Sister Alvina marks 105 years

Feb. 14—My big thing is surrender. I don't demand, I just surrender whatever happens. I've been at the convent for a long time; you just learn from day to day. Whatever God wants, I don't fight him.

Sister Alvina Miller

A teacher, librarian and pastoral minister for almost all of her years of ministry, Sister Alvina Miller has touched the lives of many adults and students, book lovers, and those who love centering prayer. Those words were shared for the 2020 jubilee celebration of the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse in Great Bend. This Friday marks another milestone as Sister Alvina will celebrate her 105th birthday.

She was born on Feb. 17, 1918, on a farm north of Catherine. Her great-grandfather came from Russia, buying many acres of Ellis County land for $5 an acre. The immediate family included her parents Adam and Russian-born Alvina Miller, a sister and, much later, two brothers. The family attended church at Severin, making the four-mile trip in a horse-drawn buggy. Today, her "buggy" is a mobility scooter that takes her to the dining hall or prayer services in the chapel.

As a young girl, she attended grades 1-8 at Lost Canyon School, a two-room school located on the corner of the family land.

Sister Alvina entered the Dominican Sisters of Peace when she was 14 years old and attended the high school at the convent. After that, she became a teacher. For the next 32 years, she would teach at many different schools, including Garden City, Willowdale in Kingman County, and Seward.

Other callings

Next, she was a pastoral minister for 11 years, working in Hoisington. She was also a librarian for many years, setting up the library at the convent in Great Bend. She studied library science at Fort Hays State University and earned a master's degree at Notre Dame.

Her work also allowed her to travel, visiting Israel, Jordan, Greece and Italy in one year. There is an old photo, reproduced in her autobiography, of her sitting on a camel on her way to see a pyramid at the time of her golden jubilee. That is when she celebrated 50 years of profession. "I was young then," she noted.

Family

Her immediate family has passed on, but Sister Alvina has two sisters-in-law. They stay in touch by telephone and the younger sister-in-law, Gloria, lives in Wichita and plans to attend Alvina's birthday celebration. Gloria Miller is now in her mid-80s and still teaches at Magdalen Catholic School.

Her other sister-in-law, Maria, is in her 90s and lives in Texas. Originally from Germany, she met the eldest of Alvina's two brothers when he was stationed there in the Army.

Sister Alvina has invited about half a dozen people to celebrate her birthday Friday afternoon at the convent, including some of the people she worked with in Hoisington. There will be gluten-free cake.

Life today

Sister Alvina's daily routine starts when she rises each morning at 6 a.m., dresses and has prayer time, followed by breakfast at 7:30 and lunch at 11:45. The sisters have supper at 5:30 p.m. but she skips the evening meal and chooses a piece of fruit instead. "I don't work so I don't need a lot of food," she said.

Today, Sister Alvina's hearing and eyesight aren't what they used to be, and she has spinal stenosis, which causes pain or numbness in the legs. She doesn't complain, noting everything is within reach in her small living quarters and "I have my buggy" if she needs to go farther.

"I just got hearing aids about a year ago," she said. As for her eyesight, "I can't read a whole lot, but one sister enrolled me in Xavier Society for the Blind." Through its talking books program, she listens to stories about the lives of saints.

She also enjoys watching programs on PBS, especially nature shows. "There are some good things on TV and some things you don't ever want to hear," she noted.

Sister Eloise Hertel has known Sister Alvina for more than 50 years and says she has many wonderful qualities. The word that best describes her might be "content," Sister Eloise said.

"She's always so satisfied, a woman of gratitude," she said. "I try to be a little more like her every day."

Sister Alvina wrote her life story in a book several years ago and chose the Bible verse Isaiah 49:16 for the cover: "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." It is a fitting choice for her philosophy of life.

"My big thing is surrender," she said. "I don't demand, I just surrender whatever happens. I've been at the convent for a long time; you just learn from day to day. Whatever God wants, I don't fight him."

Community Connections is a regular feature of the Great Bend Tribune, showcasing people who live in the Golden Belt. We welcome readers to submit names of individuals who are active in the community that they would like to see featured in a future story. Send suggestions to news@gbtribune.com and explain their "community connections."