Carol Carrig, IHM

Carol Carrig, IHM, died on August 20 at Serenity House ­­­­in Santa Barbara. Cancer claimed her life at age 83. She was blessed at bedside and in her year’s final journey by beloved friends and members of the Immaculate Heart Community and the Beatitudes Community of Santa Barbara. Carol celebrated her 65th anniversary as an IHM last year.

Carol was born on New Year’s Day, 1933, in Omaha, NE, the only child of Betty and Charles Carrig, who moved to Los Angeles in 1936. After graduation from Bishop Conaty High School in 1950, Carol entered the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, taking the name Sister Mary Carol. She taught in several schools in Los Angeles and was principal at Our Mother of Good Counsel School for seven years. In Santa Barbara Carol was principal of Marymount School from 1973 to 1977.

Carol received her BA from Immaculate Heart College and her MA in Religious Studies from UCSB, where she began doctoral studies in Confluent Education. She suspended work on her dissertation when she and her husband, Michael Terry, left for Uganda to serve for four years as missionaries through the Volunteer Missionary Movement.

Returning to the U.S., Carol settled in in Santa Barbara, where she was employed at La Casa de Maria Retreat Center, at Bishop Garcia Diego High School, and at the Fielding Institute. Carol retired after serving for 13 years as director of the IHM Center for Spiritual Renewal in Montecito.

Carol loved living in Santa Barbara; she loved to travel, visit relatives and friends, and enjoyed simple pleasures like walking on the beach, reading, pursuing her interest in centering prayer, and listening to music. She made time for private retreats and participated in programs at La Casa de Maria, nurturing her life of prayer and contemplation. As a spiritual director she was guide and friend to many. A gentle woman, Carol possessed a deep sense of gratitude and of being blessed by the kindness and generosity of her many friends. Her contacts and friendships spanned decades and distances. She created community wherever she served and graced the lives of all who knew her.

With gratitude, the Immaculate Heart Community acknowledges the caring of many in the Santa Barbara community who comforted Carol and accompanied her in her final year and days on earth. Carol is survived by numerous first and second cousins and their children, throughout the United States, all with whom she kept in close contact and loved dearly.

A celebration of Carol’s life will take place in the Chapel at La Casa de Maria, 800 El Bosque Road in Montecito at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, September 5, followed by a reception. A second celebration of Carol’s life will be at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church, Los Angeles, on Saturday, September 24, at 10:30 a.m., followed by luncheon and shared memories.

To honor the life of Carol Carrig, IHM, donations may be made to the IHM Center for Spiritual Renewal at La Casa de Maria, 800 El Bosque Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93108 or to the Immaculate Heart Community, 5515 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028.