World travels bring nun to Fort Edward

Fifty years ago, Carolyn Carte of Peru, N.Y., decided she wanted to be a missionary and teach people in foreign lands about Jesus.

This year, she is celebrating her golden anniversary as a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Ironically, Sister Carolyn has been based in the U.S. for many of those years, something that never bothered her since she went where God wanted her to be.

For the past ten years, that has been St. Joseph's Church in Fort Edward, where she is a pastoral outreach minister. At 76, she has no plans to retire.

Indies first

After entering her order, Sister Carolyn got a taste of overseas work on the island of Dominica in the West Indies.

"I felt very lucky to be able to go, but I had no idea what I was getting into," she noted, recalling the extreme poverty of the people.

"There were no roads, no electricity, no running water," she said. "Children went barefoot all the time. The people were very, very poor by our American standards. Most subsisted on one loaf of 'penny bread' a day, which was the size of a biscuit. Often, they would break it in half and share it with another. For me, it was true culture shock."

Teaching

Sister Carolyn was assigned to teach, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

"I loved the children," she said. "The classes were very large, children [were] all over the place and they were eager to learn. We were very busy. It was God's work, and we enjoyed it."

She learned a dialect that was a mix of English and the local language. Because her order is based in Belgium, most of the sisters with her had come from European convents and also could not speak English. So, she learned their languages, too.

Island-hopping

Other locations she saw in the West Indies included Antigua, Montserrat and St. Croix.

"I was perfectly happy in the Caribbean, and I expected that this is where I would stay," she explained. "Usually, our sisters remain [where they are sent] for years, some for their entire lives."

But, ten years after she set foot in the Caribbean, she received notice that she would be coming home to help collect funds to keep the order going.

Traveling

Her other assignments have included three years in Rome, Italy, at the generalate offices of her order; she attended audiences with several popes.

She returned to the U.S. in 1973 and was assigned to New York City, where she worked in prison ministry, with homeless pregnant women and establishing Valentine House for new mothers.

"We spent much of our time teaching the new moms how to care for their children. It was a very good ministry," Sister Carolyn recalled.

Small businesses

Next came an assignment to establish a mission in south Texas near the border with Mexico.

"When we got there, it was obvious that the residents weren't interested in helping us build a mission," she said. "But, eventually, we established Project Faith and Hope. For nine years, we worked that mission, which helped Mexican immigrants and other poor in the area."

The sisters supported their efforts through a small business that made solar ovens, hot water heaters, compost toilets and other energy-saving items.

Speaking of her time in Fort Edward, she said, "I love working in this parish. The people here have been so kind and gracious to me. They absolutely energize me! I can't think of being anywhere else at this stage of my life."

(3/16/06) [[In-content Ad]]