Catholics in Indonesia’s Ruteng Diocese are mourning the death of a Dutch-born nun who spent more than half of her life doing family pastoral work in their diocese.
Sister Robertilde Wihelmina van Der Meer from the Congregation of Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) died on June 18 at 87 and was buried at the congregation’s cemetery in Ruteng on June 21.
News of her death prompted many Catholics, including the district government, to express their condolences on social media for the friendly nun.
Sister Natalia Maria Naki, director of SSpS-run St. Raphael Hospital in Cancar, 15 kilometers west of Ruteng, who had lived with Sister Robertilde since 2012, said the nun showed “total devotion to the people she served.”