Sister Ann Bernard Carlin, a beloved Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia for seventy-five years, died at Saint Joseph Villa on Monday, October 19, 2009. On Saturday, October24, she would have, officially, celebrated her diamond jubilee. Liturgy of the Resurrection was celebrated for Sister Ann at the Villa on Monday, October 26.
Sister Ann, who was the eldest of three daughters born to Bernard and Rose Carlin on April 29, 1917, grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Holy Name Elementary School and later, Notre Dame Academy. During one of her weekly music lessons at Notre Dame, Sister suggested that she attend 9 o’clock mass on the following Sunday. The homily was to center on vocations; Ann did not know this, but her music teacher did. That homily, among other influences, touched Ann’s heart. In 1935, she left Washington to come to Chestnut Hill to enter the Sisters of Saint Joseph.
Of course, Ann brought with her many, many talents, excelling especially in fine arts. She was a gifted musician and artist, with a flair for drama and languages. She honed these talents at Chestnut Hill College and later at Catholic University of America, where she earned her Master’s degree in Music.
Sister Ann utilized these talents, teaching at the elementary and secondary school levels in the Archdioceses of Philadelphia, Newark and Washington and in the Dioceses of Allentown, Arlington and Camden. Although Sister Ann was successfully and happily involved wherever she taught, she recalled that her happiest days of teaching were at Notre Dame High School in Easton. She and Sister Therese Benedict were among the school’s first faculty members; in fact, Sister Ann, along with Mr. Yapsuga, the music director, wrote the school’s alma mater. With her good friend, Sister Therese, who created the costumes and scenery, and with Mr. Yapsuga, Sister Ann directed a number of high quality musical productions. With love and encouragement, she helped those who could sing a little to sing a lot and to sing well; she helped those who could act a bit, to act with conviction and with feeling. And when she wasn’t wearing her director’s hat, she taught art with the same empowering love. At Notre Dame, as at other schools where she taught, Sister Ann saw the potential in students and lovingly encouraged them into achieving that potential.
Sister Ann was also skilled in the fine art of loving her God. Her spirituality, which was deeply rooted in this love, emanated from within her as solid goodness, wisdom and kindness. She was thoughtful, full of fun, kind, flexible and inclusive, as sisters in her local communities would attest. This love began with her family. Her sister, Sister Rose Edward, SSJ was only three when Ann left home to become a Sister of Saint Joseph, yet time and distance did not deter them from becoming fast friends. In S. Rose’s words, “Mary was my best buddy and I was her sweetheart.”
Sister Ann Myers’ words pay the most fitting tribute to Ann’s God-centered life:
Ann, thank you for making the world more beautiful through your love for the fine arts and for the many ways you shared this throughout the years. Thank you also for your skillfulness in the fine art of loving people and of loving your God. May the God who blessed you with these gifts, now welcome you home to eternal glory, for you our beloved Sister, are truly God’s work of art.
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