Cecilia Mary Blatt was born on May 7, 1907 to Nicholas and Anna (Malget) in Granville, Iowa. She was the ninth of eleven children and the youngest girl. She had seven sisters and three brothers and grew up on a farm. She was small but healthy and strong. She attended the parish school in Granville for nine years and her teachers were the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family.

She enjoyed playing baseball and took up crocheting and knitting for hobbies as a girl. After finishing school, she lived on the farm and helped with farm work and housework and did occasional babysitting. She loved horses and enjoyed driving wagons. Her mother wouldn’t let the girls ride the horses as she was afraid they would turn out bowlegged.

Cecilia was the first in the family to enter religious life. She had read in a missal that it was vital to “save your soul”; so from her early school days she had a desire to become a sister. She learned about the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration through Tabernacle and Purgatory. “I knew I didn’t want to teach and the idea of a life of prayer centered on adoration of the Eucharist attracted me,” she recalled.

When Cecilia entered on March 23, 1927 she was nineteen years old with one year of high school, which was considered a good education in those days. She was afraid if she didn’t enter soon she would be too old. Her father traveled with her when she first came to Clyde and told her, “Remember, the doors are always open; you can come home if you want.”

Her sister Philomena entered at Clyde six months after Cecilia. She was to become Sr. M. Adela. Another sister wanted to join the community but the teachers of their parish school convinced her that there were enough Benedictines in the family already and she became Sr. Rose, a Sister of St. Francis of the Holy Family in Dubuque, IA.

Mother Mary Dolorosa was prioress when she entered. She was a postulant for six months and then was a novice for one year under Sr. Mary Carmelita in the novitiate. Cecilia made First Vows on March 16, 1929 and received the name Sr. Mary Irmina. She made Perpetual Vows on April 8, 1934. A tragedy marked the day before her Perpetual Vows. Two young men working at Clyde at the time, William Schmieding, 24 and James Brady, 17 went to the pond for a boat ride after supper. They were out in the center when the boat upset and both were drowned. William was the younger brother of our Sr. Mary Hilda.

Sr. Irmina lived in Clyde until 1953. She worked in the kitchen for the first twelve years and at that time they fed between 250 and 300 people per meal. Meals were prepared for the sisters, academy students, guests, workmen, infirmary patients and the chaplain. Each group was served separately and sometimes the menu was different as well. There were usually five or six sisters or novices working together. Sr. Irmina was usually the meat cook.

She also worked in the chicken house and bakery. During World War II it became difficult to get enough help for outside work. She was then assigned to work on the farm and in the orchard. She ended up milking cows for 13 years. In 1953 she went to Kansas City and worked in the kitchen and the altar bread department. She also lived in San Diego and Mundelein over the years where she continued to work in the kitchen and altar bread department. She moved to St. Louis in 1978 and worked in the kitchen, refectory and sacristy. It was there that she really began her craftwork. She started with mobiles learned from her sister, Sr. Rose, and then moved on to crocheting baptismal stoles and producing other little items such as refrigerator magnets and Hershey Kiss containers. As she worked on her crafts, Sr. Irmina would often listen to the St. Louis Cardinals baseball games.

She moved to Clyde in 2001 and in 2003 she became a member of Our Lady of Rickenbach community at Clyde. In 2004, Sr. Irmina wrote, I am grateful that God called me to our Congregation and am grateful for daily Eucharist. I am grateful for the excellent superiors I have had and I love the novices and junior sisters as they bring new life to our Congregation. ”

Sr. Irmina was physically able and mentally sharp until the last few years of her life. On September 5, 2010, Founder’s Day, Sr. Rita went in to see her after Lauds around 8 am and Sr. lrmina had gone home to God. She died at the age of 103 yrs and 121 days; the record for longevity in the congregation.

Sr. Irmina was preceded in death by her sister, Sr. M. Adela, who died March 9, 1991. The Mass of Christian burial was held on Sept 8th, 2010 at Clyde. Nieces and nephews from Iowa and Oklahoma attended her funeral.

Sr. Imina was the last living member of the 11 children. Her oldest sister had made it to the ripe old age of 104. She also had an aunt who had lived to be 106.