Sister June Carpenter, a cherished elder of the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine, died on Tuesday at the age of 88. The Shaker community announced her passing, noting that she had been coping with health problems and limited mobility in recent months.
Life of service to the Shaker faith
Born in Boston in 1938, June earned a master’s degree in library sciences from Simmons College and began her career at the Brookline Public Library. Her first encounter with the Shakers came in 1988 when she visited Sabbathday Lake for the dedication of the Shaker library. Inspired by the community’s devotion to simplicity, celibacy, and Christian worship, she formally joined the order on May 31, 1989.
During her more than three decades at Sabbathday Lake, Sister June served as the cataloger of the Shaker Library, meticulously organizing and preserving the collection of historic texts, hymnals, and records that document the movement’s legacy. She also tended the village’s flower gardens and kept the community’s book of birthdays, ensuring that each member’s milestones were recorded and celebrated.
The last living Shakers
Sabbathday Lake remains the sole active Shaker settlement in the United States, a direct descendant of the celibate Christian movement founded in the late 1700s by Mother Ann Lee, an English immigrant. At the time of Sister June’s death, the community counted only a handful of members: Brother Arnold Hadd, Sister April Baxter (who joined in 2022), and a novice, Mac Imes, who began her training earlier this year.
The Shakers, officially known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, once flourished across multiple states, with thousands of adherents living in communal farms and villages during the early 1800s. Their numbers declined sharply after the Civil War, but the Sabbathday Lake community has persisted, preserving the movement’s distinctive worship, craftsmanship, and simple way of life.
Legacy and remembrance
Friends and fellow Shakers remember Sister June for her gentle spirit, scholarly dedication, and unwavering commitment to the community’s values. Her work in cataloging the library ensured that future generations can study the Shakers’ contributions to American religious history, while her care for the gardens reflected the movement’s reverence for nature.
The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village will hold a memorial service in the coming days, inviting members of the broader faith community to honor Sister June’s life and the enduring legacy of the Shakers in Maine.
Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.
