A funeral Mass for Sister Carolyn Strack, CSJ, was celebrated Jan. 6 at Nazareth Living Center Chapel. Sister Carolyn died Dec. 22 at Nazareth Living Center. She was 89 years old.
Sister Carolyn was born on Jan. 5, 1932, in Indianapolis to parents Eugene and Clara (Busald) Strack. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on Feb. 11, 1951, and was received into the novitiate on Aug. 15, 1951, as Sister Marie Clare. She made her final profession on Aug. 15, 1958. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Fontbonne College (now University) in 1962.
Sister Carolyn taught in elementary education for more than 30 years. She taught at St. Philip Neri School in St. Louis (1953-56 and 1969-70); St. Gregory School in St. Ann (1956-61); Assumption School in Kansas City (1961-64); and St. Mary School in Bridgeton (1965-69). She also taught at St. Viator School in Chicago (1964-65).
In 1970, Sister Carolyn left elementary education and began a long career in various religious education programs starting in the diocesan Religious Education Office of Jefferson City, Missouri, in teacher training. She then went back to St. Louis to St. Blaise Parish School of Religion (1971-74), which was larger than the parish elementary school. Having organized this religious education school, she moved to Shawano, Wisconsin, to organize another large religious education school, this time for Sacred Heart Parish (1974-79).
In 1979, she moved to St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Aurora, Indiana. A year later, she went to the Indianapolis area, where she was the religious education coordinator for the Catholic community at the Army base of Ft. Benjamin Harrison until 1986. During this time, she also did pastoral ministry with the families as Catholic chaplains became less available for these small military bases.
Following her years at Ft. Harrison, Sister Carolyn was a pastoral associate and parish life coordinator for the parishes of St. Catherine (1986-91) and St. James (1990-92) in Indianapolis.
After a sabbatical, Sister Carolyn returned to St. Louis to serve as pastoral care director at Nazareth Living Center (1993-99). She retired in 1999 but ministered for her community wherever she was needed, including as a receptionist for the province’s Development Office from 1999-2006.
Sister Carolyn continued to volunteer where needed, including as a part-time archival aide for the St. Joseph Provincial House from 2009-19. In June 2015, she became a resident of Nazareth Living Center, where she continued to carry out her mission of prayer and presence.
Burial took place in Resurrection Cemetery.
