Sister Flavia Dampf, S.S.S.

Sister Flavia (born Angelina Dampf) was born to Michael and Augusta Dampf (nee: Schneflok) in Szentgotthárd/Rábakethely (North-West of Hungary) in 1924. The family raised six children: four boys and two girls.

While she was still as a little child her family immigrated to Toronto, Canada. The parents were very "community" conscious, little Angelina learned early how to pay attention and lend a helping hand to the poor, lonely or handicapped persons.

First, she attended public schools; only around the end of grade school was she enrolled in a Catholic school. Although she encountered various religious congregations and had a relationship of helping in their projects, she was not attracted to them. She was looking for a "missionary" order – poor and serv¬ing the needy. Her spiritual director called her attention to the Sisters of Social Service who came from the west to teach summer school at parishes in Toronto. First Angelina thought that those sisters had a very weird habit… yet she went with them to Stockholm, Saskatchewan to try their community. After just one month with the sisters, she asked for admission to the Sisters of Social Service. It was 1942. Life there was very hard (poverty, terribly cold winters, teaching in a school with ten grades in one room) but she knew she was in the right place – this “missionary" outpost so distant from the urban life she had known in Toronto. Sister Flavia made her first vows in 1944.

She attended her schools in Toronto; she earned a degree of teacher certificate Stockholm, Saskatchewan 1943. She was teaching in elementary schools in Preston and Hamilton Ontario.

In 1953 Sister Flavia transferred from the Canadian SSS to Buffalo.

She went back to Toronto to study Social Work and earned a degree 1956.

Sister Flavia served at the parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel (Blasdell) and then Saint Anthony Church (Lackawanna). She spent some years in Syracuse (NY) when a group of SSS novices (later young sisters) staffed the House of Providence: a home for children from troubled families. As a companion to our foundress Sister Margaret Slachta she spent some time (years??) in Tuxedo Park NY where Queen Zita (the widow of the last Austro- Hungarian king) resided. During that time, she taught catechesis in the local parish.

Upon returning to Buffalo Sister Flavia became a CCD teacher at St. Mary’s church in Buffalo.

Her last ministry was at Blessed Trinity Church in Buffalo where she was Pastoral Associate. Besides her ministry at the parish she visited the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation to minister those who belonged to the Catholic Church.

Although Sister Flavia retired in 2008, she continued to attend the parish daily until her deteriorating health prevented her.

In the Sisters of Social Service community Sister Flavia served in the District Council thee different times; she was delegate to the General Chapter in 1979 and 1985; she also served as delegate of the Buffalo SSS to the Federation of the SSS.

In Pentecost 2019 she celebrated 75 years of jubilee.

Sister Flavia returned to God on October 24, 2020

She died 96, at the age of at the Clarence residence of the Sisters of St. Joseph, where she resided since October 24, 2011 and was cared for lovingly.

Mass of Christian Burial

BLESSED SACRAMENT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020

10:00 AM