Sister M. Carmelita Miele, SC MIELE, SC, age 90, in the 68th year of religious life. 

SISTER M. CARMELITA MIELE, SC, age 90, entered eternal life at Caritas Christi, the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, Greensburg, on September 21, 2023 in the 68^th year of religious life.  She entered the congregation of the Sisters of Charity on January 1, 1955, from Saint Pius X parish in Mount Pleasant.  In her pastor’s recommendation, he wrote, “She will find her greatest happiness only in the sisterhood.”

She is preceded in death by her parents, Joseph A. and Mary (Maliandi) Miele; a brother, Felix; and a sister, Catherine Shutty. She is survived by two brothers, Joseph and Jerry; the Miele families; and her religious community. 

Sister Carmelita earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Seton Hill University preparing her for thirty-four years of teaching at the elementary level in the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Washington, D.C., and Tucson, AZ. She earned a Certificate of Religious Studies through a three-year summer program at Seton Hill University which led her to ministries as Director of Faith Formation and Parish Minister. 

Sister had a great zeal for the less fortunate.  Her interest was nurtured during her first assignment at the House of Mary in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Phrases like “Option for the Poor” and “Dignity of Each Person” took on a new meaning.  She said it was there she “learned that it was never enough to feed only the body or provide clothing or shelter.  It was most important to nourish the soul and to provide hope.”  She experienced similar meanings when she participated in the Intercultural Mission Exchange Program between the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill and the Sisters of the Holy Family, New Orleans.

In 2004, Senator Joe Minard (WV) presented Sister Carmelita a Proclamation in recognition of her 50^th jubilee, retirement, and countless accomplishments during her ministry in West Virginia.  She was proclaimed an official member of the Order of the thirty-fifth Star of the State of West Virginia for her distinguished and committed service in her position as Director of Religious Education at Immaculate Conception Parish in Clarksburg, WV.  She was also presented a Proclamation on behalf of the Mayor and the Citizens of Clarksburg on “Sister Carmelita Day,” in recognition of fourteen years of labors of love, visitation, teaching youth and adults, and ministry.

When she retired at Caritas Christi, Sister immediately began to volunteer on the Pastoral Care Team at Jeannette District Memorial Hospital until it closed, and the St. Vincent de Paul Store, Greensburg for ten years.  She continued her active volunteer ministry at the Adult Day Care Center located in the Monahan Center at Caritas Christi. The Sisters of Charity are grateful for the faithful and caring nursing staff and employees who ministered to Sister Carmelita during her final years the way she did to so many.

In reflecting on her life as a Sister of Charity, Sister Carmelita said, “The call to live the religious life is God’s gift and I am deeply grateful.  Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s counsel to her sisters, ‘to be children of the church,’ has led me to know and understand that we are always in the company of the apostles in carrying out the mission of Jesus in the church.”

Rest in peace, Sister Carmelita, as you are received by God into the fullness of eternal life with Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Company of Charity, and your loved ones. 

Family and friends will be received at Caritas Christi, 129 DePaul Center Road, Greensburg, PA on Monday, September 25, from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm until the close of the Prayer Vigil where we share stories and memories. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Tuesday, September 26, at 10:30 am in the Chapel of Assumption at Caritas Christi. Burial will immediately follow Mass in the Sisters’ Cemetery.

The funeral liturgy will be live-streamed; access through the link: https://venue.streamspot.com/2af9e1eb

If you wish to offer prayers or remembrances, you may do so by emailing [email protected].