Sister Marie Colette Martelli

For Sister Marie Colette Martelli of Blessed Pauline Convent, Monroe Township, it is hard to remember a time when the Sisters of Christian Charity were not a part of her life. Once teachers and mentors, and now family sharing a life in Christ, the Sisters of Christian Charity have played a critical role in shaping who she is today.

When she was six years old, Sister Marie Colette immigrated with her family from Italy to Jersey City. She attended public grade school and took religious education classes at her local church, where she had her first interactions with the Sisters of Christian Charity as teachers. “I loved to stay after class and help straighten up the classrooms and just sort of be in their presence,” Sister Marie Colette said.

When it came time to enroll in high school, she asked her father for permission to attend the Academy of St. Aloysius in Jersey City. “He allowed it, which was great of him to put out the money because I knew that times were hard,” she recalls.

As a high school junior and senior, her connections to the Sisters of Christian Charity continued when she volunteered to teach religion with them and she was invited to attend what turned out to be a life-changing retreat to their Motherhouse in Mendham.

“It was there that I got to know them better — hear their stories, watch them pray and interact — and I realized I wanted to become a sister or at least learn more about it,” she stated.

Though she volunteered on inner-city projects with a variety of communities, she always felt an incredibly strong connection to the Sisters of Christian Charity. “I was deeply touched by their spiritual life, their interaction with each other, and the kindness and joy I saw on the retreat to the Motherhouse. They seemed so happy — and still are today,” she said.

After graduating from high school and after her first year at Jersey City State College, she entered the Sisters of Christian Charity in 1969 and completed her postulancy and novitiate years. Though surprised, her father was very supportive. “He gave me his blessing and said he’d always be there for me,” said Sister Marie Colette.

Sister Marie Colette professed her first vows in 1973 and final vows in 1979 with her father and family in attendance. “He just was so proud of me. You could just see the glow in his eyes,” she recalled.

He would also be proud of his daughter’s many years of dedication to Christ, the Church, and several parish communities. She completed her bachelor’s degree at Felician University, Lodi-Rutherford, and went on for a master’s of education in administration. Sister Marie Colette taught for 15 years and served as a school administrator for 17 years in various grade schools in New York, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

One memorable assignment before she started teaching was spending four years in Rome assisting German tourist and Italian retreat groups. While Sister Marie Colette knew Italian, it was hard to assist the German tourists so she learned the language from another sister.

With both this challenge and those faced as a school administrator, Sister Marie Colette felt the Lord’s helping hand at work: “When people speak about challenges, they often say it weakens or threatens vocations. But for me, it made me much stronger and wiser.”

Today, Sister Marie Colette is pastoral associate at the Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Monroe Township, and loves her work there, whether it’s helping the homebound, serving the poor, or assisting the bereaved.

“I’m constantly reaching out to people — listening to them, talking with them, giving them a hug — and it goes a long way,” she said. “At this point in time, it’s exactly where the Lord wants me to be.”

Kaylynn Ebner