Ann Carter, age 69, who served as a Consultor to the Dicastery for Communication, has passed away. She leaves a legacy of deep faith, professional excellence, and personal warmth, and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
By Kim Daniels Ann Carter was an accomplished communication strategist, co-founding Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications and serving as a longtime adviser to the Archdiocese of Boston and Cardinal Sean O’Malley. In April 2017 Pope Francis appointed her among 13 new consultors to the Dicastery for Communication, and in that role she offered extensive behind-the-scenes service to the Church that she loved. Ann exemplified credibility and fostered trust, which she knew was born, in Pope Francis’ words, not from “marketing or strategizing” but from “the beating heart of the Gospel.” Her counsel was rooted in a conviction that good communication begins with substance, not spin, and that substance grows from truly listening to others. She articulated this as a professional principle, but it was first a personal one. She listened to people with a patience and attentiveness that made everyone around her feel genuinely heard. Her contributions extended to some of the Church’s most crucial moments. She served as an advisor to the organizing committee for the February 2019 Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, drawing on her long experience with the Archdiocese of Boston to bring both hard-won knowledge and steady wisdom to that important effort. Ann’s Catholic faith was central to her life and work. A “parochial school kid,” she worked in her parish rectory as a young woman and spent a decade teaching religious education. Her Vatican appointment was not just professional achievement but a call from the Church she had long served. All those who knew Ann will remember her warmth and her laughter, her generosity, and her easy friendship. She had the gift of humanizing institutional settings, and reminded her colleagues by her example that kindness and common sense are at the heart of all effective communication. Ann is in the hearts and prayers of all who had the privilege of working alongside her. May she rest in the peace of God whom she served so faithfully. Kim Daniels is a Member of the Dicastery for Communication and director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University in the United States.