In Memory of Sister Mary Alphonsus Guidry

"Reine Guidry" was the name that little Marguerite Brou heard from her aunt who went off to college at Dominican. Later Marguerite's sister Marie Louise spoke of the young nun, Sr. Mary Alphonsus, with admiration, so that when Marguerite's turn came to go away to Dominican, she was looking forward to meeting this special person, and she was not disappointed. (Marguerite also became a Dominican Sister.)

Reine had entered the community on St. Dominic's Day in 1927, the senior in her group with Sisters Mary Fidelis Lohman, and Adelaide Killilea; they were joined on August 15 by Sisters Mary James Hunt-Fabacher, Leo Betpouey, and Gregory Hesse. Among the novices who preceded them was her first cousin, Sister Mary Beatrice. After finishing college in 1928 she was soon certified to teach "any subject, except the highly specialized ones." Thus it was that she later found herself teaching high school Religion, Latin, Physics and Algebra II. Among her students were Aimee Haulard and Mary Louise Albrecht, who were destined to enter the community. Sister Mary Aimee remembers "fun" Saturdays spent waxing the front parlor and polishing silver with her; Sister Mary Louise learned more from her kindness and charity than from any class. "She had beautiful hands," Mary Louise noted, "maybe because those hands were constantly at work creating beautiful things."

In the hot summer of '48 Dorothy Dawes was indebted to Sister Mary Alphonsus for volunteering to make all her black clothes for entrance. She sewed on her portable sewing machine in the old school cafeteria. Mary Michael could not forget how Sister made every stitch of her final profession outfit at St. Leo's. Only a few days ago, noting that Mary Michael wasn't feeling well, and understanding it was the cancer, "Phonsie" said in her direct way, and from her own depths: "Michael, prayer, and only prayer will get you through this."

She was the only daughter of her parents, who had a general store in Raceland. They named her "Queen," and so she was. After her parents had both died she cared for her brother Arnold, who had suffered brain damage from a childhood fever. When her failing health forced her to leave the old home in Raceland, a dear friend took care of him until he died peacefully in July at 77. Sister was peaceful, too. "He had a happy life," she said.

Her hold on life was fragile last spring, but then she fought her way back, drawing on her inner strength. She made colorful novelty items for the Motherhouse Guild Boutique in the fall, and at holiday time even found her way to the motherhouse kitchen to whip up pineapple tarts for the sisters from her own recipe, in between three trips a week to Touro Infirmary for dialysis. Mardi Gras hats were her latest creation, and ingredients were on order for the next round of treats.

When she said medical science had found one person who recovered and was free of dialysis, we agreed to ask her brother Arnold for the gift of her healing. But when she died in her sleep soon after, it seemed like maybe Arnold had an even better idea. We will miss her, and the beauty she created wherever she went.