- Date Of Birth: November 1, 1935
- Date Of Death: November 13, 2021
- State: Indiana
Entered the Sisters of the Holy Cross from South Bend, Indiana, on September 6, 1954
Initial Profession of Vows on August 15, 1957
Fall is a season of harvest, thanksgiving and remembrance. The Sisters of the Holy Cross remember Sister M. Clare Alfred (Bill) who died in Saint Mary’s Convent, Notre Dame, Indiana, on the morning of November 13, 2021. During her 64 years of vowed life, Sister enriched her community and those to whom she ministered.
Autumn marks Sister Clare Alfred’s birth 86 years ago and her death in November during which Catholic Christians celebrate their eternal bonds with all the faithful departed. In the northern hemisphere and in northern Indiana, this is the season when trees gradually unfurl their bright colors. Blanche Ann Bill was born on the Feast of All Saints, November 1, 1935 in South Bend, Indiana. Her parents were devout Catholics at Saint Patrick Church. Her father, Alfred C. Bill, was an office clerk who died during Blanche’s transition from eighth grade to high school. Her mother, Clara M. (Scheibelhut) Bill, eventually remarried and was known as Mrs. Walter L. Clements. Blanche had two siblings with whom she was close, Rev. Thomas L. Bill, CSC, and Marilyn who married and became Mrs. Robert C. Strebinger.
Blanche attended Saint Patrick School and Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, both staffed by Holy Cross sisters who awakened in her a vocation to religious life early on in elementary school. Sister M. Anita Jane (Twombly), CSC, principal of the high school, awarded Blanche a scholarship so the potential postulant could attend the academy until Blanche graduated in June 1954. That September Blanche entered the convent and began her formation at the motherhouse at Saint Mary’s. Sister M. des Victoires (Bognar), CSC, had described Blanche as a “true child of Mary with a depth of spirituality” needed to mature as a woman and Holy Cross religious. Upon reception of the holy habit, August 5, 1955, Blanche became known as Sister Mary Clare Alfred, in honor of her parents. Her friends knew her simply as “Clare.”
For 20 years (1957-1977) Sister Clare Alfred served in parochial schools teaching the primary grades in Indiana, Iowa and Illinois. She was serving in the Diocese of Peoria in the 1970’s when Catholic parishes were beginning to merge with as many as three other parishes due to shifting demographics. Those changes were the catalyst to move her from classroom teaching to parish ministry. Her bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Saint Mary’ College in 1967, affirmed her love of music, but she later felt music was not as helpful in teaching other subject areas. It was then that Sister Clare Alfred pursued a master’s degree in Religious Education, graduating from Mundelein College, Chicago, in 1977. This preparation led to her 17 years as a religious education coordinator. She served in that position at St. Mary’s Parish, Streator, Illinois and at St. Stephen and St. Casimir Parish in South Bend, Indiana. Clare wrote of her favorite ministry, “I loved enriching the lives of the teachers as well as helping the students have a greater love of God.” She also served at this time on the CSC Hispanic Committee.
Sister Clare Alfred bore quietly many profound losses and outlived her immediate family. In 1985 she began caring for her mother for four years at her mother’s home in South Bend while Sister was still able to minister locally. Her mother died soon after being moved to a nursing home. Loss of her father, when she was still a child, was searing for her. She had a special affection for her sister Marilyn and continued her relationship with her children and other extended family. Father Bill had presided significant liturgical celebrations in Sister Clare Alfred’s life. And she lost so many good friends in Holy Cross. May this communion of saints now meet in the heavenly Jerusalem, whose foundations are of precious jewels of every color and the city lined with trees of life, the leaves of which are the cure for every nation, (Revelation 21:18-22:2).
