by Eileen Dushek-Manthe
Sr. Alfonso Glancey teaches cursive to
Maddy Masters and Ben Keegstra.
Sr. Alfonso Glancey teaches cursive to Maddy Masters and Ben Keegstra. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, you can find Alfonso Glancey, OP, doing a number of different things at St. Dennis School, Madison, WI. She ministers in the office answering the phone, running errands, running the office machines, and comforting children’s little bumps and bruises with a magic ice pack (a frozen sponge). Alfonso also teaches cursive to the 3rd-graders and reviews it with the 4th-graders.
The 4th-graders this year let her know how much she is loved when she spent some time with 4th-grade students who had not attended St. Dennis as 3rd-graders received some individual guidance on cursive. The rest of the class protested, “How come they get to work with Sr. Alfonso and we don’t?” Now they all get turns for review.
But don’t think she is a pushover because she is loved so much. Alfonso makes the students work hard to be able to use their cursive outside of her tutorship. Every student must learn all the letters, making them properly before getting the nod from Alfonso to use cursive anytime. For Christmas, the students are allowed to do their first individual project, a hand-written note to their moms.
After 62 years in the ministry of education, Alfonso’s heart continues to rejoice in her work. “I like to see the kids’ happy faces. I hope they see happiness in my face, too.”
Sr. Marie Cagnoni (Bertrandine) reads with children
at St. Dennis School, Madison, WI.
Sr. Marie Cagnoni (Bertrandine) reads with children at St. Dennis School, Madison, WI. Marie Cagnoni, OP (Bertrandine), calls herself a “Jill-of-all-trades.” After retiring from full-time teaching, she moved to St. Dennis Convent, Madison, WI, in 1990 and began a part-time ministry in the parish and school. Marie’s trades over the years have included visiting the homebound and those in nursing homes, ministering with the confirmation candidates, attending to the parish’s senior community, being a teacher aide in the school, and whatever else she is asked to do.
Marie is called upon to visit people infrequently now, but she continues with her other ministries. At age 84, she enjoys being a spirit in the school―giving tours, teaching math facts and reading to the kindergarteners and 1st- and 2nd-graders, praying with and listening to the students, and keeping her special prize box full of trinkets for the students. The teachers do the planning for each child and give her about 15 lessons. Marie can choose what to work on, and when they are all completed, she returns the lessons and gets more.
Elementary students grow up to be confirmation candidates. Marie is spiritual advisor for six former students every year, meeting individually twice and as a group once at a local pizza place.
The senior parish members feel her presence every morning at Eucharist, sharing faith and building community.
Marie says, “The Lord is calling me to do this. God will tell me when to go to the Mound.”