For the sisters of St. Elizabeth, the year 2011 has been an eventful one, starting with the centenary celebration and a special exhibit commemorating the anniversary of the arrival of the first sisters in Humboldt.
But not all the events have been as pleasant to administer to, such as the closure of the convent's 10 beds in its infirmary at the end of August.
This comes on the heels of the important auction held at the convent August 20, preceded by the closure of the convent's museum that housed the artifacts associated with the order's history in the area. Those items, including more than a dozen Imhoff paintings from the former chapel, were donated to the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery this year.
The sisters know that they have to let go of the material keepsakes, because they too face the inevitable certainty that they will be vacating the premises in the not too distant future.
The sisters have had to rely on the faith that unites their community to guide them in the right direction, as they face these and other decisions about the future of the establishment in Humboldt.
Sister Philomena Dobmeier said that choosing to close the infirmary wasn't an easy decision, but it was one that couldn't be put off any longer
"It had become very costly for us to continue," she explained. "We had a small grant from the health department in 2005, but it didn't cover the costs."
Sr. Philomena spoke about the costs of things like employing enough personnel to be able to run the infirmary and use the special equipment for bedridden patients according to health regulations.
"We have been preparing for this for two years," she said. "We took our time, working with the Department of Health to find spots for the sisters to go to from here."
There were several criteria that the sisters felt had to be met when choosing a new location for the sisters in the infirmary, the first being that it should be a Catholic nursing home.
The second, and perhaps even more important in the sisters' eyes, was that the women should not be split up if at all possible. They wanted the sisters to be able to keep the familiarity of the community they were used to in their new location.
"We were very fortunate in securing the beds at St. Joseph's Home," Sr. Philomena said, "and we had to proceed with what is best for the community of sisters, no matter how difficult it is for all involved."
The special care home is owned and administered by the Ukrainian Sisters of St. Joseph of Saskatoon."
She said that the move to St. Joseph's is a temporary one, while they wait for a new facility in Saskatoon to open in 2012.
