Sister Paula was the fourth of six children born to parents Joseph and Mary (Soenneker) Pohlmann of Melrose, Minn. Living on a farm provided Sister Paula the opportunity to experience life in a community of eight, to learn to do farm chores, to appreciate nature in its seasonal rhythms and to care for this piece of earth that they called home. Through the example of her parents, Sister Paula and her siblings learned about farming and gardening and came to respect Mother Earth and appreciate her fruitfulness. Although her family lived through the Great Depression, they did not see themselves as poor because the farm produced most of their food and they learned a great deal about frugality and simplicity. Until Sister Paula's eighth-grade year there was no electricity in the house; to this day she remembers the excitement of lighting up the yard with the touch of one switch!

Besides her excellent grade school teacher, Sister Paula was introduced to the Franciscan community by three aunts and several cousins who were members of the Little Falls Franciscans. Sister Paula attended St. Francis High School. Two years after graduation and inspired by her teacher's wholistic approach to learning, the influence of her family and a bit of the Holy Spirit, Sister Paula returned to Little Falls to become a member of the community on January 31, 1948.

Her childhood dream of becoming a nurse was realized as she received her first assignment to study nursing in Breckenridge, Minn. Later she served as a nursing instructor and a hospital administrator. As healthcare and her expertise continued to evolve, she served with four sisters on a team which was formed to coordinate administrative functions in all community health care facilities. Additionally, Sister Paula served in Leadership for eight years, during which time a shift in focus was made from institutional ministry to more socially-oriented service to the poor. While on sabbatical in Berkeley, Calif, Paula came to the realization "that a shift was happening within my being." Instead of institutional ministry, she felt called to a more person-to-person approach to healing. So, for the past 20 years, she has brought a direct hands-on approach to persons in need of healing. In particular she has compassion for those whose "old baggage" leads them to seek liberation from this bondage. She is committed to assist these individuals and finds such "body work" to be reciprocal in that she too becomes freer to realize her own full potential.

Over the past six years, Sister Paula has had the privilege of participating in three two-week reverse mission experiences in Nicaragua. These experiences provided opportunity to be touched by the life and culture of a people who have much to teach about careful use of resources and living simply with a joyful heart. She was particularly impressed by how, in the absence of ordained priests, the people eagerly came together for Sunday Eucharist as ably presided over by a lay leader.

Looking back over these 60 years, her spirit is joy-filled. Awakening each morning happy to be alive, happy to have another day to touch and be touched by the persons who join her on her path, happy for the wonders of creation that surround her. "My years have indeed been grace-filled years. I am humbled and grateful to have been called into this community where goodness has surrounded me. I am grateful to all of the women who have gone before me and whose bodies rest in our cemetery. Their lives linger in my memory and their example has energized my soul."

At a glance

Ministry: Healing Ministry
Location: Annandale, MN