“Whoever comes my way is welcome because they have been created by God and they have the beauty of being a human person, and they are welcome into my life.”
A Life Lived for Others
Remembering Sister Thomas Welder
F
ormer University of Mary President Sister Thomas Welder, OSB, passed away at her Annunciation Monastery home on June 22, 2020, at the age of 80, following a recent diagnosis of kidney cancer. Admired locally, regionally and nationally as a true servant leader, Sister Thomas cared tremendously for all University of Mary students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as her beloved Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. She lived out the Gospel of Jesus daily through her love for people. She often said people energized her and gave her joy, which was evident by her contagious smile 6
Momentum
and how she made everyone feel special. “Sister Thomas lived her life for others,” said Sister Nicole Kunze, Prioress of Annunciation Monastery. “She was always giving to others, whether it was a smile, an encouraging word, or a promise of prayer. She often said that the greatest gift you could give a person was the gift of your time, and she did that without fail. Sister Thomas modeled so many of our Benedictine values with ease and grace. She truly received all as Christ. She was intent on maintaining a vibrant connection between the Sisters of the monastery and our sponsored institutions.”
Diane Welder was born in Linton, North Dakota on April 27, 1940, to Mary Ann (Kuhn) and Sebastian Welder. She was the oldest of three children. When she was two years old, the family moved to Bismarck. A graduate of St. Mary’s High School, she joined Annunciation Monastery after a year of college in Minnesota. Attracted by the community and prayer life of the Sisters, she felt God’s call to become one of them. She made her monastic profession on July 11, 1961, and took the name Thomas. Sister Thomas cherished Benedictine monastic life, which she lived faithfully for 59 years. She enjoyed directing the community choir and
