February 01, 2010 | 11:12 AM

Sister Bernita Hessling holds up a collage of photos from her 100th birthday celebration at Marian Village in Homer Glen. photo: Amanda Battaglia.

When asked how it was different to grow up in the 1900s, one Marian Village resident laughed.

"I lived in a horse-and-buggy state and had no electricity for a while," she said. "But it was a lot of fun."

On Jan. 21, Sister Bernita Hessling, one of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, celebrated her 100th birthday. She said the day felt no different than any other.

"It was like a normal day. I woke up after midnight and said 'happy birthday' to myself. I'm the only one in my family who has reached 100."

To celebrate her birthday, a crowd of around 100, including fellow SSND and residents of Marian Village, met for a Mass in the chapel of Marian Village, followed by a lunch in the dining hall. A Christian brother at Marian Village made a white vanilla and pineapple cream cake for the celebration.

"I had a wonderful lunch," Hessling said. "The whole community coming together to sing — it was more than I expected."

Gifts Hessling received included orchids, a small statue of the Lady of the Garden, and an emerald-colored marble rosary.

Due to weather conditions, Hessling's family could not attend her birthday celebration. But in March the 100-year-old will travel to Peoria to have a family party.

Hessling said she grew up on a farm in a large family, as she was the youngest of three brothers and three sisters. Although she played games outside every once-in-a-while, the majority of Hessling's time was spent doing chores around the farm.

"I helped milk the cows in the barn, I drove hay wagons to help Dad, pulled weeds and picked apples," she said.

At age 6, Hessling first attended school at St. Joseph Church in Peoria, which she said is now designated as a landmark. She went to Peoria High School and then became an SSND. One of the missions of the SSND is to enable persons to reach to fullness of their potential as individuals created in God's image, said Hessling, who has been a Sister for 80 years.

Hessling decided to continue her education and become a teacher, and earned a Bachelor of Art's degree in education from Mount Mary College. She began her teaching career at Holy Rosary School in Chicago in 1931.

Throughout her career Hessling has taught mostly first-graders at Catholic parochial schools in Wisconsion, Illinois and Indiana. Sometimes her class sizes would reach more than 60 students. She taught for more than 50 years.

"I enjoyed teaching," she said. "If I could get them to read it was a great joy."

Hessling also enjoys baking. Her favorite foods to make are coffee cake or a pork chop fricassee. She also enjoys craft work and donates a lot of her needlepoint and crocheting work.

Hessling offered several words of advice.

"Take one day at a time and keep healthy — I've been pretty healthy all the way through," she said. "Also, be happy and cheerful and have a lot of friends. Amen."

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