The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2009, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, Saint Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, for Sister Ancille Vertin, who died on May 13, 2009, at St. Cloud Hospital. Burial will be in the monastery cemetery. Friends may call at Saint Scholastica Convent on Sunday, May 17, from 1-6 p.m. or for a Vigil Prayer Service at 7 p.m. at Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral on Monday, May 18, at 4 p.m.
S. Ancille (Mary Louise), the youngest of Joseph and Wilhelmina (Jansen) Vertin’s six children, was born in Breckenridge, Minn. She entered Saint Benedict’s Monastery in 1944, made her first monastic profession on July 11, 1946, and her perpetual profession on July 11, 1949. She celebrated her golden jubilee in 1996 and her sixtieth anniversary in 2006.
S. Ancille attended St. Mary’s Grade School and Breckenridge High School. After a BA degree in music from the College of Saint Benedict, she earned an MME degree in music education from the University of Minnesota; she attended additional summer sessions, including a piano pedagogy workshop in Innsbruck, Austria.
Music was S. Ancille’s ministry from 1946–2004. She began her teaching career at Saint Benedict’s High School and the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, while also serving as organist at St. Joseph Parish Church. She served as organist, taught private piano lessons and school music at Melrose; Pierz; St. Anthony’s in St. Cloud; Sauk Rapids; Wadena; New Munich; and Greenwald/Meire Grove. She was coordinator of the Music Center in St. Cloud including five schools: St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, St. John Cantius and Holy Spirit. Then followed three years at St. Francis Music Studio in St. Cloud. S. Ancille also enjoyed volunteering as a musician at the St. Cloud Reformatory.
S. Ancille is survived by her Benedictine community, nieces and nephews. Three brothers (Norbert, Joseph and Kenneth) and two sisters (Esther Monette and Catherine Kanoff) preceded her in death.
Please direct memorial gifts to the Vocation Fund at Saint Benedict’s Monastery.