Sister Carmel Rojek, SSJ, was born in Lackawanna, NY, and graduated from Lackawanna High School. She earned an Associate of Arts degree from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of Massachusetts School of Nursing. Sr. Carmel was initially accepted into the Sisters of St. Joseph of Buffalo before entering the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Assisi (FMSA), where she spent 44 years, primarily in the nursing ministry. She worked in psychiatric nursing and as a nurse practitioner at Northampton State Hospital in Northampton, MA. She was a school nurse at St. Stanislaus Parish in Chicopee, MA, and served as a nurse for retired Sisters. She received a Certificate of Studies in 1991 from the Pontifical Institute of Regina Mundi in Rome, Italy. She then returned to the United States and served six years as a Provincial of her Congregation. Sister Carmel taught religious education for many years at St. Stanislaus Parish in Chicopee, Holy Cross Parish, Holyoke, MA, and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Grandby, MA. After participating in the religious renewal program at the former Ecclesia Center in Girard, PA, Sister Carmel sought guidance for transfer to another congregation, and after completing a three-year formation program, she was ultimately accepted and made profession to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2011. Her current ministries include caregiver with Home Instead Senior Care in Erie.
Carmel Rojek, SSJ — 60 Years
