Sister Dora Zapf, SDS
Missionary to the World

Sister Dora Zapf SDS was born in Kirchschonbach, Germany.  Attending a parish mission Sister decided to devote her life to God in the Salvatorian Order to work in the missions.  After candidature and novitiate in Horrem, Germany, Sister Dora traveled to England to study English the language needed in Tanzania, East Africa.  Completing her English studies, Sister went to Dar es Salaam where the Salvatorian Sisters operated a primary school for African children.  Sister Dora, trained as a tailor  first worked as the “mother” for the children who were at the boarding in the primary school.  While she did this, she also did shopping for electrical parts and other necessities for the missionaries in the rural , southern region for the Diocese of Nachingwea. 

The Salvatorian school was given over to the Tanzanian Bishops to provide for high school education for uneducated Tanzanian sisters, and Sister Dora went to Lupaso to teach Tanzanian girls how to sew and other domestic skills such as first aid for their families.   Sister Dora also was asked to work as coordinator of the kitchen and other workers at the Nandembo mission.  Then Sister Dora came back to Masasi, a central house where the Salvatorians built a high school for Tanzanian girls.  Sister Dora again worked to help not only the local mission, but also helped provide missionaries in remote areas. 

In 1963 when Brother Regis began to send mission supplies that companies in the United States were willing to donate to offset their inventories for tax purposes, Brother sent clothing, paint, and especially medicines for the missions in Tanzania.  Sister Dora was at Masasi when these arrived and helped unpack the treasures and send them on to the appropriate places.  Eventually, Sister Dora was invited to come to the United States to help in the Salvatorian Warehouse at New Holstein, (near Green Bay) Wisconsin where she has been since 1970.

As Brother Regis has worked with missionary appeals from around the world, Sister Dora has worked with Brother to help those in many countries.

Sister Dora works not only with Brother Regis Fust, SDS, Brother Richard Cantarella, SDS, but also with Sister Oda Marie DeGroot, OP and at least temporarily with Sister Mechthildis Nambunga, SDS, as well as many lay volunteers.