Carter Jameson, known professionally as Ann Carter, passed away peacefully at her Wellesley home after a battle with cancer on March 23. She was 69 years old.

She was born on May 30, 1956, to Paul and Dora (Dischino) Carter, whom she credited with instilling in her a deep sense of faith, character and a strong work ethic. A self-described "parochial school kid," she attended Catholic schools from elementary school through high school and would later earn a bachelor's degree from Bentley University and an MBA from Babson College.

After beginning her career in corporate communications, she went on to co-found Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, which grew to become a nationally known firm. As a principal at Rasky Baerlein, she advised archdiocesan leadership on communications during some of the most difficult periods in the Archdiocese of Boston's history: the clergy abuse crisis and the subsequent closure of dozens of churches in a controversial process known as Parish Reconfiguration.

Though her firm began its work as outside communications consultants to the archdiocese prior to the public revelations of clergy abuse in 2002, they declined to work with the archdiocese as the crisis emerged, only resuming their role after the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law.

Carter went on to serve as an advisor to Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley throughout his 22-year tenure as Archbishop of Boston, assisting him in his goals of rebuilding trust with the people of the archdiocese and creating a culture of transparency.

After the breakup of Rasky Baerlein in 2017, Carter started her own firm, ACcommunications Partners, and continued to serve the archdiocese there.

The same year, at the suggestion of Cardinal O'Malley, she was appointed by Pope Francis as a consultor to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communication (now the Dicastery for Communication), and was the only woman among the 13 consultants appointed at that time. She was also asked to serve as an advisor for the 2019 Meeting on the Protection of Minors at the Vatican, which brought presidents of national bishops' conferences, superiors of religious orders and officials of the Roman Curia together for a four-day summit addressing clergy abuse of minors.

In a statement, Cardinal O'Malley called Carter "a woman of great intellectual capacity, good humor, true wisdom and unwavering common sense."

"In today's world, there is a crisis of suspicion. We are literally drowning in information, but we don't know what to believe. Ann Carter brought to her professional life honesty and sincerity that allowed reasonable people to overcome their suspicion and cynicism," he said.

"As soon as I heard about Ann's passing, I informed Pope Leo of her death and of the extraordinary service that she gave to the Church of Boston and to the Vatican during the pontificate of Pope Francis," he added.

Georgetown Professor Kim Daniels, a member of the Dicastery for Communication, also remembered Carter in a tribute posted on the Vatican News website on March 25.

"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," Daniels wrote.

In addition to her work with the archdiocese, Carter was active on several boards and supported numerous charitable and Church organizations, including Catholic Charities Boston and the archdiocese's Planning Office for Urban Affairs.

Carter is survived by her husband, Philip Jameson; two daughters, Alexandra and Elizabeth (Brian Civale); her twin brother, Edward; two sisters, Emilee (Stephen) Crowell and Susan (Scott) Mega; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Her funeral Mass was held March 30, at St. Paul Church in Wellesley. Cardinal O'Malley was the principal celebrant and Msgr. J. Bryan Hehir was the homilist. Cardinal O'Malley also offered remarks at the conclusion of the Mass.