Sibling of Archbishop Carney dedicated most of her life to Church, students

The B.C. Catholic



Sister Josephine Carney, the only surviving sibling of the late Archbishop James Carney, has died, just days after her 96th birthday.

Sister Carney, who was affectionately known as Sister Jo, was a nun for nearly 75 years and a beloved schoolteacher for more than 50 of them.

“Sister Josephine had a deep love for her hometown of Vancouver, where she taught in our Catholic schools for over half a century,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, after hearing of her death.

She “was a truly extraordinary woman, a highly gifted speaker, always gracious, and always very courageous.”


Becoming a sister

Sister Carney, born in Vancouver Feb. 9, 1920, grew up with three brothers: James, who would become Archbishop of Vancouver in 1969, and twins Bernard and John.

She graduated from Little Flower Academy with honours in 1938. That school, founded and staffed by the Sisters of St. Ann, introduced the congregation to her.

The teen felt God calling her toward a vocation, but was reluctant to become a sister. Despite her reservations, she wrote to the Sisters of St. Ann in Victoria in the late 30s and they invited her to visit.

While boarding the steamship that would take her to Vancouver Island, James noticed she was in tears. Then a seminarian, he knew what it was like to leave home to discern a vocation, and he encouraged her to be strong.

“She attributed her perseverance to this intervention,” wrote Sister Mary Ellen King, SSA, in a testimony released by the sisters after Sister Carney’s death.

Sister Carney entered the Sisters of St. Ann in 1939 and pronounced her vows in 1941. Even as a postulant, she began preparing for what would become a half-century long commitment to Catholic education in B.C.




Becoming a teacher

Sister Carney’s first assignment as a nun and teacher was at St. Ann’s Academy in Kamloops, founded by her congregation in 1880.

Every summer Sisters of St. Ann were assigned to teach catechism in a distant town. Thanks to this, Sister Carney taught in every Catholic diocese in B.C., travelling as far north as Lower Post.

She taught at Little Flower Academy, her alma mater, for about 20 years. According to LFA, Sister Carney is the only person to have been a student, Sister of St. Ann, alumna, teacher, and administrator at that school.

“The thing that strikes me the most about Sister Jo is her absolute love of the people that she had in her life,” said principal Diane Little. Sister Carney was a family friend as well as a teacher.

“You absolutely felt as though you were an important, loved person, and in her eyes, you were perfect. That kind of unconditional love you only get from your parents and grandparents.”

She said Sister Carney would always address her class as: “My loves, my doves, my beautiful ones.” Her teaching instilled a sense of awe and a feeling in students that they could take on the world.

“It wasn’t a job for her. She wasn’t merely a teacher. It was her true, true vocation.”

Sister Carney also taught at Notre Dame Regional Secondary School for several years. That school would go head-to-head with LFA at an annual hockey match, competing for a trophy called the Sister Josephine Carney Award.

She also taught catechism for at least 18 years at St. Theresa’s Parish in Burnaby.


Staying involved

Sister Carney retired from teaching in 1997 and moved to the sisters’ Mount St. Angela home in Victoria, but she was far from finished with being involved in the Church.

“She became very active in the RCIA programs and the Legion of Mary,” wrote Sister King. “She made regular trips to Vancouver, where for many years she continued to offer retreats and days of prayer and kept alive her contact with the students and staff at Little Flower Academy.”

She did this even after she had become legally blind.

She was also there to congratulate the first graduating class of Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School, named after her brother, in 1999.

She called the graduates her “Carney stars,” saying that Archbishop Carney, who had died nine years before, was passionate about Catholic education and would have rejoiced at the occasion.

Her love for passing on the faith did not go unnoticed; in 1998 Sister Carney accepted the papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award for her dedication to the Church.

She also received the inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award from Little Flower Academy. Those who nominated her called it an easy decision.

“To be honest, it was a no-brainer,” said Bettina Sy, a former student of hers and an alumna of LFA. “As a teacher, she was patient, she was encouraging, inspiring, she really made us interested in what we were learning and really related to us.”

Little added, “She certainly has left us a legacy of love and acceptance that we have to carry forward.”


Entering eternity

Sister Carney developed a lung infection days before her 96th birthday, then heart failure days afterward. She died peacefully Feb. 20 at 4 a.m.

The funeral Mass was held Feb. 25 in St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria.

“Sister Josephine has left us a tremendous legacy of ministry and service,” said Archbishop Miller. “It would be difficult for me to think of a more wonderful exemplar of the consecrated life.”