Sister Helen Receives Honorary Doctorate of Divinity

(Baltimore, MD) -- Sister Helen Amos, RSM, Executive Chair, Mercy Health Services Board of Trustees and former President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center, has received a Doctor of Divinity degree, honoris causa, from St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore.

The degree was conferred on Sister Helen by Rev. Phillip J. Brown, P.S.S., J.D., J.C.D., and Rev. Gladstone H. Stevens, P.S.S., S.T.L., Ph.D., at commencement exercises, held Thursday, May 6^th, 2021.

For Sr. Helen’s outstanding and untiring service to the Baltimore community, to healthcare in this region, and to St. Mary’s Seminary & University, and for the unparalleled example of a faith-filled life she has provided to our seminarians, faculty, priests and all who know her, St. Mary’s is honored to confer on Sr. Helen Amos, RSM the degree Doctor of Divinity honoris causa,” Fr. Brown declared in conferring the honorary degree. 

Sister Helen was further recognized for her efforts in “making the services of Mercy Medical Center available to our COVID-19 Response Committee, enabling us to successfully navigate the many challenges of the COIVD-19 pandemic. After sending all of our students home to complete the semester online in March of 2020, Mercy has been instrumental in St. Mary’s ability to return to campus and complete the 2020-2021 seminary year successfully. There have been no cases of COVID-19 among our resident seminarians or faculty while in residence, and minimal cases during vacation periods away from the seminary. This is due in no small part to the invaluable services provided by Mercy and the generous commitment of Sr. Helen to help keep our community safe.”

Sister Helen Amos, RSM,  has more than 35 years’ experience in the fields of education and health care administration.  After working as a teacher in Georgia, Sister Helen arrived in Baltimore to take a position as Registrar for Mount Saint Agnes College where she had earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics in 1962.  Sister would later take on administrator duties with the Sisters of Mercy of the Union and the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Before coming to Mercy, Sister Helen served as President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Union in Silver Spring, Maryland from 1984 to 1991.

Sister Helen and the leadership team of Mercy Health Services are responsible for the development and implementation of numerous programs at Mercy, including the creation of The Center for Women’s Health & Medicine and its flagship programs in gynecologic oncology and breast cancer diagnosis and treatment; “The Woman’s Doctor” program on WBAL-TV; and Mercy’s network of specialty and primary care physicians.  Sister Helen is dedicated to improving the quality of life of women and the community as a whole. 

Sister Helen serves on the board and is President of Mercy Ridge, a continuing care retirement community in Timonium, Maryland. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System in Savannah, Georgia; Mercy Health Ministry, St. Louis, Missouri; the Downtown Partnership (past chair) and the Downtown Management District Authority of Baltimore City; Cristo Rey Jesuit High School; and the Board of Financial Administration of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Sister Helen served on the Board of St. Mary’s Seminar & University from 2000-2016.

Founded by the Society of Saint Sulpice, a community of diocesan clergy dedicated to training parish priests, St. Mary's Seminary & University has prepared candidates for the Roman Catholic priesthood for 230 years. St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute, opened in 1968, offers fully accredited graduate studies in theology for clergy, members of religious orders, laypeople of all faith traditions, and the general public.