Sister Catherine Manderfeld
"I was called 'Luella' at home since there were so many 'Catherines' in the family," said Sister Catherine Manderfeld with a giggle. Catherine Luella Manderfeld was born October 28, 1917, in Genesee, ID, to Henry Anton and Anna Marie Kambitsch Manderfeld. The eldest of six, Catherine learned early in life.
"One day when I was in second grade, my mother sent me to town to sell the cream." She was instructed by her mother to endorse the check and buy a spelling book required for school. "So I did," Sister Catherine remembered matter-of-factly.
Educated by the Benedictine sisters at St. Joseph's school in Genesee, Catherine's transition to St. Gertrude's Academy and into the postulancy was nearly seamless. Life at St. Gertrude's was similar to home – lots of gardening, chores and responsibility.
Tone deaf, Catherine found learning Gregorian chant nearly impossible. "I was something of a cross for Sister Eugenia, my novice mistress, to bear," Catherine smiled.
Catherine became Sr. Catherine in 1934. At the grand old age of 16, she took her first teaching position in Nez Perce. The priest wanted "someone with a veil. It apparently didn't matter if they had any experience," quipped Sr. Catherine. She taught elementary grades for the next 12 years.
After studying to become a medical lab technician, Sr. Catherine was selected as the physics and higher math teacher at St. Gertrude's Academy. So back to school she went to earn her teaching certificate. Sister Catherine earned a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Secondary Education, with minors in Math and Philosophy.
"I liked biology and the natural sciences best," Sr. Catherine explained. "However, learning physics and math helped me be a better teacher. I had to 'learn' the subjects, just like my students, so I understood what would help them succeed."
In 1977 Sister Catherine was ready for a break from her 27 years of teaching high school. She became Sister Alfreda Elsensohn's fulltime assistant at the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude.With the help of many sisters, Sister Catherine began making sense of the voluminous data, notes and artifacts, focusing the collection on North Central Idaho. She learned how to display artifacts using "common sense. I am an amateur, no doubt," she admitted.
In 1999 Sr. Catherine and the sisters of St. Gertrude were awarded Idaho's first ever Esto Perpetua award for outstanding accomplishments in preserving Idaho's heritage. Not bad for an amateur.
In reviewing her 70 years as a sister, the teacher admitted she learned a lesson: "Life is lived one day at a time; we do what we need to do," said Sr. Catherine. "I am grateful for the way God was able to touch lives through me."
Last Year's Birthday: Sister Catherine celebrates 93 years
Sister Catherine Manderfeld strode into her 93rd year with the steadiness characteristic of her familiar walk through the Monastery halls.
“I feel pretty lucky,” she said. “I am up and walking around. It’s definitely more interesting than being in a wheelchair.”
Keeping things interesting has been an enduring characteristic of her life. She made her First Profession in 1934 and quickly began teaching elementary school in Nez Perce at the age of 16. Her education took her to Mt. Angel, University of Idaho and eventually Gonzaga University when it finally admitted women.
Her long teaching career has been honored over the years by many former students. It began with 12 years in elementary schools and then 27 years at St. Gertrude’s Academy through when it became a public school. There she taught physics, chemistry, algebra, biology and geometry.
Sister Jean Lalande remembers having Sister Catherine as a teacher in second grade: “She was a great teacher!” she says. Sister Mary Marge Goeckner is among the sisters who had Sister Catherine in high school and her sentiments were the same.
After she retired from teaching, Sister Catherine joined Sister Alfreda Elsensohn at the Historical Museum. Local scholar Dr. Sam Couch recalls Sister Catherine helping him with his dissertation when he was doing research at the museum.
Sister Catherine says that her favorite thing about living at the Monastery now is the “freedom to attend Chapel and prayer.” At mid-day Mass, Father Eamonn wished her a happy birthday and dedicated to her a reading of a poem called “Prayer” by Mary Oliver.
“I am slow,” says Sister Catherine, “but I still have plenty to do and if the Lord lets me live some more years, maybe I will get it done!”