Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
2026 JUBILARIANS
SISTER LUCILLE CIAFRE, RSM
70th Jubilee
When she made her First Holy Communion, Sister Lucille Ciafre told the Lord, “I am going to work for you!” She attended Holy Family School in Latrobe, Pa., where the Sisters of Mercy inspired her to enter religious life.
True to her word, she began ministering as a teacher of first graders to high school students at Catholic schools in Pittsburgh. Gifted with artistic talents, she went on to work in local communications as a photographer and writer, create artwork for the area Capuchin bulletin and the Sisters’ 150-year celebration, and lead arts and crafts at the convent. Also musically inclined, she was one of the community’s first liturgical dancers. She ministered at Pittsburgh’s Mercy Health Center dental clinic, with medical records and family care. Kind, faithful and perceptive, her ring motto — “Love” — sums up the essence of all her service.
While visiting Alaska, Sister Lucille climbed Mt. McKinley (renamed Denali). When she arrived, she joined a group walking up the mountain. “We were roped together, and the edges were steep, but I wasn’t afraid!”
SISTER JEAN MURIN, SHS
70th Jubilee
When she entered the Sisters of Mercy, Sister Jean intended to teach children. But her hunger to serve the Lord in however He desired was transformed by a can of sauerkraut. “At the motherhouse, the nun in charge of the kitchen broke her toe when the can dropped.” With culinary coaching, Sister Jean took over her duties. When the community needed a dietician for a new ministry in Florida, she volunteered.
Since then, her ministries have included dietician, nutrition instructor and instructor at the school of nursing in Pittsburgh, Pa. Currently, she creates a monthly community calendar.
Sister Jean is a founding board member of Just Harvest, nationally recognized for fighting hunger. In the 1980s, she and three Pittsburgh sisters attended a human trafficking conference and then coalesced religious communities to form PATH (People Against Trafficking of Humans) and spread awareness. Formerly the NYPPaW Peace & Justice minister/administrator, she has traveled the world for justice issues and has also been in the presence of two canonized saints — John Paul II and Mother Teresa.
SISTER LINDA KAMAN, RSM
50th Jubilee
In 1975, Sister Linda first learned about the Sisters of Mercy while working at Story Book Forest in Ligonier, Pa. Sister Virginia Kovalcik, RSM, asked if she would like to help set up their new kindergarten at Holy Trinity Parish. That warm invitation led Sister Linda to consider religious life. Now, she is celebrating her 50th jubilee!
As a Sister of Mercy, her ministries have included positions in early childhood education, elementary education and social work. Highlights include a year at Alpha Boys’ School in Jamaica and a year in the Holy Land learning how to teach children about the Holocaust.
Her many honors include the Golden Apple Award from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Award for Excellence in Science Teaching and serving on Carnegie Museum’s Teacher Advisory Board.
Cheerful and resilient, Sister Linda loves life and has a great sense of humor. She thrives on connecting and listening, and always makes time to be with others and meet God in and through them.
Other 2026 Milestones
SISTER CYNTHIA SERJAK, RSM
60 Years