Sheila Carney RSM, presented with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ Lifetime Achievement Award

Sister Sheila Carney, RSM, Special Assistant to the President for Mercy Heritage and Service at Carlow University, has been selected as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), one of the organization’s highest honours recognizing extraordinary service and enduring impact in Catholic higher education mission leadership.

Sister Sheila was formally honoured on Saturday 31 January 2026, during the ACCU Chief Mission Officer Pre-Conference Gathering at the Grand Hyatt Washington (Penn Quarter A&B), held in advance of the ACCU Annual Meeting.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a mission officer whose career reflects a profound and sustained commitment to Catholic intellectual tradition, Catholic Social Teaching, and the integration of mission across campus life. The ACCU Awards and Recognition Committee cited Sister Sheila’s lifelong witness to engaged dialogue, inclusive leadership, service, and the formation of future generations of mission-centered faculty, staff, and students.

“Sister Sheila Carney’s leadership reflects deep reverence for the Catholic intellectual tradition, a commitment to justice and inclusion, and an extraordinary ability to empower others to live mission authentically in every facet of campus life,” the committee noted.

Dr. Kathy Humphrey, President of Carlow University, further acknowledged, “Sister Sheila Carney embodies Carlow University’s Mercy mission. This Lifetime Achievement Award is a deeply fitting recognition of a woman whose life’s work has transformed our campus and strengthened the very fabric of Catholic higher education.”

A Life of Mercy, Mission, and Leadership

A Sister of Mercy of the Americas for 58 years, Sister Sheila Carney has served the Church and her community in a wide range of leadership, educational, and ministerial roles at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Following theological studies in Rome, she served as Director of Incorporation for the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy and later earned a Master of Divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She taught at both the seminary and college levels at Saint Vincent and served six years on the leadership team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

After a sabbatical, Sister Sheila returned to her alma mater, Carlow University, where she has served for the past 12 years as Special Assistant to the President for Mercy Heritage and Service. In this role, she has been instrumental in advancing Mercy identity, deepening mission integration, and expanding community-engaged initiatives across campus.

Among her many contributions at Carlow, Sister Sheila founded the Carlow Food Pantry, serving both the campus and the surrounding community, and secured grant funding from McAuley Ministries to establish The Braided Community, an intergroup dialogue initiative bringing together the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow community members, and West Oakland neighbours to foster understanding, shared learning, and meaningful engagement.

Scholar, Speaker, and Author

An internationally known speaker and retreat director, Sister Sheila is the co-author of Praying with Catherine McAuley and has published extensively on spirituality, mission, and religious life. Her writings have appeared in numerous journals and edited volumes, including The Journal of Catholic Higher Education, The Journal of the Mercy Association in Scripture and Theology, Downside Review, and Charities USA. In 2010, she received the Conference for Mercy Higher Education Leadership Medal, further recognizing her influence within Catholic higher education.

Sister Sheila has served on the boards of numerous Mercy health systems, chaired the Conference for Mercy Higher Education, founded and chaired the Board of Well of Mercy in North Carolina, and currently chairs the Board of McAuley Ministries. She also serves as Vice Postulator for the Cause for the Canonization of Catherine McAuley. She is the current Chair of the Board of Mercy International Association.

A native of Pittsburgh, Sister Sheila is a graduate of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University), and Saint Vincent Seminary, with additional studies at the National University of Ireland, the ARC Program in Rome, and Duquesne University. Outside her professional work, she is an avid reader, knitter, and singer.

Congratulations Sister Sheila!

ENDS