catholic – confession, weekly Mass, choir practice was entrenched in the life of the family and that of their small community. Sister Helen felt blessed and loved by her parents. Their deeply religious life included the love of music. They all played an instrument, sang and as the children grew older, a band was formed.
That life along with school planted the seeds of Sister Helen’s vocation as a Religious. Upon high school graduation, she and cousins Irma, Pauline, Rosaria, and Rosanna bravely boarded a train for Florida to join the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. Sister related their departure in her 1999 memoir, Kicking the Habit. Warned by Sister Rita, the girls’ guardian for the trip, “there were to be no tears.” Sister Helen recalled saying to Rosaria, “My God! What have we gotten ourselves into?” The tears did come …
It did not take the cousins long to become known as “The Texas Five.” They took to their new life staying busy working, praying, and studying the Rule of St. Benedict and the meaning of Religious life. Sister Helen entered Postulancy on July 27, 1930, the Novitiate on January 27, 1931 and made Perpetual Profession on January 28, 1935. She attended Loyola University of the South, Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio, Texas, Barry College (now Barry University) in Miami, Mount St. Scholastic in Kansas, the Catholic University of America, and San Angelo State University, Texas. She also took classes at the Manhattan College of Music. Sister taught elementary and music education for forty-four years throughout Florida and held administrative posts in New Orleans, Ocala, Jacksonville Beach, Sarasota, North Miami, Venice, St. Leo, and San Antonio. Sister was also active in special summer sessions and catechetical camps at Our Lady of Good Counsel Camp.
Upon retiring from the teaching profession, Sister Helen studied gerontology and served as pastoral minister at Bon Secour Maria Manor nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida and Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois. She also served as the on-sight coordinator with the Elderhostel program that was hosted in the 1990’s by the Benedictine Sisters at Holy Name.
Sister enjoyed interaction with people and during the past six years of her life at Heritage Park continued her service walking the halls ministering to other residents. Her over-riding philosophy was that “to be happy and have no regrets – live a life of hard work and love for God and people.” In celebrating her 80th Jubilee in 2012 at the Diocese of St. Petersburg luncheon, Bishop Robert Lynch was at a loss because there was no name such as “Diamond” for an 80th Jubilee!
Many of Sister’s students and their parents remained friends throughout her life. They came to visit, invited her to their class reunions, and even traveled distances to attend significant birthday parties in Sister’s honor. In notifying many of them of Sister Helen’s peaceful passing on March 18th, 2019, stories were regaled about what an impact she had on their lives. One parent who had all five of her children go through Epiphany Elementary School in Venice, Florida where Sister Helen was principal said, “Sister was so active – I know she is up and down the halls of heaven now!”
Donations in honor of Sister Helen may be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, PO Box 2450, St. Leo, FL 33574-2450.
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