Pittsburgh Mercy President and CEO Jaime Dircksen Blessed and Commissioned

On 17th November the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy in collaboration with trustees from the Pittsburgh Mercy Board of Directors and members of the Pittsburgh Mercy Executive Leadership Team (ELT) welcomed Jaime Dircksen to her position as president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy – and as the newest member of the Circle of Mercy – with a special service that included a blessing with holy oil and laying on of hands.

The commissioning is both a tradition and an important rite of passage that the Sisters have observed within their own community for over 190 years during significant milestones and leadership transitions. A similar event took place when Mother Frances Warde and the six other Sisters of Mercy left Carlow, Ireland to establish new ministries in Pittsburgh in 1843. Their work quickly spread across the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.

Sister Dianne Tress, RSM, a Pittsburgh Sister of Mercy and a Pittsburgh Mercy trustee led the event at the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Pittsburgh’s West Oakland neighborhood. The evening included readings, a formal blessing, the laying on of hands, and prayers for Jaime and all Pittsburgh Mercy colleagues who continue the Sisters of Mercy tradition of bringing help – and hope – to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy Dianne Tress, Barbara Anne Quinn, Sheila Carney, Cynthia Serjak, and Kathi Sweeney, and Pittsburgh Mercy Board of Directors Chairperson and trustee Mark Gibbons, and trustee Suresh Ramanathan served as blessers.

At the conclusion of the blessing, Sister Dianne Tress noted, “Jaime, you are the whole person who carries the mission begun and grown from many in this room and those who have gone before you, us in this room, and the vast number of women and men who stand upon their shoulders to see and ask, ‘What is it now, God, that the world needs?’ Use your whole self to cultivate Mercy wherever you are.”

Ms Dircksen was appointed president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy on 31 August 2025. Pittsburgh Mercy is one of the largest social service nonprofit organizations and the provider of choice for the most vulnerable in Allegheny County. It serves more than 17,000 people annually, including persons with mental health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and persons experiencing homelessness and other traumas.

Pittsburgh Mercy is a member of Trinity Health, serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy.

 ENDS

Photo credit: Photos by Marisol Valentin and Jody Figas, courtesy of Pittsburgh Mercy.