“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18
Sister Mary Carlo Colibraro, 98, a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth (SCL) for 71 years, died on October 5, 2024. Originally named Rose, she entered religious life on August 20, 1953, upon which she took the name Mary Carlo.
Born on March 17, 1926, in Casper, Wyoming, to a loving, close-knit, and faith-filled family, Sister Mary Carlo was the second child of Carlo and Felicia (née DiLuzio) Colibraro. As a young child, she grew deeply devoted to her family, her faith, and to her strong Italian roots. Always kind and outgoing, she met people graciously and made friends quickly. She attended McKinley Grade School and graduated from Natrona County High School.
Sister Mary Carlo earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wyoming in 1947 and an MBA in Business Education from the University of Denver in 1948. Upon graduation, she taught at public schools in Gillette and Cody, Wyoming. While teaching in Denver, she met Sister Xavier Andree, SCL, who helped her find a teaching position at Saint Mary College in Leavenworth, Kansas.
After teaching for the 1952-53 school year, she entered the novitiate in the fall. Her father had recently died, and she was worried about her mother being alone with her brothers, both of whom were in the seminary at the time. Her mother told her, “You must go. You have your whole life to live, and I must learn to live alone.” Although leaving home was difficult, Sister rejoiced when she received her habit six months later and was given her father’s name, Carlo.
She spent many years teaching in Kansas and Montana. In 1977, after a sabbatical in Denver, Sister Mary Carlo became a hospital chaplain working at Saint Joseph Hospital for 10 years. There she ministered to AIDS patients and their families and would often reflect back on this ministry saying the AIDS patients taught her so much about the dying process. In 1988, she was able to care for her mother while ministering as a pastoral associate at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in her hometown of Casper.
Sister Mary Carlo retired from pastoral ministry in 1996 and while living at the Mother House, served as a receptionist in the bell room. She also developed “Caring Ministry,” where Sisters visited skilled-nursing facilities in the Leavenworth and Lansing areas. Sister was always filled with joy, lighting up the seniors she visited with a smile, a song, or a dance. One of Sister Mary Carlo’s favorite parts of this ministry was emceeing a game of Trivial Pursuit between the Veterans from the VA Hospital and the Ross Hall Sisters.
Throughout her lifetime, Sister Mary Carlo was fun-loving, had a gentle and joyful spirit, a deep faith, a great sense of humor, and enjoyed visiting and connecting with people of all ages. Stirred by her pastoral heart, Sister Mary Carlo had a loving way of accompanying others during difficult times.
When Sister Mary Carlo moved to Ross Hall in 2015, she said she desired to deepen her prayer life and develop a closer relationship with Jesus. She also wished to maintain her lifelong relationships with the many colleagues and friends from her varied ministries over the years. Her final ministry from Ross was writing letters, often on a typewriter, and making phone calls to her friends who lived all over the country.
Sister Mary Carlo was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Reverend Daniel Colibraro and Reverend Phillip Colibraro. She is survived by the SCL Community.
There will be a vigil service at 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 29, 2024, in Ross Chapel, SCL Mother House, Leavenworth. Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated in Ross Chapel at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Interment follows in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Mother House grounds. Memorial contributions can be made to the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, KS 66048.
