Sr. Carole A. Riley, CDP, Ph.D., Executive Director of the West Virginia Institute for Spirituality, beloved spiritual director and music professor, died on Sunday, November 3, 2024, The Commons at Providence Heights, Allison Park, Pennsylvania.
Born in Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania, Sr. Carole was raised in Zanesville, Ohio. She began piano at age five with her Uncle Thomas Daube and later studied with the Sisters of Divine Providence, the international congregation she entered in 1959.
She was trained in piano performance and music education, receiving a B.S.M. Ed., M.M., and M.A. from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. She joined the faculty at Duquesne and taught there until 2017. During this time, she also served in a variety of leadership roles, including Chair of the Piano Department, Director of Graduate Studies, and Assistant Dean of the Mary Pappert School of Music.
While teaching in the Music Department, she studied with Adrian van Kaam, CSSp, founder of Duquesne’s Institute of Formative Spirituality. After earning her Ph.D. in Formative Spirituality and becoming Executive Director of the Institute, she integrated Ignatian Spirituality and Formative Spirituality, which became the foundation of the spiritual direction training program at the West Virginia Institute for Spirituality. In addition to teaching the art of spiritual direction, Sr. Carole led numerous retreats in Ignatian spirituality, including 8-day retreats and the 30-day Spiritual Exercises. Sr. Carole also served nationally and internationally as a discernment director and educator for many religious orders and seminaries.
In 1977, Sr. Carole accompanied three Religious of the Cenacle sisters who had been invited to begin a retreat center in Charleston, West Virginia. Having been trained in spiritual direction by Van Kaam and the Cenacle sisters, she brought a depth of experience in teaching formative spirituality to the new endeavor. Sr. Carole continued as full-time professor of music at Duquesne and traveled every weekend to Charleston to minister in the Cenacle Retreat Center. There she continued to offer spiritual direction, guide individual retreats, and establish a spiritual direction training program, in which women and men discerned their call to become spiritual directors.
When the decision was made to close the Cenacle Retreat Center, Sr. Carole led a dedicated group of spiritual directors eager to continue this ministry. In 1999, The West Virginia Institute for Spirituality (an ecumenical retreat center) was chartered. Sr. Carole served as its Executive Director from 1999 until her death in 2024. Throughout this past year’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of The West Virginia Institute for Spirituality (WVIS), perhaps the most common refrain heard from WVIS faculty, spiritual directors, Board members, and the Charleston community at large was deep gratitude for the outstanding leadership of Sr. Carole Riley.
Sr. Carole was the recipient of many honors and awards. Early in her ministry she received the Emil Penet Award from the National Religious Formation Conference for her development of a mentoring model of formation. She was a member of Duquesne University Century Club that recognizes the exceptional achievements of distinguished alumni. After her retirement from Duquesne, she was honored as a professor emerita.
In May 2024, Sr. Carole celebrated 65 years of religious profession with the Sisters of Divine Providence. Her deep spirituality, generosity of heart, wisdom, reverence for all, and her beautiful smile and spirit have left an indelible mark on all who were blessed to know her. Her outstanding legacy of spirituality and music continue in all those she educated.
Sr. Carole was predeceased by her parents, Mary Gertrude (Daube) and Francis King Riley. She is survived by her brothers Patrick (Carol) in Pittsburgh and Michael (Mary) Riley (Indianapolis, IN), as well as beloved nieces and nephews.
Memorial offerings honoring Sr. Carole may be made to: The WV Institute for Spirituality, 1601 Virginia Street East, Charleston, WV 25311.
A Celebration of Life will take place on December 7, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston, WV. Would you like to leave a comment to be shared at Sr. Carole’s Celebration of Life on December 7th? Click here and share your thoughts.