Sister of Loretto Kay Carlew, formerly Sister Shawn Carlew, died March 11 at the Loretto Motherhouse infirmary. She was 77 and in her 59th year of religious life.
Sister Carlew, a native of St. Louis, served as an educator and worked with the sick and elderly. The first 10 years of her ministry were spent as a teacher in the Washington County, Ky., Public School system.
During the next 30 years, Sister Carlew served at the Loretto Motherhouse as comptroller and the infirmary administrator. In that role she started the Resource Project to get other sisters involved in community work, which included tutoring, visiting the sick and shut-ins and calling neighbors who were homebound.
In 2005 Sister Carlew was recognized by the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities as “Nursing Home Administrator of the Year” for the Central District of Kentucky.
Sister Carlew also worked to support communities of Loretto Sisters abroad including traveling to Pakistan and Ghana. She helped to get funding and donations of water purification systems to Loretto Pakistani schools.
From 2011 up until her death, Sister Carlew continued to serve including at the Loretto Child Care Center, which she founded, serving as a tutor, medical driver, planning and participating in Motherhouse events and activities.
A funeral Mass was celebrated March 13 with burial in the Loretto Motherhouse Nature Preserve Cemetery.
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the Loretto Community, care of Loretto Development Office, Loretto Motherhouse, 515 Nerinx Road, Nerinx, Ky., 40049.
