Sr. Michele Elfering, C. S. J., age 95, beloved member of The Congregation of St. Joseph of LaGrange, celebrating 76 years of Religious Life.

Marguerite Ann Elfering was born on December 29, 1928 to Ruby and Felix Elfering.  She was the sixth child of what would be eight children.  Mary Caroline, Felix, Jr., Donald, Robert and Walter were her older siblings and Noel followed Marguerite and later a still-born brother named Rupert.

The family grew up in a rural area on a dairy farm on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois.  Michele attended a little school called Hazel Dell with a total of 17 students—mostly Elferings!  She grew up in a warm, loving family that continued this spirit through the generations with nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.  They worked and played hard with a love and concern for others.

As a high school student, Marguerite expressed to her family her desire to become a Sister of Charity, but her family, especially her brothers, tried to dissuade her with a special offer to pay for college courses.  She took them up on this and attended Barat College in Lake Forest, where the mother of a friend introduced her to Sister Evangelista of the Sisters of St. Joseph.  Through Sister’s encouragement, Marguerite entered the Sisters of St. Joseph following her first year at Barat College.

Marguerite received the habit and the religious name of Sr. Michele on August 15, 1948.  She soon began an educational career while completing her studies with a B. A. from Loyola University Chicago and an M. A. degree from Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee.

An article written by the editor appeared in the Winter, 1999 edition of IN TOUCH, a newsletter put out by the Sisters of St. Joseph of LaGrange, which featured Sr. Michele on the occasion of her being awarded the NCEA Distinguished Teacher Award.  What follows are quotes from this article.

“Sister Michele has taught third grade at St. Mary’s in Riverside…and her career has included classroom positions at Divine Infant in Westchester, St. Francis Xavier and St. Joseph Military Academy in LaGrange, St. Anthony in Chicago and St. Mary in West Chicago.  She also spent 20 years as principal at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Melrose Park, St. Hugh in Lyons and St. John Fisher in Chicago.

“Sister Michele displays an unabashed love of young people and teaching…”  Sr. Michele said, ‘I wanted to give kids a zest, a desire for learning.’  She provides that zest by mixing traditional and cutting edge methods…An annual social studies activity requires each student to send a stuffed animal ‘travelmate’ and notebook around the world, so children from other countries can describe their lives and customs.  Former students remember these projects and often visit her.  She is proud of the ‘wonderful, wonderful things’ they are doing with their lives.”

The classroom was not the only arena where Sr. Michele displayed her gifts.  She served as grade-level coordinator and monitored the Rainbows Program, Safety Patrol and student liturgy teams.  She belonged to the Sisters of St. Joseph Peace and Justice Commission, Network, and Eighth Day Center for Justice and NCEA.  Sister Michele also found time to teach CCD, form community with Seniors at St. Mary’s in Riverside, serve as Eucharistic Minister and lector, teach English as a second language, deliver food to the poor and work one night per month at a homeless shelter.  In 2011, she joined thousands of protestors at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia.

In addition to classroom work, Sr. Michele also served one year as Mistress of Postulants, winning the respect of 15 young women just beginning religious life.  Sr. Michele also gave service as a Community Council Member, as well as the Vice-President of the Community.

Sr. Michele even had time to play some pretty wicked 16” softball.  She could whack most any pitch deep into the outfield.  She was a left-handed super star!  Michele loved to come back to the Farm to be with her family.  She enjoyed playing cards, softball, swimming and reading.  She brought fun wherever she was.  Sr. Michele was a positive influence on many people’s lives and was an amazing mentor.

Sr. Michele was indeed a special woman who knew how to love, how to encourage and definitely how to work giving her all.  For those of us who have had the privilege of working with her, learning from her and being a friend of hers, we can say she lived out of our CSJ charism and she inspired us to do the same.

Sr. Michele is survived by loving sister-in-law Joanne (Noel) Elfering, godchildren Jim Morrissey (nephew), Debra Haney (niece), cousins, and her family of the Sisters of St. Joseph Congregation.

Visitation 3:30 to 8pm Friday, March 1, 2024 at Alexian Chapel at the Congregation of St. Joseph, 1515 West Ogden Avenue, LaGrange Park, IL 60526 where Funeral Liturgy will be conducted on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 10am.  Interment Queen of Heaven Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to The Congregation of St. Joseph (address above) appreciated.  The Funeral Liturgy will be livestreamed on the Congregation’s youtube channel at www.youtube.com/@congregationofst.joseph5795.  Arrangements entrusted to Hallowell & James Funeral Home at 708/352-6500