In remembrance of our dear Sr. Bernadetta Bodushka OSB

December 24, 1928 - March 26, 2017

Sister Bernadetta Bodushka was born on December 24, 1928 in the village of General now part of Rakovski town, a Catholic enclave in southern . She was baptized Bona Genova. Her parents were simple farmers who worked hard to raise their four children. At the age of ten, when Bona had completed her fourth year of elementary school, she started to work for farmers in the surrounding area. Already at that time she decided to dedicate her life to God.

One of her sisters gave her a rosary as a present and she started to pray the rosary regularly and it became her favorite prayer during all her lifetime. When she once visited her aunt, she met Teresa Pashkova who was a Carmelite nun. Sr. Bernadetta still clearly remembered that encounter: Teresa in her black dress sitting next to the stove telling them how the sisters had been sent home because of the bombings in . After that encounter Bona strongly desired to become a Carmelite. Her parents, although devout Catholics as most of the local families, did not want to hear about her becoming a nun. A young man asked her parents for her hand and they accepted without asking her opinion. The marriage was fixed to take place at Easter.

Bona, distressed, decided to speak to her bishop, Mgr. Ivan Romanov. She told him that she did not want to get married but to enter the Carmelite convent. But where could she find the 60.000,00 Leva for her dowry? The bishop promised to give her 30 000 Leva if she was willing to work and earn the difference. Refusing to get married she started to wear black clothes and a black head cloth and slept hiding in the attic. Sometimes later she started working in the city of with 17 other girls from her village. One day in 1948 she heard the priest saying that the prioress of the Benedictine Sisters, Sr. Aluise Wittner, was looking for girls to work in Zarevbrod. Together with six other young girls she left for Zarevbrod. Bona started to work in the , and in spite of the strenuous work in the garden, harvesting, milking the cows and taking care of the horses, she was happy and decided to become a Benedictine.

In 1951 when the monastery was taken by the communists and transformed into a psychiatric hospital, the Bulgarian Sisters who had perpetual vows were allowed to remain as hospital employees. Bona, who by this time had become a candidate to religious life, was forced to go back home. She stayed with her parents, who by now had accepted that she would not get married. Every day she would go to Church, reciting the rosary before arriving there. She worked as a servant in a military infirmary and later, after completing a course, she made sheepskins jackets. For twenty years she also helped the priests of the of parish, washing the floors, putting flowers to the statutes in the church and baking hosts. During this time she kept in contact with Sr. Stanislava Bratanova and never gave up hope that one day she would become a Benedictine Sister.

After the fall of the Communist regime in Bulgaria two German Sisters came to join the Bulgarian Sisters in 1992. On August 21, 1994, Sr. Quirina Seidl and Sr. Barbara Döring with some believers came to Plovdiv from Zarevbrod for the ordination of Fr. Lubomir Venkov and Fr. Peter Kiosov. Bona was looking forward to this moment. Being asked: “Are you ready to come with us”, she answered: “Yes, I am”. So she left for Zarevbrod with the Sisters and after her time as postulant and novice, she made her first vows on June 06, 1997 at the age of 68. She was given the name Sr. Bernadetta. In June 10, 2000 she pronounced her final vows. Her assignment was in the garden, where she was growing marigold for herbal ointment which Sisters used to prepare for healing skin diseases.

Sr. Bernadetta had a good sense of humour and was a joyful person. She was very dedicated to her work, even at the age of 87 her enthusiasm for gardening never faded. She worked tirelessly with cheerfulness and without complaining and never took credit of her work to herself, she would often say, “It is God’s work.” When people visited the garden and admired it saying ‘Well-done’ or ‘Bravo’, she would reply, “Bravo na magareto”; meaning ‘bravo to the Donkey’. She would then ask them, if they knew why, it is bravo to the donkey, and if they say ‘no’ she would explain that ‘Bravo to the donkey’, because it carried Jesus. Her favourite words were, “God’s will; everything is good, the Lord will take care…”

Her prayer life was a perfect example for her sisters, for she was always ahead of time in the chapel and never absented herself to community activities. Even when new missionaries came and could not speak her language, she would quietly sit and listen. It was easy to live with her in the community; she was always ready to help her fellow sisters when possible.

She highly respected priests and high authorities. She was very devoted to Jesus, to the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. Whenever she passed near any Statue, she would stop and say a silent prayer then touch it as she made the sign of the Cross. Sr. Bernadetta had a good memory; often she would recite poems which she had learnt in her Primary school and sing songs to Mary and Jesus by heart.

She had a big heart for the poor and the children; usually she would give some fruits or vegetables from the garden to the poor or some candies to the children who came to the monastery.

There are no records of Sr. Bernadetta being sick, until the end of last November during her holidays in Sekirovo when she was hospitalized with pulmonary oedema. Some days later an ambulance brought her back to Zarevbrod where she needed again hospitalization. On Christmas Eve, her 88th birthday, she was discharged. She had lost her voice and could only whisper. Lacking appetite and breathing with difficulty she became visibly weaker. But if she was not sleeping, she would always come to the oratory for prayer. She was grateful for any small service and would smile.

The last time she prayed with the community the Divine Office was on the Feast of Annunciation, one day before her death on Sunday, March 26 at 13:15. As simple and peacefully as she had lived she passed away, still accompanying the rosary prayer of the Sisters and later, while they were singing the Suscipe and Salve Regina she breathed her last. Sr. Bernadetta went home to God whom she had loved and served with great devotion.

Dear Sr. Bernadetta, we miss you very much, but we believe that you will intercede for our Bulgarian region in heaven.

While on earth, in the midst of nature, your heart rejoiced over the greatness and beauty of creation, rejoice now forever in the contemplation of the Creator of all beauty and goodness!

Zarevbrod, 8.4.2017

Superior and Sisters in the Bulgarian District of the Generalate