Sr. Rose Clement Canuelle, CSJ

Rosanne Canuelle was born in River Rouge, Michigan on March 13, 1930, the daughter of Leo and Margaret (Yuhasz) Canuelle. She was a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in River Rouge, Michigan, at the time of her entrance into the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth on January 2, 1956. She received the name Sister Rose Clement at her reception on July 2, 1956. She pronounced first vows on July 2, 1958, and final vows July 2, 1961.

Sister Rose attended Our Lady of Lourdes High School and went on to graduate from Nazareth College in 1968 with a major in French and a minor in Latin. Sister Rose continued her education and received her Master’s degree in Educational Psychology in 1972 from Wayne State University. Sister Rose began teaching at St. John Vianney in Flint, St. Ambrose in Parchment, Michigan and St. Mark’s in Warren, Michigan. In 1965 Sister Rose moved to the Diocese of Saginaw where she was the local superior at Sacred Heart in Birch Run, Michigan until 1967, when she resumed her teaching mission at St. David’s in Detroit, Michigan. Sister Rose remained in the Detroit area and taught at many schools in the Diocese including St. Veronica’s and St. Joseph’s. Sister Rose then enrolled at the University Hospital in Detroit and in 1976 her ministry changed to that of chaplain at St. John Hospital until her retirement in November, 2007. In 2008, Sister Rose volunteered at St. Joan of Arc, in Detroit, visiting both homebound and hospitalized parishioners.

In both her Silver and Golden Jubilee reflections, Sr. Rose expresses deep love for the Congregation of St. Joseph and her sisters, “From the moment I entered the Congregation 25 years ago, I was certain that Jesus called me to be a Sister of St. Joseph. Love, support, acceptance, faith, and challenge are gifts received from this special community.” In truth, it was her deep relationship with God and her sisters that supported her during years of teaching and 31 years of active ministry as chaplain at St. John Hospital, Detroit. Sr. Rose was known for her quiet, approachable manner. In her ministry as chaplain, she was comfortable inviting patients on medical floors, ER and ICU into conversations about their feelings, fears, and anxieties as they healed. Outside of ministry. Sr. Rose’s enjoyment of life held a balance and a fullness that she shared with friends, associates, and especially her sister, Sister Margaret Canuelle, IHM. She was an enthusiastic card player; enjoyed traveling and camping out west with CSJ friends and her sister, Margaret. In the kitchen, she was very skillful and could make many dishes, especially turkey soup for the enjoyment of the local community and visitors.

During her long life of 94 years, Sr. Rose experienced wonder and inspiration in many ways. One was her trips to the United Nations in New York, as a young tourist in 1955 and in 1998 as a member of the C/SSJs Congregation of St. Joseph Non-governmental Organization (NGO). She comments in a Grapevine Article in 1998 that during her 1995 visit, “I was inspired by the enormous work down there of peace and the good of the world. It was then that I decided to do what I could do to make the world better. The only way I thought I could do that was to enter a community of Sisters, hence, my vocation to the Sisters of St. Joseph was determined.”

Sr. Rose now celebrates eternal life with the God who called her into life and upon whose goodness she relied. We rejoice with her for now she knows the fullness of Isaiah 43:1, “I have called you and you are mine.”

May She Rest in Peace!