January 26, 1939 – September 6, 2026
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Madeline (Maddie) Pallotta, CSJ, who died at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, New York, on September 6, 2026. She was a Sister of St. Joseph for over 60 years.
A native of Amsterdam, New York, Sister Maddie was born to Horace and Magdalene Pallotta. In 1959, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Sister Maddie earned a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in special education from The College of St. Rose in Albany. She did post-graduate studies in special religious education at Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sister Maddie also completed a master’s degree in religious education from St. Michael’s College in Winooski, Vermont.
Sister Maddie’s ministry career took her to many sites in the Albany and Syracuse Dioceses as well as to California. She was the first sister to minister at Rome State as the director of religious education. She was the first director of special education in the Diocese of Syracuse and also opened Hope House, a residence for handicapped men and women. She ministered as a staff member at the Carondelet Education Center in Latham, New York.
Sister Maddie was a very active woman who loved those who were downtrodden or neglected by society. Her deep love for special needs children led her to become a fund development specialist for Good Counsel, Inc in Poughkeepsie and Several Services in New Jersey. The National Library once awarded her with the Editor’s Choice Award for her poem, “look kindly on me”—an ode to those who are ”different.” In her final years of ministry, she worked as a caregiver for the elderly and as a pet groomer.
Sister Maddie was predeceased by her parents, Horace and Magdalene, and by her brother, Robert. She is survived by her sister-in-law, a niece and nephew and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Sister Maddie requested a green burial, and she was laid to rest on Wednesday, September 9, at the cemetery at St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham. She asked that there be no wake. A funeral liturgy will be celebrated in the Provincial House Chapel on Thursday, September 10, at 10:30 a.m.
Contributions in Sister Maddie’s memory may be made to: Office of Mission Advancement, St. Joseph’s Provincial House, 385 Watervliet Shaker Road, Latham, NY 12110 or donate online.