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- There were seven boys and six girls in the John and Teresa Heil Hohman family from Fulda, Ohio. Their sixth and seventh children were twin girls, Eulalia and Bernetta, born on October 14, 1908.
Bernetta grew up in a home where prayer was important and God was the focus of their family life. As a young girl, she knew about the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity of Manitowoc [Wisconsin]. One of the Sisters, Sister Felicitas, used to come to the Hohman home begging for funds. Bernetta recalled how her mother would give Sister the last dollars she had in her purse. This made an impression on the youngster. Another person who inspired Bernetta was her mother's sister, Sister Majella Heil [Mary Heil], who was also a Manitowoc Franciscan. Sister Majella and her companions would visit the Hohman home. Everyone loved her! Bernetta's sister Mary, who was six years older had already entered the Holy Family Convent. This was another sign for Bernetta and she started thinking that perhaps religious life must be a good thing after all.
Putting her future in God's hands, Bernetta entered Holy Family Convent on Jun 9, 1925 at age 16. She was received into the community novitiage as Sister Cordia -- a name meaning "heart" for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (It is not known when Sister began spelling her name "Cordea" rather than the Latin version.)
Sister Cordea received a B.A. from St. Norbert College and was involved in the education ministry until shortly before her death. Sister served in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Delaware, Ohio, and Chicago. She enjoyed her work and was a challenging teacher. She was a conscientious person, well organized, and provided students with many opportunities to learn at their old pace.
She helped many Sisters who went out teaching for the first time. She was generous, supported, and very devoted to Catholic education. Her work ethic, kindness and attitude were an example for others. Many young sister teachers looked up to her for guidance as well as for inspiration in living their religious lives.
Sister Cordea was a very modest person, not inclined to boast about herself. It was learned from conversations with others that Sister was recognized for her outstanding service at St. Nicholas School in Zanesville, and that her name had been inscribed on a plaque that hung in the main hall of the school building. In this same vein, it was revealed that on the occasion of her 50th jubilee of religious profession, she had been congratulated by the Ohio Senate for her outstanding contributions to the people of God, and last, but not least, was the medallion and certificate she received for her faithful service at the closing of St. Charles Lwanga School, Chicago.
In 1987, Sister Cordea joined the staff at St. Charles Lwanga School in Chicago's inner city. She worked hard tutoring students and giving them the individual attention they needed to succeed. She dearly loved her years at St. Charles Lwanga.
Sister Cordea, as Father Jadin said in his homily, suffered from cancer for 25 years. Pain and loss that cam Sister's way may perhaps have been the biggest challenge to her faith. Besides her own personal suffering, losing Sister Benita Marie in 1992 (her sister) was very painful. It was this older sister who comforted Sister Cordea when she first learned she had cancer. Yet Jesus' resurrection glory did not call Sister Cordea away from these realities, but enabled her to face them. During the last few years her strength seemed to be overly taxed, yet her cheerful spirit remained. When she came to the Motherhouse in early fall [1993] she had every intention of going back to her work at Rhinelander Catholic Central. She wanted to get well -- her spirit was willing -- but her body was weakening. Finally, Sister Cordea had to resign herself to the fact that she could no longer do the work she loved -- helping children with the necessary tools to give them confidence to succeed. Jesus came to free Sister Cordea from her earthly sufferings and took her to her new home on Tuesday night, October 6, 1993.
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1908 - 1993 (84 years)
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