“The people who wrote wonderful stories and lived wonderful lives seemed to count on books,” said Sister Mary Alyce Lach, a School Sister of Notre Dame now in her 73rd year of religious life. “And that impressed on me how important books were.” Books, teaching, and a promise to be a help to God’s people have been enduring touchstones for her.
Where did it all begin? “My third grade teacher, Sister Mary Bethel, B.V.M, read to us a chapter a day of “The Life of the Little Flower,” about Therese of Lisieux,” said Sister Mary Alyce. “I wanted all my family to be in heaven as a nine-year-old listening to this story, and I especially liked the section on doing little things extraordinarily well for all people. I decided right there and then I would be a sister. I didn’t really know what that meant – beyond Sister Bethel, the teacher right in front of me – but I was going to be a sister.”
And as a sister, she was a teacher. “I never doubted that I wanted to be a teacher – I could see what good things teachers had done for me and my friends. “The way the young children would bounce into my classroom – I never wanted to lose that. I was never meant to be a first grade teacher as I had a certificate in secondary education, but there was a need and I answered that call.
“Teaching in the Diocese of Milwaukee was extraordinarily wonderful for me because the diocese … was totally dedicated to education,” said Sister Mary Alyce. “They had a huge staff; they provided us with a convention that had great speakers. Book companies provided teaching products, and we had a lot of encouragement. That support and enthusiasm was very impressive and helpful.”
Through her continued years of ministry, Sister Mary Alyce’s roles would change as she went on to also be a guidance counselor, principal, professor, director of the temporary professed, and a provincial councilor for the former Milwaukee Province. She was a volunteer mentor to the ministry director at Mount Mary University and read to the students at Hmong American Peace Academy in Milwaukee. Wherever she’s been, she’s found ways to help people grow through reading and learning, a perfect example of the School Sisters of Notre Dame philosophy, “We are educators in all we are and do.”
That willingness to evolve and grow through her ministries, to move to new cities (and then back again), and to actively respond to the needs in front of her is also reflected in one of her own personal mantras, “Adjust we must.”
Adjust we must!
Sister Mary Alyce Lach
“It keeps you in control. When someone changes your plans, you feel diminished. But when you look at it and say, ‘What can I do, how can I do it, and why do I want to do it,’ then you’ve figured it out. So adjust we must! It has worked for me.”
It was in “retirement” that she again embraced her work with younger children through her love of reading and books.
Sister Mary Alyce lives at Trinity Woods in Milwaukee, a unique intergenerational community that is home to retired School Sisters of Notre Dame, independent seniors, and student mothers attending class at Mount Mary University, along with their children. Trinity Woods also houses a children’s center, and upon hearing that bit of news before she even moved in, Sister Mary Alyce reached out seeking permission to start a reading program at the center, now known as the Book Nook.
Surrounded by shelves of more than 1,000 books, twice a month, children gather to listen to stories read to them by a group of dedicated volunteers. The 25 Book Nook volunteers are evenly divided between sisters and laypeople living at Trinity Woods.
When asked what feedback she receives from the other volunteers on what they like about the program and reading to the children, Sister Mary Alyce said, “Let me say it this way – they never miss. They don’t call up and say, ‘I can’t come today.’”
The Book Nook library is comprised of donations, both large and small. Sister Mary Alyce shares that the first 600 books were donated by a group of individuals who simply heard about the idea and wanted to help. They even coordinated with a librarian to seek advice on the best choices to build the collection. Other sisters, fellow residents of Trinity Woods, and former students of Sister Mary Alyce also contribute new books.
At one time, Sister Mary Alyce had an incredible 4,000 books in her personal collection that she had built over her years of teaching. Comprised of titles in children’s literature, adolescent literature, fairy tales, myths, and child development, it was evidence of the joy and priority of reading in her life.
While preparing for a move, she sorted and donated many books to other teachers, ensuring the stories would continue to be read and enjoyed. In the end, another 1,000 of those books went to the Book Nook and Rising Stars, a one-on-one tutoring program and ministry of School Sisters of Notre Dame. Sister Mary Alyce volunteers for Rising Stars as well, and the many books she gave the program earned her a dedicated shelf in the Rising Stars classroom.
The obvious question to ask someone like Sister Mary Alyce is, “What is your favorite book?”
“There are so many wonderful children’s books, but the all-time favorite for me is ‘Where the Wild Things Are.’ The reason I love that book is that the child has unconditional love and he knows it. When he comes back from his runaway trip, outside his door is the porridge – and it’s still hot. The children get that and they love that story.”
For the older children, Sister Mary Alyce’s list includes “Charlotte’s Web” and the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
And for herself? “There is no favorite of mine because, when I pick up a book, that’s what I like—the one I am reading.”
“I want to let everyone know how grateful I am for all the opportunities I’ve had – not for only myself to learn, but to be able to share what I learn with others and at different levels in people’s lives. That’s been a wonderful mission and ministry for me.”
— by Jennifer Tomshack