Sister Monica Thome

Sister Monica Thome died March 2, 2020, as she lived: holy, gentle, calm and with a gleam in her eye.  There is no doubt that in heaven she is welcomed by the Lord she loved and served so faithfully, by her Benedictine and birth families, and by the countless people who received her friendship and care in this life. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at St. Vincent’s  Care Center, 1021 N 26^th St, Bismarck with Fr. Anthony Baker OSB officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral mass.

Burial will be held at 3:00 p.m. MST, at Sacred Heart Monastery, Richardton.

Sister Monica (Genevieve) was born on June 5, 1918, in Good Luck Township in Williams County, ND.  She was the fifth of seven children born to Peter and Gertrude (Simon) Thome.  She attended a country school and graduated from eighth grade in 1932.  As her desire was to become a Sister, she entered Sacred Heart Monastery in Garrison where she completed high school.  On June 26, 1938, she and her five Sister classmates were received into the novitiate.  Every one of those six Sisters persevered in monastic life until their deaths.  In 1939 she went to Pierre, SD, to begin her nurse’s training and graduated as a RN in 1942.  Nursing was definitely her way to serve the Lord and his people. 

She and her classmates made perpetual profession of their monastic vows on June 26, 1942, and then Sister Monica was sent to St. Luke’s Hospital in Crosby for nursing in all the departments for eighteen years.  After serving at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home in Bismarck 1960-62, she returned to St. Luke’s 1963-64 before going back to St. Vincent’s 1964-67.  From 1967-74 she was a general nurse at Tioga Community Hospital and 1974-75 in Malta Community Hospital in Malta, MT, living with our Sisters doing other ministries.  From 1977-87 she was back at St. Vincent’s serving in various training capacities and general duties.  Her last year of general duty nursing was 1987-88 was in the Hillcrest Care Center in Hettinger. From 1988-2005 she served at St. Vincent’s and Marillac Manor in a variety of ministries: answering phones, visiting the residents, preparing chapel, doing hospitality, leading a video exercise class, a Scripture class once a week, and simply being present to those in need in any capacity.

She returned to the Monastery in Richardton in July 2005 and found this a treat considering she had been out on our various missions since 1939.  Here again she helped out in any way she could: sending out the birthday cards for the Sacred Heart Benedictine Foundation, baking cookies, helping with dishes. 

Sister Monica’s final move was in March 2011, when she again went to St. Vincent’s, but this time as a resident.  On June 5, 2018, we celebrated her 100^th birthday at St. Vincent’s with her, the residents and staff.  After her 101^th she grew more and more quiet, but she did not lose her smile.  She was eager to go home to the Lord she loved on earth unto everlasting life.

Sister Monica is survived by her nephews Michael Thome, Grenora, and Dennis Thome, Ravenswood, WV; niece Doris Ann Lindvig, Williston; her Benedictine Sisters, Dickinson; and countless people she touched in this life.