Sister Carol Karnitsky

(Sister Mary Peter)

Every sister has her own account as to what initially drew her to religious life. As a young girl of 6 years old, Carol Karnitsky admired ‘the ring’ on Sr. Agnes Marie’s finger and wondered how she would go about getting one for herself. As she approached her teenage years, it was dawning on Carol that God wanted her to become a Servant of the Holy Heart of Mary and as the year progressed, that feeling intensified. She knew that she had to explore the longing in her heart.

Sister Catherine Bartlett (Sister Mary George) was a mentor who greatly influenced Carol while she attended St. Gall Catholic school. Carol was attracted to Sister Catherine’s free spirit and non-stereotypical view of religious life. Shortly after making her first vows, Sister Carol met Sister Johanna Murphy (St. Sebastian) and they bonded immediately. Although a generation apart, Sister Johanna left a lasting impression on Sister Carol’s life and they remained good friends thereafter. Sisters Catherine and Johanna taught Sister Carol to always be true to herself and that integrity was essential in all that she would do and be in the future. And that remains her conviction to this day.

She laughingly remembers being ‘tsk tsked’ in grade school by a nun who discovered she was an only child. Her precocious, yet appropriate response to this sister was, "Well Sister, wasn't Jesus an only child?" Needless to say, the nun humbly acknowledged this very obvious fact!

Carol witnessed how her parents lived a faith-filled life, setting the example that would influence her own choices in the future. They never forced or discouraged her desire to enter religious life but let her determine her own path. As an only child of Russian and Polish ancestry, Carol was never a lonely, only child because she grew up in a large, loving and close knit extended family. Even to this day, her best friends are the cousins which whom she was raised.

Parish Ministry has always been Sister’s passion. Her joy is walking with others in their faith journey. She has touched countless lives of multiple generations, companioning with those in RCIA (Right of Christian Initiation of Adults) over the last 40 years of her ministry. She has served as Teacher, Campus Minister, Pastoral Associate and Vice President of Mission in a Catholic Healthcare system. But as Province Leader, Sister Carol felt this is her true pastoral calling. She is the Spiritual Leader to the Sisters and Co-Ministers alike, which is a great responsibility, especially during the challenges of the COVID pandemic. But this is where she best demonstrates her strengths as companion and confidant to all.

The Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary have been blessed by Sister Carol.

Contact Sister Back