Co Foundrees
THE CO-FOUNDRESS WHO BUILT THE EDIFICE OF SAS
Mother Emilie Dormann, was a deeply religious woman with extraordinary strength and firm faith
in the Lord. She was a wise, prudent and loving leader whose decisions and actions were
motivated by her deep convictions. She was endowed with inexhaustible energy and
outstanding qualities for organization and administration.
Emilie Dormann was born on April 19, 1872, at Neudorf, Canton Luzern. Her parents died young and Mrs. Scherer, her god-mother, adopted the four year old Emilie and educated her. As a trained nurse, Emilie worked under Dr. Robert Stocker in his clinic. Though she was an efficient theatre nurse, she was more appreciated and known as a very warm, sympathetic, and caring bedside nurse. During his pastoral visits at Dr. Stocker's clinic, Fr. Wilhelm Meyer had known Emilie as an excellent and compassionate nurse with leadership qualities. He invited Emilie to join the new Society of St. Ann. Though Emilie sensed the Call of God, she found herself in an inner sruggle to let go and to respond to the call. She worked as a lay nursing instructer in Fr. Meyer's Nurses Training Program. Later Emilie had an extraordinary experience of God and she felt called to take up God-chosen work.
When Emilie reported about her decision to join the Society, Fr. Meyer was lying seriously in bed. He had an intuition that she was God's chosen instrument to take up the leadership position in his newly formed Society. He admitted Emilie Dormann into the Society on July 4, 1911 as the 38th sister and appointed her as the Superior of the young Society.
A Versatile Administrator
Mother Emilie saw clearly the challenges before her. But nothing discouraged her. "Difficulties", she said, "existed in order to be solved." She knew that it is "God who gives both strength and ability."
Mother Dormann was realistic by nature and took into account what was possible and what was not. She acquired different plots of land, built new houses for the sisters, started hospitals, a school of General Nursing and a school of Pediatric Nursing, against heavy odds, thus strengthening the foundation of the Society. The 35 long years of Mother Dormann's stewardship of the Society was indeed a period of great progress.
Dynamic Animator
To the Sisters she was gentle yet firm. She knew how to awaken the spirit of selflessness and strength in her Sisters and was capable of bringing out the best in them. She took care of the religious and professional formation of the Sisters who were trained not only to become efficient nurses but also mature women who would look upon their work as a meaningful religious vocation.
"Worry, but do not worry too much as it still happens according to God's will." (Mother Emilie Dormann)
Emilie Dormann was born on April 19, 1872, at Neudorf, Canton Luzern. Her parents died young and Mrs. Scherer, her god-mother, adopted the four year old Emilie and educated her. As a trained nurse, Emilie worked under Dr. Robert Stocker in his clinic. Though she was an efficient theatre nurse, she was more appreciated and known as a very warm, sympathetic, and caring bedside nurse. During his pastoral visits at Dr. Stocker's clinic, Fr. Wilhelm Meyer had known Emilie as an excellent and compassionate nurse with leadership qualities. He invited Emilie to join the new Society of St. Ann. Though Emilie sensed the Call of God, she found herself in an inner sruggle to let go and to respond to the call. She worked as a lay nursing instructer in Fr. Meyer's Nurses Training Program. Later Emilie had an extraordinary experience of God and she felt called to take up God-chosen work.
When Emilie reported about her decision to join the Society, Fr. Meyer was lying seriously in bed. He had an intuition that she was God's chosen instrument to take up the leadership position in his newly formed Society. He admitted Emilie Dormann into the Society on July 4, 1911 as the 38th sister and appointed her as the Superior of the young Society.
A Versatile Administrator
Mother Emilie saw clearly the challenges before her. But nothing discouraged her. "Difficulties", she said, "existed in order to be solved." She knew that it is "God who gives both strength and ability."
Mother Dormann was realistic by nature and took into account what was possible and what was not. She acquired different plots of land, built new houses for the sisters, started hospitals, a school of General Nursing and a school of Pediatric Nursing, against heavy odds, thus strengthening the foundation of the Society. The 35 long years of Mother Dormann's stewardship of the Society was indeed a period of great progress.
Dynamic Animator
To the Sisters she was gentle yet firm. She knew how to awaken the spirit of selflessness and strength in her Sisters and was capable of bringing out the best in them. She took care of the religious and professional formation of the Sisters who were trained not only to become efficient nurses but also mature women who would look upon their work as a meaningful religious vocation.
"Worry, but do not worry too much as it still happens according to God's will." (Mother Emilie Dormann)