Honoring the Legacy of a Local Leader – Sister Corita Heid, R.S.M.

For the Sisters of Mercy, generosity isn’t just about philanthropy – it's a way of life, best expressed through action. This guiding principle forms the foundation of MercyOne’s history of Catholic sisters leading with compassion and faith. An Iowa farm girl from the beginning, Sister Mary Corita Heid, R.S.M., is among these religious women, living out the core values of the Sisters of Mercy.

At a time when few women—and even fewer Sisters—pursued hospital administration, Sister Corita was breaking barriers and building a legacy.

Already familiar with the Mercy School of Nursing in Sioux City because of her siblings’ experiences, her first personal encounter with the religious community that would become an integral part of her life came when she attended a school retreat in 1957. Though it lasted only a few days, the retreat marked a turning point. Until then, she’d been largely unfamiliar with religious orders – but it was there, at just 20 years old, that she felt the calling to lead a life of service and faith.  

After nearly a decade in religious formation, she also earned her bachelor's degree in nursing before making final vows and becoming a fully professed Sister of Mercy in 1965. 

She began her ministry as a staff nurse and supervisor at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor following formation. It was perhaps first there that she was best able to enact the founding Sister of Mercy, Catherine McAuley’s belief of not just feeling compassion but acting on it through service to others. Even early on, Sister Corita’s professional and spiritual perspectives were deeply interwoven. “My work, my way of serving is an expression of my religious life commitment,” she once said.

That work – and direct line of serving others as a nurse, didn’t put a vocation in hospital administration at the top of her life aspirations. Though she had been told since high school that she possessed strong leadership qualities, executive-level administration seemed too far removed from the direct patient care that she felt called to. Over time, though, she came to understand that living out the mission of the Sisters of Mercy – bringing compassion and justice to all – meant ensuring those values were present at every level of health care, including in leadership.

In 1970, Sister Corita became the first religious Sister and only the fourth woman to graduate from the University of Iowa’s Master’s program in Hospital and Health Administration. It was a bold move at a time when leadership in health care was still largely a man's field. For Sister Corita, however, the call to serve meant stepping into new roles to ensure that compassionate, quality service to others remained at the heart of Catholic health care.

Following graduation, she returned to Ann Arbor to serve as one of the top leaders at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital before going on to lead Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque. Known for her calm strength and deep faith, she worked tirelessly to prioritize patient care, support staff development, and navigate complex health care decisions with grace and purpose. Prior to eventually being named CEO of Mercy in Dubuque, she also led St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Mason City, often commuting between the two hospitals to support both communities. 

As Catherine McAuley once said, “The poor need help today, not next week.” Sister Corita continues to live out that core calling for the Sisters of Mercy even after stepping away from formal leadership roles. She remains a dedicated donor to both MercyOne North Iowa and MercyOne Dubuque Foundations and lends her expertise as a member of several health care boards. She currently serves on a regional board for Trinity Health and on the sponsor board for Covenant Health in Alberta, Canada. She is also deeply grateful for her nearly seven decades of membership in the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. 

Her personal legacy lives on not only in Mason City and across MercyOne, but also in the continued generosity and leadership she brings to health care today.

Sister Corita’s lifelong dedication is a powerful reminder that each of us has a role to play in continuing the mission of Mercy. By following her example, your generosity helps ensure that compassionate, faith-driven care remains at the heart of MercyOne – for the patients of today and for generations to come.

“Supporting MercyOne is one small way I can continue to live out the mission of the Sisters of Mercy: to bring compassion, dignity, and justice to those in need,” she says. “Though I’m no longer walking hospital halls every day, my heart remains with the patients, the caregivers, and the community we serve.”