ELYSBURG, Pa. — Jyllian Carter, a former member of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, took her first step toward becoming a Carmelite nun on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 8 with her profession of temporary vows, taking the name Sister Gabrielle of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Mass in the Extraordinary Form was offered by her former pastor, Father Timothy Reid, at the Carmelite Monastery of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Elysburg, Pa.
The daughter of James and Jennifer Carter joined the Carmelite Monastery of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in 2016. The traditional community of cloistered Discalced Carmelite nuns exclusively follow the Mass in the Extraordinary Form and accompanying Rites.
Sister Gabrielle is among three former Diocese of Charlotte parishioners at the Elysburg convent. Sister Bernadette of the Angels (formerly Sara Foreman of St. Michael Parish in Gastonia) joined in 2011, and Sister Mary Guadalupe (formerly Emma Rivas, also of St. Michael Parish) joined in 2017.
— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent
McCarthy BELMONT — Mercy Sister Brigid McCarthy and Mercy Sister Paulette Williams are both celebrating their 50th anniversary as Sisters of Mercy this year.
Sister Brigid McCarthy is co-foundress of Well of Mercy, a retreat for individuals in Hamptonville. Previously, she ministered as a therapist and as secretary to the superior general in Belmont. In addition, Sister Brigid taught at St. Michael School in Gastonia, Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte, and St. Mary School in Wilmington.
Sister Paulette Williams is executive vice president and director of the Sisters of Mercy of North Carolina Foundation Inc., based in Belmont. She served on the Community Leadership Team for the Sisters of Mercy-South Central Community (2000-2016), including one four-year term as president of the community and two terms as vice president.
WilliamsA native of Concord, Sister Paulette also taught and served as principal of Charlotte Catholic High School from 1973 to 2000.
The Sisters of Mercy dedicate their lives to God through vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and service.
For more than 150 years, motivated by the Gospel of Jesus and inspired by the spirit of their founder, St. Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy have responded to the changing needs of the times.
Through prayer and service, the sisters address the causes and effects of violence, racism, degradation of Earth and injustice to women and immigrants. The sisters serve in more than 200 organizations that work with those in need in the U.S., Central and South America, Jamaica, Guam and the Philippines.
— Beth Rogers Thompson, Sisters of Mercy