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Colette Palmer, SSJ
SisterBiography
Home Parish: Sacred Heart, Erie, PA
Sister Colette Palmer, SSJ, has devoted her life to serving others through education, community ministry, and pastoral care. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph from Sacred Heart Parish in Erie, Pennsylvania, on August 27, 1959, and professed final vows on August 15, 1967.
Sister Colette’s educational background includes studies at Sacred Heart and Villa Maria Academy, followed by further education at Villa Maria College. She also completed training at Boston State Hospital. Her ministries have included service at St. Mary’s Home from 1978 to 1982, Villa Maria College from 1982 to 1987, and the Sisters of St. Joseph from 1987 to 2004. She also has served in pastoral care at Saint Vincent Health Center, offering comfort and support to patients and their families.
The Gospel of John has been a particular source of inspiration throughout Sister Colette’s ministry. Passages such as “I Myself am the Bread of Life,” “I came that they might have life and have it to the full,” and “Do not let your hearts be troubled” offer hope and reassurance, especially when she shares them with those who are sick or dying and with families experiencing loss.
Sister Colette credits her mother, Sharon, as the person whose faith has most deeply influenced her life. Their special relationship was marked by love, which her mother extended to family, friends, caregivers, and fellow residents at Sarah Reed Retirement Center. Even as she faced the challenges of daily life in her later years, her mother continued to rely on the Lord’s strength and share the comfort of God’s Word with those who were hurting. Sister Colette hopes to carry that same spirit of love into her own relationships and ministry.
Sister Colette first recognized her call to religious life while in fourth grade. She was deeply impressed by the love, joy, and dedication of Sister Michelle Pillar, who was a postulant at the beginning of the school year and received her religious habit in April. Witnessing Sister Michelle’s example helped Sister Colette recognize her own desire to become a Sister of St. Joseph. That early sense of calling has continued to guide her life of faith and service.
