Born: 25 February 1927
Profession: 9 March 1949
Died: 14 January 2026
Sister Marie Carla Silini was born on the 25th February at Pisogne in the province of Brescia in Italy, the daughter of Girolamo Silini and Francesca Laini. Sr Carla was the sixth of eleven children in this profoundly Christian family. At her baptism she was given the name of Caterina. Her early years were spent with her family, helping, alongside her siblings, with household chores. By the age of 20, she had already decided to dedicate her life to the Lord. In 1947 she entered the Postulancy of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary. Having left her much loved family, she found herself in Estrablin, Isere, France for her initial religious formation. What a change for Caterina who only spoke the Italian dialect of Brescia! However, nothing daunted her: she managed to learn French almost without an accent. On 9th March 1949, she had the joy of giving herself to God, as she made her First Profession as an SMSM.
Since times were difficult after the war, Sr Marie Carla helped out in the communities of Estrablin and Ste Foy-les-Lyon while waiting to leave for Oceania. On 7 May 1951, she finally left for the Mission. She travelled by boat to New Caledonia where she was sent. It was in this diocese that she would dedicate her zeal, her love and her personal gifts at the service of the people of Caledonia.
Sr. Marie Carla worked from 1951 to 1954 at the Mission on Belep, a small island north of New Caledonia, where one of our pioneers, Sister Marie de la Croix, was buried in 1908. Did this not have significance for Sr. M. Carla to be following in the footsteps of this woman who became the foundress of the Congregation of the Petites Filles de Marie.” Young and generous, Carla spared neither time nor energy in caring for the little children and the young girls of the island. In 1955 she went to St Joseph’s at Bourail to have a time of rest. It was there that she had the joy of dedicating herself to the Lord for life, as she made her perpetual vows on 9 March 1955.
In 1956, she was assigned to the mission at Bonde: work at the school and a focus on the education of mothers. In 1960, she was asked to undertake a new service at Mount Thabor, assisting Mother Marie Ligouri at the novitiate, thus participating in the formation of the future Petites Filles de Marie. She remained there 5 years. Then, in 1966, Sr M Carla found herself helping the young women at the Massabielle Hostel in Noumea. Her gifts as educator allowed her to be both active and discreet with the young working women at the Hostel. But the Lord sometimes has surprises in store. In 1972, during her first holiday in Italy to visit her family after her father’s death, the Superiors asked her to be the Bursar in Brescia. In Carla’s heart, this was still another missionary service, which she generously accepted for nine years.
In 1981 she returned to New Caledonia at La Maison d’Accueil at Mont-Mou. She was responsible for the management of things there, plus mentoring the young student nuns. Like a real mother, she knew how to have a positive influence on those who readily confided in her. In 1988, during her home leave, she was called to look after visitors and necessary services at the Generalate House in Rome for two years. In 1990 Sr M Carla returned to Noumea in New Caledonia, where she generously and competently accepted the position of Regional Bursar. In 2005, she had the joy of devoting her talents to La Foa Parish, teaching catechesis and ministry to mothers. In 2010, she was fully engaged in service to the community, first at La Riviere Salee, then at the Regional House in Quartier Latin. She was much appreciated by everyone, sisters and visitors alike, for her gifts as a homemaker and hostess. The homeless people of Noumea knew her well. They often rang the doorbell to ask for bread or a bowl of soup, which Sister never refused.
When Nazareth house for the elderly sisters at Mont-Mou was opened in 2015, Sr. M Carla had already chosen her room and was ready to move in. Her strength was diminishing after a long, hardworking life. She longed for a quiet life of rest and prayer, and was happy to be with her elderly Sisters: she was the oldest, yet still so energetic! She happily cared for the sacristy with such love and ingenuity, what wouldn’t she do for the Lord? Sewing and mending things for her Sisters filled her days. Ask her a favour and she would never refuse. Eldest by age, she was also that in her attitude, her advice, her presence…she was trusted in all things; material, fraternal as well as religious.
Sister Carla was a lively, energetic presence in the community, not hesitating to break into an Italian song when the atmosphere became heavy. She remained close to her family and communicated using internet. In 2019 she had the joy of receiving a visit from her nephew Pietro on the occasion of her 70th anniversary of profession, ready to start dancing, so as to express her enthusiasm and her joy.
She was hospitalised at Medipole several times in 2025: her heart was causing her problems. In October, she struggled to recover from her hospital stay and began to lose her strength. She prepared for her encounter with the Lord in faith and prayer, to which she remained faithful. Increasingly tired, she remained bedridden, and was heard whispering: “it’s taking too long…” The encounter with the Lord, so ardently desired, was delayed, but He heard her cry, and on 14 January, 2026, she peacefully rendered her soul to God. “Here I am, Lord.”
Sr Jenny Clarke wrote from Australia: “Carla was a great help to me when I began as Regional Leader in New Caledonia, and I shall always be grateful for her wise advice and for sharing her knowledge of this country’s systems. She was so faithful to her vocation and mission, faithful in all things, both small and great.”
Thank you, Sister Marie Carla, for your faithfulness. You were a model, generously living your missionary life in total availability, in joy, in boundless trust in Jesus and Mary. This is an invitation for us to follow the same path, and for young people to hear the call of the Lord.
Throughout your long life, without a backward glance, you have lived what our Constitutions require of us in Article 16:
“In complete availability, we are ready to leave our own country,
to set out or set out again… knowing that the Spirit precedes us…” (Const. Article 16)
Sister Marie Ida Briffod
