Sister Madaline Pallotta, CSJ

Sister Madaline Pallotta, CSJ, went to her eternal home on Saturday, Sept. 5, after a brief illness at Ellis Hospital. A native of Amsterdam, she was predeceased by her parents, Horace and Magdalene of Amsterdam and by her brother, Robert. She is survived by her sister-in-law, a niece and nephew who reside in the Amsterdam area.

She attended both public and Catholic schools in Amsterdam. In 1959, she entered the Society of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Sister Maddie received a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a master’s degree in special education from the College of St. Rose in Albany. She did post-graduate studies in special religious education at Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee, Wisc., and completed a master’s degree in religious education from St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vt. Her ministry career took her to many sites in the Albany and Syracuse diocese as well as in California.

Sister Maddie was the first sister to minister at Rome State as Director of Religious Education. She was the first Director of Special Education in the Diocese of Syracuse and also opened Hope House, a residence for handicapped men and women. She ministered as a staff member at the Carondelet Education Center in Latham.

Her deep love for children with special needs led her to become a Fund Development Specialist for Good Counsel, Inc., in Poughkeepsie and Several Services in New Jersey. In the final years of her ministry, she worked as a caregiver for the elderly and as a pet groomer! Sister Maddie was a very active woman who loved those who were downtrodden or neglected by society. Her life’s ministry choices reflect that: she held fundraisers for those with special needs. Children with special needs were dear to her heart. The National Library once awarded her with the Editor’s Choice Award for her poem — “Look Kindly on Me” — an ode to those who are “different.”

Sister Maddie requested a “green burial” and she was laid to rest on Sept. 9 at the cemetery at St. Joseph’s Provincial House. A funeral Mass was offered on Sept. 10 at St. Joseph’s Provincial House. Contributions in Sister Maddie’s memory may be made to: Office of Mission Development, St. Joseph Provincial House, 385 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Latham, N.Y., 12110.