Br. Sebastian (Joseph) Reale

Br. Sebastian (Joseph) Reale of the Immaculate Conception, OCD (July 16, 1944 – March 23, 2026)

Born in Cambridge, MA, to Alice and Sebastian Reale, Joseph was raised with his two older sisters, Mary and Alice, first in Cambridge and later in Marblehead, MA. He was a Discalced Carmelite Friar for 61 years.

Br. Sebastian entered the Discalced Carmelite Novitiate in Waverly, NY, on August 1, 1962, and made his First Profession on July 16, 1965. From 1965 to 1966, he worked as a cook at the minor seminary in Peterborough, NH—something he continued to enjoy throughout his religious life at various Carmelite monasteries.

On his birthday, July 16, 1970, he made his Solemn Profession in Brookline, MA. That same year, he began his nursing studies at Boston College, earning his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.). He went on to work as a registered nurse at Belleville Hospital in New York City and later at Boston City Hospital in the psychiatric unit. In August 1977, he became a conventual at the Discalced Carmelite Friars Monastery in Brookline later moving with the order to a new location in Brighton, MA.

A compassionate and dedicated nurse, Br. Sebastian traveled to the Khao-I-Dang Refugee Center (KID) in Thailand in the 1980s, where he worked alongside doctors and nurses from across the United States with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). During his time there, he formed many meaningful, lifelong friendships.

In 1996, Br. Sebastian returned to school and earned his Master of Science in Nursing from Lesley University. Soon after, he became a conventual at the monastery’s retreat house in Peterborough, NH, and was called later that year to serve as a member of the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Washington, DC.

Placed under the Provincial in 2006, he moved to Biddeford, ME, to be closer to family. In his final years, he enjoyed living with his sister Alice in Kennebunk. After the passing of his sister Mary in 2022, followed by Alice in 2025, he resided at the Kennebunk Rehabilitation Center and died peacefully at MaineHealth in Biddeford, with loving family members by his side.

Predeceased by his niece, Shelagh Nelson, Br. Sebastian is survived by his nephew, Michael Shairs; his nieces Ellen Rudzinski, Kerry Shairs, Kristina Currier, Katia Shairs, Kathleen Harrington, and Adrianne Walsh; as well as dear friends Kay McDavitt, Syphorn Phan, Nickie Phan, and their children, Bunnard and Darrith.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Discalced Carmelite Friars Monastery in Brighton, MA, on March 27, 2026 at 11:00 am, followed by a committal service and burial at Holyhood Cemetery in West Roxbury, MA. May Our Lady of Mount Carmel pray for him and for all the faithful departed.